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 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 up the leek in her soup which gave her the blue version.
blue-soup
This soup is delicious in either colour.
Enjoy,
(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 onions for garnish if wanted.
Sauté 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.,
The last day of MoFo and it is time to celebrate. Another month of blogging comes to an 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 Palmiers will add in the sweetness. Confession time: the recipe uses Tapioca Pearls, however, I could not find any at my store today and had run out of time to look further, so I substituted them for Orzo pasta. I think the Tapioca would have given the soup a nicer, creamier taste. I also added a dollop of cashew creme and a few fresh Lemon Verbena leaves for garnish.
Enjoy,
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
Vegan Palmiers
Serves 8
1 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 sheet Pepperidge Farm puff pastry (double-check, but I found this brand to be vegan), defrosted but still very cold.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine the sugar and salt. Pour 1/2 cup of the mixture onto a pastry board or other flat surface covered with parchment paper and spread it around. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry onto the parchment and pour the other half cup of the sugar mixture on top, and spread it evenly to cover the puff pastry.Cover with a second sheet of parchment paper and using a rolling-pin, roll the pastry until it’s a 12” square and sugar is pressed in all around. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper. 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 “book” into 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 caramalized 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.
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. Strawberry Champagne Pearl Soup with Cashew Creme and Palmiers. A fitting finale for this years Vegan MoFo.
Enjoy,
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) can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
3 cups vegetable broth
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 bay leaf
1 Tblspn parsley
1 tspn minced garlic
1/2 tspn dried thyme
ground black pepper, to taste
Heat olive oil and butter in large soup pot over medium-high heat, add mushrooms. Cook 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 for 1 hour, stirring frequently. Remove bay leaf before serving.
Mushroom-burger Soup with Soft Pretzels
Soft Pretzels
Makes 6
1 cup non dairy milk
1 package active dry yeast
3 Tblspns packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
2 Tblspns vegan butter, plus more for greasing
1 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 450 and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. 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.
What a crazy week, there just doesn’t 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. 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,
Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread
Lentil Curry Soup
Serves 6
3 Tblspn Olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 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 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, 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. Add curry powder and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add lentils and 4 cups water. Add extra salt 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. 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
Pita Bread
Makes 8 Pita’s
1/2 tspn dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water (approximately 105 degrees F)
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
1/2 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 approximately 8 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. Divide dough into 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 on 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).
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 to believe we are already 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 to 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
Serves 10
1 lb 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 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lb 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 their size 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 two or three 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, remove the rosemary bundle. Purée 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
Light Rye Bread
Makes one loaf
1 ¾ cups + 3 Tablespoons warm water
2 ¼ teaspoons, or one ¼ ounce package active dry yeast
2 ½ cups bread flour
1 ½ cups light rye flour
1 ¾ 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, 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 ½ 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 ½ 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.
Preheat your oven to 375F 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 the bread completely before removing it from the loaf pan.
Another cool day today, there is a real feeling of Fall in the air. The geese are gathering and that is never a good sign….oh well, at least soup is a nice warm dish.
For today’s recipe I have made a Thai Coconut Curry soup with noodles. You can use whatever type of noodle you like, the one I found is made out of bean flour. This turned out more noodle than soup, but I love lots of noodles. You can adjust the amounts for your own preference.
The Roti was a big success and very easy to make.
The calorie count for this is quite high and the nutrition table shows that it is high in saturated fat, however both of these issues are from the coconut milk. While coconut milk is high in saturated fat, it is considered a health fat.
1 bunch cilantro , rinsed well, separate the leaves from the stems
2 cups tofu , thinly sliced
2 cups vegan chicken or vegetable broth
1 carrot, shredded
2 limes juiced
1 lemon, juiced
a small knob fresh ginger
a handful baby spinach
8 ounce package rice noodles
2 or 3 green onions, thinly sliced
sea salt to taste
Instructions
Scoop the thick coconut cream from the top of just one of the cans into a large stockpot set over a medium-high heat. Melt the cream, add the curry paste and stir for a few minutes until they begin to sizzle.
Add the cilantro stems and tofu and sauté until the tofu is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Add the coconut juice from the first can and all the contents of the second can along with the chicken broth, carrot, lime juice and lemon juice. Grate the ginger into the broth with a Microplane grater or standard box grater. Simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Add the rice noodles, gently pushing them beneath the surface of the broth. Turn off the heat and let stand until the noodles soften, about 5 minutes. Rice noodles don’t need to simmer like pasta to cook; they simply need to re-hydrate in the hot liquid.
Stir in most of the cilantro leaves and spinach.. Taste and season with sea salt (or soy sauce) as needed. Ladle into large bowls and garnish with the green onions and remaining cilantro leaves
Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup with Roti
Roti
Serves 6
Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups white flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp white sugar
1 Tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp soy milk
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup cooking oil (safflower, palm or peanut)
1/4 cup vegan butter, melted
Preparation:
Sift flour into a bowl. Mix in sugar and salt. Form a well in the center and stir in flax mixture and milk. Add water, stir to mix.
