stairway to vegan

Sharing a journey into the world of fabulous vegan food.


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Classic Tuna(less) Casserole #veganMoFo #vgnmf15 day nine Most retro recipe.

What is more retro than Tuna Casserole?

Classic Tuna(less) Casserole

Classic Tuna(less) Casserole

There are only two kinds of people in this world, those that LOVE Tuna Casserole and those that HATE Tuna Casserole. Interesting side note here, would it be the same people who love or hate Christmas fruit cake…..I LOVE both šŸ™‚

This recipe uses mashed chick peas as the Tuna substitute. I mashed them with a fork so that they did not get too smooth.

The “fishy” taste comes from dulse flakes, a mild seaweed with a fresh salty side to it, perfect for this recipe.

Enjoy,

96B4F31D4DF30EE65A022CF611762965

 

 

Classic Tuna(less) Casserole

Serves 4

  • 1 can chickpeas drained and mashed with a fork
  • 2 cups cooked pasta (I used mini lasagne noodles)
  • 1/2 onion finely diced
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup frozen green peas
  • 1 or 2 Tblspns dulse flakes (depending on how much of a “fishy” taste you like)
  • 1 tspn lemon pepper
  • crushed potato chips (enough to cover top)
  • 2 Tblspns nutritional yeast

Combine all ingredients except potato chips and nutritional yeast,

Put in casserole dish. Cover with crushed potato chips, sprinkle with nutritional yeast,

Bake uncovered in 325 F oven for 20 mins till bubbly.

Classic Tuna(less) Casserole

Classic Tuna(less) Casserole


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Bridget Jones Blue Leek and Potato Soup #veganmofo #vgnmf15

Make and/or eat some thing inspired by a book or film.

Day seven of Vegan MoFo and it is the delightful Bridget Jones Diary inspired, Blue Leek and Potato Soup.

The Diary of Bridget Jones is one of my favourite books and movies. I love how imperfect she is. If you want a good laugh, then this is the movie for you.

Bridget Jone Blue Leek and Potato Soup

Bridget Jones Blue Leek and Potato Soup

Now, of course you do not have to turn the soup blue……I did , just for fun with a couple of drops of blue food colouring. Poor Bridget had the misfortune of using blue string to tie upĀ the leekĀ in her soup which gave her the blue version.

blue-soup

blue-soup

This soup is delicious in either colour.

Enjoy,

96B4F31D4DF30EE65A022CF611762965

(Blue) Leek and Potato Soup

Serves 4 – 6

  • 2 Tblspns olive oil
  • 5 medium potato’s peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 leeks, trimmed, thoroughly washed and sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic chopped
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 Tblspn lemon juice
  • salt to taste
  • finely chopped green onionsĀ for garnish if wanted.

SautĆ© the potato’s, leeks and garlic in the olive oil until vegetables start to soften a little and brown. Add the vegetable stock and simmer covered for 30 mins until the vegetables are soft.

Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. (or you can wait until the soup cools a little then place in small batches in a blender and process. Be Very Careful that the soup is not too hot or it could explode out of the top of the blender and cause serious burns).

Add coconut milk, lemon juice and stir to combine.,

Add salt to taste.

Sprinkle each bowl with green onions if desired.

Bridget Jones Blue Leek and Potato Soup

Bridget Jones Blue Leek and Potato Soup


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Beefless Wellington and KFC (Kentucky Fried Cauliflower) Re-create a restaurant meal #veganmofo day six #vgnmf15

Wow, here we are at day six already, time is flying by as usual. There should be a term “mofo time” kind of like tropical island time, but the opposite. In mofo land, time speeds up and flies by before you know it.

Beefless Wellington

Beefless Wellington

Anyway back to mofo day six and our prompt “Re-create a restaurant meal”. I have two restaurant meal recipes for you. The first is Beefless Wellington. You see this at high end restaurants and I wanted to try and replicate the concept of roast beef smothered in a mushroom garlic pesto then wrapped in puff pastry and baked to perfection.