Turn out onto a table and knead until elastic, about 5 minutes. Form into a ball and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes, covered with a damp cloth or plastic wrap.
Roll the dough into a long log shape. Divide into 18 portions and shape into small balls. Brush each with oil, return to the bowl (stacking is ok) and cover. Rest for another 30 minutes (or longer).
Take one portion, spread a little oil on top with fingertips and flatten with your hands or a rolling pin.
Pick up the flattened dough and using your hands stretch and shape into thin rounds.
Heat a griddle pan well covered in oil over high heat. Fry the rounds, lowering the heat to medium. Turn to brown both sides, brushing with butter.
Remove from the griddle and serve hot.
Cold and rainy today, lots of leaves falling from the trees, looks like Fall has really arrived. Perfect soup day. What could be better than to curl up on the sofa with a nice cozy blanket, a good book and a big bowl of rich, bubbley, cheezy French Onion Soup. Mmmmmm 🙂
Growing up in Australia, the only onion soup I ever came across was a dry packet mix. While it was tasty it certainly was not drool worthy. When we moved to Canada, it was quite a few years before I tried the rich, cheesy, gooey concoction known here as French Onion Soup. It was love at first bite. I was also lucky enough to travel to Paris a few years ago and had to have a bowl there. It was even more delicious. Unfortunately one of the main ingredients to this lovely soup is cheese, so it was off limits……well, not any more. Thanks to the Cheez recipe I have used already in a few of the previous posts, the iconic French Onion Soup is here in all of its glory.
Cheezy French Onion Soup with French Baguette
The trick to this soup, is in the slow caramelizing of the onions. This is worth the trouble and the wait. By taking a slow approach to cooking the onions, the flavour really intensifies.
Now, you will notice in the photo’s, there is no “French Baguette” pictured. I made the baguette out of the same bread recipe as I used for the Rosemary Bread that paired up with the Chikn Noodle Soup, just omitting the rosemary. The baguette is cut into thick slices, lightly toasted, then placed in the bottom of the bowls before ladling the soup on top.
Enjoy,
Cheezy French Onion Soup with French Baguette
Cheezy French Onion Soup
Makes 6 serves
Ingredients
1/2 cup vegan butter
4 onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup red wine, or vegetable stock
3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups vegetable broth
1 french baguette, sliced (recipe below)
1 recipe Cheez (see below)
Melt vegan butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Do not skimp on the amount of time you cook the onions. To truly develop the rich onion flavour, cook for at least the full 25 mins. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn’t burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Now add the vegetable broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Cut the baguette into thick slices and gently toast. Place in the bottom of soup bows.
Ladle the soup in bowls and gently spread half cup cheez on top of each bowl.
Place bowls on oven tray and gently broil tops.
Cheezy French Onion Soup with French Baguette
French Baguette
Makes 2 Baguettes
Ingredients
1 1/4 -ounce packet active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon fine salt
Directions:
Stir the yeast, sugar and 1/4 cup warm water in a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer). Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the flour, the fine salt and 3/4 cup warm water; stir with a wooden spoon (or with the dough hook if using a mixer) until a dough forms.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, dusting lightly with flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. (Or knead with the dough hook on medium-high speed, adding a little flour if the dough sticks to the bowl, about 8 minutes.)
Brush a large bowl with olive oil. Add the dough, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until more than doubled, about 2 hours.
Brush 2 baking sheets with olive oil. Generously flour a work surface; turn the dough out onto the flour and divide into 2 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, sprinkle some flour on the dough, gently shape into a baguette. Let stand, uncovered, until more than doubled, about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the loaves 20 minutes or until golden brown, Transfer to a rack to cool.
Cheezy French Onion Soup with French Baguette
Cheez
Ingredients:
1 cup plain unsweetened soymilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 Tblspns tapioca flour
3 Tblspns nutritional yeast
3 Tblspns mellow white miso paste
3 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp tomato paste
3/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dry ground mustard
1/2 tsp xanthan gum or guar gum
Add the ingredients to a mini or standard blender and process the contents until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan and cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring slowly and continually.
Increase stirring speed as the mixture thickens and begins to form lumps. Stir vigorously until the mixture becomes very thick, smooth and glossy. Remove from heat.
MoFo recipe # 9 is a Won Ton Soup. The bread for this pairing is called Jin Bing which is a Chinese Flatbread.
I used Spring Roll Wrappers for my Won Tons, as they were the only vegan option I could find. Depending who you listen too, and what you read, spring roll wrappers and won ton wrappers are the same, similar or totally different. The ones I used were made of flour and water and worked perfectly.
For the won ton filling I used finely chopped mushrooms in place of the traditional pork and they tasted wonderful. This totally satisfied my craving for Won Ton Soup. Enjoy,
•1 green onion, finely minced
•1 teaspoon cornstarch
•2 dashes of white pepper
Other:
•Water for boiling won tons
•4 1/2 – 5 cups vegan chicken stock or vegetable stock
•2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 Tblspn sesame oil
Heat sesame oil in pan over medium heat. Add finely chopped mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have released their juices and the juice has evaporated. Add the remaining filling ingredients and cook gently for 2 mins.
Lay one won ton skin in front of you. Cover the remaining won ton skins with a damp towel to keep them from drying out.
Filling the won tons: Moisten all the edges of the won ton wrapper with water. Place a heaping teaspoon of won ton filling in the center.
Fold the won ton wrapper in half lengthwise, making sure the ends meet. Press down firmly on the ends to seal. Use thumbs to push down on the edges of the filling to center it. Keeping thumbs in place, fold over the won ton wrapper one more time. Push the corners up and hold in place between your thumb and index finger. Wet the corners with your fingers. Bring the two ends together so that they overlap. Press to seal.
Alternate method: Place the teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper and twist to seal. The final result should resemble a money bag or drawstring purse.
Boiling the won tons: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the won tons, making sure there is enough room for them to move about freely. Let the won tons boil for 5 – 8 minutes, or until they rise to the top. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon.
To make the soup: bring the stock to a boil. Add the won tons and bring the soup back to a gentle simmer. Add the green onion, remove the pot from the heat and add the sesame oil, stirring. Ladle into soup bowls, allowing 6 won tons per person.
Won Ton Soup with Jin Bing
Jin Bing (Chinese Flatbread) Ingredients:
2 Cups Plain flour
1/2 cup water
Oil and salt
Preparation:
Mix 1 1/2 cups plain flour with a 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 tablespoon of salt, knead it into a dough. Allow it rest for at least 15 minutes.
In a heated saucepan, pour in around 2 tablespoons of oil, then add in 1/2 cup of dry plain flour, stir the flour with oil immediately, let the flour have the full contact with oil. Add some oil if it is need it. In the end, the flour is no longer in its ‘powder’ form, and allow it cool down.
Roll the dough into a thin flat sheet.
Put ‘stir-fried’ oil flour in the top of the sheet, it does not have to be evenly covered up the whole surface.
Roll the sheet up.
Hold the roll upright, and twist it as much as you can, then press it down to flat.
Roll the ‘flat dough’ again into a sheet, say around 0.5cm thickness
Shallow frying:
In a heated flat saucepan, pour in 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil.
When the oil gets hot, place a pre-prepared ‘sheet’ in the sauce pan.
Turn side to side until both sides turn ‘golden’ colour and get ‘crispy’.
Butternut Pumpkin Layer Soup with Red Pepper Crackers
Well, it has been a busy and exciting week for me. As you may know, I am an Australian living in Northern Ontario Canada. Where I live is a large town, about 56,000 people and I live right in town, two blocks from the lake and one block from a four lane major road. Well, guess who ended up with a full-grown bear in her back yard….yep, that’s right, there he was sitting in the tree in my back yard, about 20 feet from my deck. The first picture on the left, is taken from my deck…..note the dark shape in the centre…..zoom in and you see the picture on the right…..Boo Boo Bear, as I called him.
Boo Boo Bear
Boo Boo Bear
Not exactly something an Australian is used to dealing with, a shark or poisoness snake is more up my alley. While he was definitely scary, he was also just a beautiful animal.
After that I had a four-day conference in Quebec City (an eight-hour drive from home), so I have been a little quiet for the past week. So now it is time to get back into the MoFo swing.
Here is a very elegant (but easy) pumpkin soup recipe. The two different layers give a nice visual.
Enjoy,
Butternut Pumpkin Layer Soup with Red Pepper Crackers
To make the butternut purée, heat the oil in a medium saucepan, add the onions and saute for a few minutes, without colouring
Add the curry powder and turmeric and continue cooking for a few minutes, stirring well to coat the onions in the spices
Add the butternut squash and 1 litre of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for approximately 45 minutes to an hour.
Meanwhile, to make the soup, heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the curry powder and turmeric, stir well, then cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add the butternut squash and 2 cups of water and leave to simmer, covered for 1 hour or until the squash is falling apart.
Continue with the butternut purée: strain the contents of the pan and place the solids in a food processor.
Blend to a purée. Put the purée in a bowl and season to taste with salt and sugar. Set aside.
Once the soup is cooked, allow it to cool a little, then transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Return the soup to a clean saucepan and add all but 4 tspns of the cashew creme, tabasco, salt and sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer for 5 mins until heated through.