KFC (Kentucky Fried Cauliflower)

KFC (Kentucky Fried Cauliflower)

The second is a take on KFC, but this time it is Kentucky Fried Cauliflower. Now, there could be a debate on whether KFC is a restaurant, but I am not going there. Last summer I did a post on this and explained how I live one block “down wind” of a local KFC and the aroma that greets me almost on a daily basis has me drooling in my driveway. So for this post, I will link back to that post for the commentary regarding KFC andĀ hereĀ for a recipe to satisfy your “finger licking good” cravings.

Enjoy,

96B4F31D4DF30EE65A022CF611762965

 

 

Beefless Wellington

Beefless Wellington

Beefless Wellington

Serves 4

  • 1 beefless roast
  • 2 Tblspns Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tblspns olive oil
  • 1/2 lb mushrooms cleaned and sliced
  • 4 Tblspns dry red wine
  • 3Ā  cloves garlic crushed
  • 1/2 tspn thyme
  • 6 – 8 slices vegan chicken or turkey
  • 1 packet vegan puff pastry
  • 2 Tblspns non dairy milk

Beefless Roast

  • 1 cup Vital Wheat Gluten
  • 4 Tblspns chickpea flour
  • 4 Tblspns nutritional yeast
  • 2 tspns onion power
  • 2 tspns garlic powder
  • 1 Tblspn vegan worsteshire sauce
  • 1/4 tspn ground pepper
  • 1Ā Ā  cup water
  • 1 Tblspn olive oil
  • 1 Tblspn tamari
  • 1 tspn browning liquid (optional)
  • 8 cups vegetable broth for simmering

Combine all liquid ingredients. In separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add liquid ingredients to dry and mix well. If necessary add a little more chickpea flour to make a dough like ball. Knead for 5 mins to develop gluten.Ā  Form into a loaf. Wrap in cheesecloth loosely and tie the ends.

Bring vegetable broth to a boil, lower dough in and bring back to a slow simmer. Cover and simmer (do not boil) forĀ  on hour turning occasionally. Allow to cool in broth. When cool, remove from broth and put in a Ziploc bag with 1/4 cup of broth and refrigerate overnight,

Brush roast with mustard on all sides.Ā  Preheat oven to 400 F,

Place mushrooms, garlic and thyme in food processor and process into a pesto. Add to frying pan with olive oil. SautƩ for 10 mins until mushrooms have released their moisture and most of it has cooked down. Cool.

Lay out piece of plastic wrap on counter. Place turkey/chicken slices on top overlapping to make a square that is slightly wider than your roast and long enough to wrap completely around.

Spread mushroom pesto on top of turkey slices. Place roast in the middle and wrap with turkey slices using the plastic wrap to help you roll it up. Tuck in ends as you go. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 mins.

Lay pastry down on lightly floured surface and roll out to a rectangle slightly larger than the previous turkey square.

Place roast in middle of pastry and roll up inside pastry, securing the ends and making sure the roast is completed encased.

Place seam side down on aĀ  baking tray. lightly score the top with slits to allow steam to escape. Brush with milk, bake in oven 25 – 25 mins until golden.

Beefless Wellington

Beefless Wellington

Let sit 10 mins before slicing and serving with your favourite gravy.

Beefless Wellington

Beefless Wellington


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Quick, easy and delicious, Zucchetti with Sundried Tomato Marinara Sauce #veganmofo #vgnmf15

Day three of MoFo and all is well……. Well, sort of.

Zucchetti with Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce

Zucchetti with Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce

I was browsing around the internet, soaking in all the wonderful vegan posts, and wham, go attacked by a computer virus. Basically the virus attached a secret encryption to all my files and the only way to get my files back was to go to a website and pay to get the secret code…………..I think not……. fortunately I do regular back ups, so a quick loading of the original dvd’s that came with the computer, everything is wiped off and reloaded. Thank goodness for external hard drives and backups. A little inconvenient but nothing too serious.

Zucchetti with Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce

Zucchetti with Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce

Continuing on with the theme of quick and easy (didn’t take too much time or effort to restore my computer) and delicious, todays recipe is for Zucchetti with Sundried Tomato Marinara Sauce. You could sub out they zucchetti (spiralized zucchini) with a pasta of your choice if you prefer.

This meal can be totally raw or if you like (as I did) you can add in fried mushrooms.

Enjoy,

96B4F31D4DF30EE65A022CF611762965

 

 

Zucchetti with Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce

Serves 2

  • 2 or 3 zucchini spiralized (or 2 cups of cooked pasta of choice)
  • 1 Cup sun dried tomato’s soaked in 1/2 cups hot water for 10 mins (reserve water)
  • 1 Tblspn olive oil
  • 2 plum tomato’s
  • 1 handful fresh basil
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Sauteed mushrooms and nutritional yeast if desired to garnish

Place spiralized zucchini on paper towels to absorb excess moisture.

Combine drained sun dried tomato’s, olive oil, plum tomato’s, basil and garlic in a blender or food processor. Process until fairly smooth. Add reserved tomato soaking water a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

Place zucchini on two plates. Spoon marinara sauce over top and sprinkle with sautƩed mushrooms and nutritional yeast if using.

You may also gently heat the marinara sauce in a small pot before serving if you prefer a cooked sauce.

I like the sauce “raw” and it avoids one more pot to clean, adding to the “quick and easy” part of the recipe…….and it truly is delicious.

Zucchetti with Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce

Zucchetti with Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce


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2015 Vegan MoFo day one…….What’s for Breakfast?

 

Here we go……. Vegan MoFo 2015 is off and running.

With the new format this year of daily topic prompts we get to have an even better sense of community and connection. So, I am excited to see what my fellow Vegan MoFo’ers are having for breakfast.

For me, breakfast is not usually a daily occurence, I am more the “coffee till noon” type of gal. However, on special occasionsĀ (the start of MoFo for instance) or lazy weekend mornings I do like to have all the goodies.

For today, I have a fresh juice guaranteed to wake up your taste buds and energize your cells.

Cucumber Citrus Ginger Juice

Cucumber Citrus Ginger Juice

Next, it is timeĀ for protein packed pancakes with fresh berries, a dollopĀ ofĀ aquafabaĀ (a relatively new phenomenonĀ sweeping the vegan cooking scene) and a drizzle of local home-made maple syrup.

Banana White Bean Pancakes with Berries and AquaFava Cream

Banana White Bean Pancakes with Berries and AquaFaba Cream

 

Finally, theĀ piĆØce de rĆ©sistance rich hot coffee blended with coconut oil and whipped into a frothy latte like heavenly beverage. I love strong rich coffee and I take it black, no cream or sugar soĀ  I can enjoy the full flavour.

CocoLatte

CocoLatte

Then you add a little high quality, organic coconut oil and blend it all together, the flavour of the coffee seems to intensify and become richer and the texture is wonderful. I couldn’tĀ resistĀ addingĀ aĀ dollopĀ of theĀ AquaFabaĀ Cream and it magically transformed into a latte/cappuccino.

CocoLatte

CocoLatte

Thanks for sharing breakfast with me.

Enjoy,

96B4F31D4DF30EE65A022CF611762965

 

 

 

Cucumber Citrus Ginger Juice IMG_20150823_110520

Makes 2 servings

 

 

  • 1 english cucumber
  • 1 appleĀ cored
  • 1 orange peeled
  • 2 carrots peeled if not organic
  • handful baby spinach
  • 1 inch nob of fresh ginger

Process all ingredients through a juicer. Drink immediately.

Ā 

Banana White Bean Pancakes with Berries and AquaFava Cream

Banana White Bean Pancakes with Berries and AquaFava Cream

Banana White Bean Pancakes

8-10 servings

 

 

 

  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
    1/2 cup water
    1/2 cupĀ white beans
    1 banana
    1 tspnĀ psylliumĀ  husk
    1/2 tspn salt
    1/2 tspn baking powder
    1/3 cupĀ Ā soy or almond milk
    1/2 tspn vanilla
    1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

Mix chia seeds with water and let sit overnight (or at least 1 hour)

Combine all ingredients together inĀ bowl and mix or blend to pancake consistency.

Cook over medium heat untilĀ lightly browned on both sides.

Serve with fresh berriesĀ AquaFabaĀ CreamĀ and maple syrup.

AquaFaba Cream

Makes approx 2 cups

  • Liquid from a large can of chickpeas
  • 1 tspnĀ cream of tartar
  • 1 tspn vanilla
  • 1 Tblspn (or more depending on taste) fine sugar

Beat the chickpeaĀ liquid and cream of tartarĀ on high for at least 15 minutes. The liquid will turn into a stiff “egg white” merengueĀ type texture. Add vanilla and then the sugar gradually while continuing to beat until totally combined. You may need to adjust the amount of vanilla and sugar depending on your preference.

Use as a topping for your pancakes and also to add the foam top to your CocoLatte.

 

Ā CocoLatte

CocoLatte

CocoLatte

Makes 1 cup

 

  • 1 cup strong back freshly brewed coffee (I use an espresso bend)
  • 1 teaspoon organic coconut oil

Add the coffee and coconut oil to a blender. Blend on highest speed for 30 seconds till frothy.

Pour into coffee cup and enjoy as is orĀ top with AquaFaba cream.

 

 


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Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup with Palmiers #veganMoFo

Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup with Palmiers

Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup with Palmiers

The last day of MoFoĀ and it is time to celebrate. Another month of blogging comes to anĀ end. I will miss my morning fix of radomofo, browsing the blogs and seeing all the great recipes, ideas, pictures and funny stories.

While I will miss MoFo, I will also enjoy a short break. Just enough time to recharge the batteries and get the creative juices flowing again.

In the meantime, I have finished my month of “Soup and Bread” with a dessert.

This soup is nice and cold. It is not overly sweet, but the addition of the PalmiersĀ will add in the sweetness. Confession time: the recipe uses Tapioca Pearls, however, I could not find any at my store today and had runĀ out of time to look further, so I substituted them for OrzoĀ pasta. I think the Tapioca would have given the soup a nicer, creamier taste. I also added a dollopĀ of cashew creme and a few fresh Lemon Verbena leaves for garnish.

Enjoy,

96B4F31D4DF30EE65A022CF611762965

Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup with Palmiers

Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup with Palmiers

Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup

Serves 8

  • 4 cups water
  • 1/4 cup tapioca pearls
    9 cups strawberries (frozen can be used)
    1 cup sugar
    1 lemon, juiced
    1/2 cup Champagne or sparkling white wine
    6 mint leaves, plus more, for garnish or lemon vegans leaves
    1 cup cashew creme (soak 1 cup cashews in water overnight, drain, blend with equal amount of cold water in blender until creamy and smooth)

In a saucepan, bring water, tapioca, strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and Champagne to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then add mint leaves. Let cool to room temperature.

Blend together with an immersion blender or in a standing blender, then strain through a sieve. Chill in the refrigerator, covered, for 3 hours.

Serve soup in glasses with a dollop of cashew creme and garnish with mint or lemon verbena leaves.

 

Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup with Palmiers

Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup with Palmiers

Vegan Palmiers

Serves 8

  • 1 cup Ā sugar
    1 pinch salt
    1Ā sheet PepperidgeĀ Farm puff pastry (double-check, but I found this brand to be vegan), defrosted but still very cold.

PreheatĀ the oven to 450 degrees. Combine the sugar and salt. PourĀ 1/2 cup of the mixture onto a pastry board or other flat surface covered with parchment paperĀ and spread it around. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry onto theĀ parchment and pourĀ the other half cupĀ of the sugar mixture on top, and spread it evenly to cover the puff pastry.Cover with a second sheet of parchment paper andĀ using a rolling-pin, roll the pastry until itā€™s a 12ā€ square and sugar is pressed in all around. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper.Ā Fold the sides of the pastry square toward the center so they go halfway to the middle point. Then fold one half over the other, like closing a book. You should have 6 layers. Slice the pastry ā€œbookā€ intoĀ 8 slices and place them cut-side up on parchment-lined baking sheets leaving plenty of space between each one.

Bake the cookies for 6 minutes or until caramalizedĀ and brown on the bottom. Then turn and bake for another 3-5 minutes until caramalized on the other side. Transfer to rack to cool.

Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup with Palmiers

Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup with Palmiers

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 267 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 362 Calories from Fat 76
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.5g 13%
Saturated Fat 1.6gĀ  8%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 24mg 1%
Potassium 355mg 10%
Total Carbohydrates 71.7g 24%
Dietary Fiber 4.0g 16%
Sugars 59.0g
Protein 3.8g
Vitamin A 0% ā€¢ Vitamin C 165%
Calcium 4% ā€¢ Iron 10%
Nutrition Grade B
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points
Bad points
Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup with Palmiers

Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup with Palmiers


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Mushroom-Burger Soup with Soft Pretzels #veganMoFo

Mushroom-burger Soup with Soft Pretzels

Mushroom-burger Soup with Soft Pretzels

Well, it is hard to believe it is already the second last day of MoFo. Time has really flown by. I have enjoyed reading all the new blogs I have discovered and have a list a mile long of recipes I want to try.

I am ending the traditional soup recipes with a vegan version of a favourite of my children. When they were young, my son and daughter loved Hamburger Soup. This soup was filled with tasty vegetables, barley and ground meat.

This vegan version is equally tasty with finely diced mushrooms replacing the ground meat. The soft pretzels are fantastic. They are soft and light with a slightly sweet taste. Perfect for dipping in the soup.

My last post for September tomorrow will be a dessert.Ā  StrawberryĀ Champagne PearlĀ Soup with Cashew Creme and Palmiers. A fitting finale for this years Vegan MoFo.

Enjoy,

96B4F31D4DF30EE65A022CF611762965

 

Mushroom-burger Soup with Soft Pretzels

Mushroom-burger Soup with Soft Pretzels

Mushroom-Burger Soup

Makes 6

  • 1 Tblspn olive
  • 1 Tblsp vegan butter
  • 750g white mushrooms finely diced
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 celery ribs, thinly diced
  • 1/2 cup barley
  • 1 (28 ounce)Ā can dicedĀ tomatoes
    2 cups water
    3 cups vegetableĀ broth
  • 1 (10.75 ounce) canĀ condensed tomato soup
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1Ā Tblspn parsley
  • 1 tspn minced garlic
  • 1/2 tspnĀ dried thyme
  • ground black pepper, to taste

HeatĀ olive oil and butter in Ā large soup pot over medium-high heat, add mushrooms. CookĀ stirring until the mushrooms have softened and released their liquid.
Stir in the onion, carrots, celery, and barley. Pour in diced tomatoes, water, broth, and tomato soup. Season with bay leaf, parsley, garlic, thyme, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cover; simmer forĀ 1 hour, stirring frequently. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Mushroom-burger Soup with Soft Pretzels

Mushroom-burger Soup with Soft Pretzels

Soft Pretzels

Makes 6

  • 1 cup non dairy milk
    1 package active dry yeast
    3Ā Tblspns packed light brown sugar
    2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
    2Ā TblspnsĀ vegan butter, plus more for greasing
    1Ā rspn fine salt
    1/3 cup baking soda
    2 tablespoons coarse salt

Warm the milk in a saucepan until it’s about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450Ā  and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.Ā  Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.

Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

Mushroom-burger Soup with Soft Pretzels

Mushroom-burger Soup with Soft Pretzels

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 527 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 391 Calories from Fat 62
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6.9g 11%
Saturated Fat 2.0g 10%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 3mg 1%
Sodium 6834mg 285%
Potassium 990mg 28%
Total Carbohydrates 68.1g 23%
Dietary Fiber 7.6g 31%
Sugars 12.9g
Protein 16.4g
Vitamin A 80% ā€¢ Vitamin C 33%
Calcium 9% ā€¢ Iron 45%
Nutrition Grade A
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points
Bad points
Mushroom-burger Soup with Soft Pretzels

Mushroom-burger Soup with Soft Pretzels


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Chilli Soup with Cornbread #VeganMoFo

Chilli Soup with Cornbread

Chilli Soup with Cornbread

Today was lovely and sunny and warm. What a wonderful treat, after all the rain and cool weather we have been having. It was so nice out, I ate my Chilli Soup on the back deck and was able to get some nice photo’s in naturalĀ  light.

This soup is full of vegetables and nice and spicy. Paired with Cornbread, it is a (yet again) new favourite. It seems like every time I make a new soup it quickly becomes a favourite.

This one will be top of the list for a brief time, probably only until tomorrow’s post, but definitelyĀ onlyĀ until the last recipe. Ā I have a special finale planned for September 30th post, a dessert soup with champagneĀ and strawberries,,,,,,mmmmm, can’t wait.

Enjoy,

96B4F31D4DF30EE65A022CF611762965

Chilli Soup with Cornbread

Chilli Soup with Cornbread

Chilli Soup

  • 2 TblspnsĀ olive oi
  • 1 mediumĀ onion, diced
  • Ā 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 Ā zucchini, diced
  • 4 stalks of celery, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, grated
  • 1 small tinĀ corn
  • Ā 1 largeĀ canĀ diced tomatoes along with their juices
  • 1 can redĀ kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/4Ā  tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1/4Ā tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 TblspnĀ chili powder
  • 1/2 tspnĀ ground cumin
  • 1/2 tspnĀ thyme
  • Ā 2 TblspnĀ cornstarch + 1/2 cup cold water

Heat oil in large pot. Add onions, red bell peppers, zucchini and celery. Saute, stirring occasionally for 12 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add garlic, corn, crushed tomatoes and kidney beans. Cook stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil.. Add crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, ground cumin,Ā  &Ā  thyme, stir to combine.Ā  Bring to a light boil. Mix the cornstarch with cold water to dissolve and add to soup while stirring constantly. Cook for an additional 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Chilli Soup with Cornbread

Chilli Soup with Cornbread

Cornbread
Ingredients

  • ā€¢2 cupsĀ  cornmeal (non-GMO)
    ā€¢1 cupĀ  all-purpose flour
    ā€¢2 teaspoons baking powder
    ā€¢1/3 cupĀ  coconut oil (melted)
    ā€¢2 tablespoons maple syrup
    ā€¢2 cupsĀ  almond milk (room temperature)
    ā€¢2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (or fresh squeezed lemon juice)
    ā€¢1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt

Combine the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) in a medium-sized bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

Combine all dry ingredients together (cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt) in a medium-sized bowl and stir until well combined.

Add the melted coconut oil and maple syrup to the non-dairy milk mixture and whisk until foamy and bubbly.

Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. (The batter will be somewhat thick).

Use a spoon or spatula to transfer the batter into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 – 35 minutes.

Chilli Soup with Cornbread

Chilli Soup with Cornbread

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 569 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 763 Calories from Fat 355
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 39.5g 61%
Saturated Fat 28.7g 144%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 791mg 33%
Potassium 1355mg 39%
Total Carbohydrates 89.9g 30%
Dietary Fiber 13.3g 53%
Sugars 12.7g
Protein 19.9g
Vitamin A 31% ā€¢ Vitamin C 83%
Calcium 9% ā€¢ Iron 45%
Nutrition Grade B
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points
Bad points
Chilli Soup with Cornbread

Chilli Soup with Cornbread

 

Chilli Soup with Cornbread

Chilli Soup with Cornbread

 

 

 


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Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread #VeganMoFo

Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread

Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread

 

What a crazy week, there just doesn’tĀ seem to be enough hours in the day. Is it just me, or are the days actually shorter. I don’t mean the amount of sunlight, but actual time.Ā I swear I used to have more time to get things done…..

One great thing about posting all these soups and breads, is that I have lots of yummy meals always ready. Today’s post is a Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread. I am really loving making all these flat breads. They are quite simple and very tasty.

This weekend I will be cooking up a storm with the last of the recipes. including Gnocchi, Pretzels and Sourdough.

Enjoy,

96B4F31D4DF30EE65A022CF611762965

Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread

Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread

Lentil Curry Soup

Serves 6

  • 3 TblspnĀ Olive oil, divided
    1 medium onion, chopped
    1Ā medium carrot, finely chopped
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
    2 large garlic cloves, chopped, divided
    2 Tblspn (or more) curry powder
    1 cup French green lentils
    4 1/4 cups(or more) water, divided
    1 Ā 16-ounce can chickpeas drained, rinsed
    1 Tblspn fresh lemon juice
    2 Tblspns vegan butter
    2 green onions, thinly sliced
    1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot,Ā  salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add half of chopped garlic; stir until vegetables are soft but not brown.Ā Ā AddĀ  curry powder and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add lentils and 4 cups water. Add extra saltĀ  and pepper if required. Increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, puree chickpeas, lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and remaining garlic in processor.

Add chickpea puree and butter to lentil soup.Ā Add additional curry powder, if desired. Add water by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency.
Divide soup among bowls. Sprinkle with thinly sliced green onions and serve with lemon wedges.

Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread

Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread

Pita Bread

Makes 8 Pita’s

  • 1/2 Ā tspn dry yeast
    1 1/4 cups warm water (approximately 105 degrees F)
    1 cup whole wheat flour
    2Ā cups unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
    1/2Ā Tblspn salt
    1 Tblspn olive oil

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a large bread bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add whole wheat flour, one cup at a time, then 1 cup white flour. Stir 100 times (one minute) in the same direction to activate the gluten in the flour. Let this sponge rest for at least 10 minutes or as long as 2 hours.

Sprinkle salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add white flour, one cup at a time. When the dough is too stiff to stir, turn it out onto a lightly floured bread board and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Return the dough to a lightly oiled bread bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least double in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours. Gently punch down.

This amount of dough will make approximatelyĀ 8Ā pita’s if rolled out into circles approximately 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4-inch thick. :

Place baking sheets, on a rack in the bottom third of your oven, leaving a one inch gap all around to allow air to circulate. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.Ā  Divide dough intoĀ eight equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter. You may wish to roll out all eight before starting to bake. Cover rolled out breads, but do not stack.

Bake 2 at a time (or more if your oven is larger) directly onĀ  baking sheets. Bake each bread for 3 or 4 minutes, until the bread has gone into a full “balloon” or until it is starting to turn lightly golden, whichever happens first. When baked, remove, place on a rack for about five minutes to let cool slightly, then wrap breads in a large kitchen towel (this will keep the breads soft).

Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread

Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread

 

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 226 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 723 Calories from Fat 163
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18.2g 28%
Saturated Fat 2.8g 14%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 644mg 27%
Potassium 1089mg 31%
Total Carbohydrates 113.1g 38%
Dietary Fiber 24.9g 100%
Sugars 9.7g
Protein 28.5g
Vitamin A 37% ā€¢ Vitamin C 25%
Calcium 12% ā€¢ Iron 57%
Nutrition Grade A
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points
Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread

Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread


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Chickpea and Pasta Soup with Light Rye Bread #veganMoFo

Chickpea and Pasta Soup with Light Rye Bread

Chickpea and Pasta Soup with Light Rye Bread

For todays soup, I have made a Chickpea and Pasta soup with a Light Rye Bread. Very fitting for the first day of Fall.

Time is really slipping by this month. It is hard toĀ believe we are alreadyĀ in the fourth week of Vegan MoFo. In order to complete my 20 posts, I will have to be a little creative and double up one day, as I have just realised that I will only be able toĀ squeeze 19 in before the end of September. Oh Well, I guess I will just slip in one extra…..:)

Enjoy,

Chickpea and Pasta Soup with Light Rye Bread

Chickpea and Pasta Soup with Light Rye Bread

Chickpea and Pasta Soup

Serves Ā 10

  • 1 lbĀ dried chickpeas
  • 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 2 Tbsp salt
  • 3 litres vegetable stock or water
  • 3 rosemary sprigs
  • 8 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 1/2 cupĀ extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lbĀ skinned fresh tomatoes, seeded
  • 10 oz small tubular pasta such as ditalini
  • flat-leaf parsley, optional

Put the chickpeas in a bowl and cover with plenty of water. Mix together the bicarb of soda, flour and salt and add enough water to make a thin paste. Stir this mixture into the bowl with the chickpeas and leave to soak for at least 12 hours – preferably overnight.

When the chickpeas have doubled theirĀ sizeĀ they are ready to be cooked. Drain and rinse. Put them in a large stockpot and add the vegetable stock or water. Tie the rosemary sprigs in a muslin bag and add to the stockpot. Do not be tempted to just add the rosemary sprigs without the bag, as I did. The rosemary will fall apart and you will spend a long time fishing out the stems and leaves.

Add the garlic to the stockpot and pour in half the oil. Cover the pan tightly and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and cook over the lowest simmer until the chickpeas are tender, which can take twoĀ or threeĀ hours. Do not uncover the pan for the first hour and a half, or the chickpeas will harden. For the same reason, do not add any salt until the chickpeas are nearly ready.

When the chickpeas are tender, removeĀ  the rosemary bundle. PurĆ©e the tomatoes through a food mill or in a food processor and add to the soup with their juice. Stir well, add salt and pepper to taste and cook for a further 10 minutes or so. .

Before you add the pasta, check that there is enough liquid in the pot. You may have to add some boiling water. Now, add the pasta and cook till al dente. I like to add some freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley, but the glory of this soup will be undiminished if you prefer not to. Garnish with flat leaf parsley and drizzle with extra olive oil if you like.

Chickpea and Pasta Soup with Light Rye Bread

Chickpea and Pasta Soup with Light Rye Bread

Light Rye Bread

Makes one loaf

  • 1 Ā¾ cups + 3 Tablespoons warm water
    2 Ā¼ teaspoons, or one Ā¼ ounce package active dry yeast
    2 Ā½ cups bread flour
    1 Ā½ cups light rye flour
    1 Ā¾Ā tspn salt
  • 1 Tbspn sugar
  • 2 tspn caraway seeds

Activate the yeast
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the warm water and yeast. Allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes so the yeast activates.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the bread flour,Ā light rye flour and salt until well incorporated.

In another medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, caraway seeds and stir until just combined. Whisk in the warm water mixture from

Mix the dough
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl containing the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon in one circular direction for 1 minute. Now stir in the opposite direction for 1 minute.

Coat the ball of dough in vegetable oil
Add about 1 Tablespoon olive oil to another medium mixing bowl and spread it around the inside with your fingers. Use a spatula to scrape the dough into the oily bowl. With dampened fingers, form the dough into a ball and rotate it around in the inside of the bowl so it’s coated in oil.

Let the dough rise
Cover the bowl with a plastic bag and let it rise in a warm place until it’s doubled in size, about 1 Ā½ hours.

Let the dough rise once more
Degass the dough by pressing on it with dampened hands several times until no more gas comes out of the dough. Form the dough into a ball again and let it rise until it’s doubled in size, about 1 Ā½ hours.

Proof the dough
The dough can now be proofed by gently forming it into a lightly oiled loaf pan and allowed to sit covered with a plastic bag until it reaches about 80% to 90% of it’s intended size, which should be about 40 minutes. The proofing stage is where the dough takes most of it’s shape. It’s important to leave room under the plastic bag so the dough can rise sufficiently.

PreheatĀ your oven to 375FĀ  Remove the plastic bag so the dough can rest for about 10 minutes while your oven is preheating. During the baking process, the dough will rise another 10% to 20% of it’s intended size in the process known as oven spring. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when the loaf pan is tapped.

Cool theĀ  breadĀ  completely before removing it from the loaf pan.

Chickpea and Pasta Soup with Light Rye Bread

Chickpea and Pasta Soup with Light Rye Bread

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 456 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 543 Calories from Fat 133
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14.7g 23%
Saturated Fat 1.9g 10%
Cholesterol 21mg 7%
Sodium 2224mg 93%
Potassium 641mg 18%
Total Carbohydrates 86.4g 29%
Dietary Fiber 15.0g 60%
Sugars 8.4g
Protein 19.5g
Vitamin A 1% ā€¢ Vitamin C 5%
Calcium 8% ā€¢ Iron 38%
Nutrition Grade A-
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points
Bad points
Chickpea and Pasta Soup with Light Rye Bread

Chickpea and Pasta Soup with Light Rye Bread