Place a layer of the butternut purée at the base of each serving glass. Gently spoon a layer of soup on top. Add a tspn of cashew creme to the top and gently swirl. Top with freshly ground pepper.
Butternut Pumpking Layer Soup with Red Pepper Crackers
Red Pepper Crackers
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbspn vegan butter
1 tspn olive oil
1 Tblspn crushed red pepper flakes
½ tspn salt
Sea salt for the top
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Add oil, melted butter,and ¼ cup water and mix until the dough comes together into a ball.
Add more water if the dough seems too dry, a little at a time.
Pat the dough into a disk. Place the disk between two pieces of parchment and using a rolling-pin, roll until very thin, about ⅛ inch.
Remove the top piece of parchment from dough and cut dough into 1-inch squares, but do not separate. Lightly brush the dough with water and sprinkle with sea salt.
Keep the dough on parchment paper and move onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until crisp and slightly puffed, about 15-20 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheet after about ten minutes.
Let crackers the cool fully on the cookie sheet, then break apart.
Butternut Pumpkin Layer Soup with Red Pepper Crackers
Italian Wedding Soup with Gluten Free Basil Crackers
One of my favourite pre vegan soups was Italian Wedding Soup. I just love the meatballs. Come to think of it, I love meatballs in spaghetti too. So, I have been trying to find a great meatball substitute. For a long time I have used button mushroom whole in spaghetti sauce to mimic the meatballs. While this is good, it never really satisfied my “meatball” craving.
Here I think I have found my ultimate meatball so, with my MofFo theme of Soups and Breads, I decided to tackle the old favourite, Italian Wedding Soup. The result was even better than I had hoped. I guess I may have cheated a little with the Basil Cracker, it isn’t really a bread, but, it just seemed the perfect fit. You will see in the Nutritional Info at the bottom that this dish is very high in sodium. If you want to lower the sodium content make sure to use low sodium broth and omit the additional salt. Also, the cracker recipe is Gluten Free, however, obviously the meatballs are not. If you are Gluten Free, you could use Gluten Free pre prepared meatballs, or even, in a pinch, use whole button mushrooms.
Enjoy,
Italian Wedding Soup with Gluten Free Basil Crackers
Italian Wedding Soup
Serves 6
4 Tbspns olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced plus 1 whole clove, peeled, divided
¾ cup diced carrot
¾ cup diced celery
1 Tbs Oregano
1 Tbspn Basil
1 Tbspn Parsley
8 cups vegetable broth
¾ cup ditalini pasta
18 – 24 vegan meatballs (recipe follows – the recipe is based on Vital Wheat Gluten)
1 5-oz. pkg. fresh spinach
1 Tbspn fresh lemon juice
Heat 2 Tbspns olive oil in large pot over med heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes, or until beginning to soften. Stir in carrot and celery, and cook 5 minutes more, or until onion is soft. Add oregano, basil, and parsley, and cook 1 minute. Stir in broth, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium, add ditalini, and cook at low boil 5 minutes, or half of cooking time stated in ditalini package directions. Add meatballs, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes. Add in a little extra water if necessary to thin to desired consistency,
Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 Tbspns oil in pan over med heat. Add remaining garlic clove, grated.. Add spinach; cook 3 to 5 minutes, turning constantly so spinach becomes evenly coated and wilted, but still bright green. After meatballs have simmered, add spinach and lemon juice to soup, and season with salt and pepper.
Italian Wedding Soup with Gluten Free Basil Crackers
Gluten Free Basil Crackers
Makes 24 crackers
Ingredients
1 cup gluten free flour blend
1 Tblspn melted vegan butter
1 tspn olive oil
1 tspn basil
½ tspn agave
½ tspn salt
Sea salt for the top
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour blend and salt. Add oil, melted butter, agave, and ¼ cup water and mix until the dough comes together into a ball.
Add more water if the dough seems too dry.
Pat the dough into a disk. Place the disk between two pieces of parchment and using a rolling pin, roll until very thin, about ⅛ inch.
Remove the top piece of parchment from dough and cut dough into 1-inch squares, but do not separate. Lightly brush the dough with water and sprinkle with sea salt.
Keep the dough on parchment paper and move onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until crisp and slightly puffed, about 15-20 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheet after about ten minutes.
Cool then separate.
Italian Wedding Soup with Gluten Free Basil Crackers
Mix the following liquid ingredients
3/4 cup Cold water
1 Tblspn tamari
1 Tblspn vegetable oil
For the simmering broth you will need:
6 cups vegetable broth
Directions:
In a large pot, bring broth to a rapid boil.
Add the liquid ingredients (not the simmering broth) to the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are combined. Dont overwork the dough or the meatballs will be tough. Cut off small pieces of dough and roll into small, round meatball shapes with the palms of your hands, about 1/2-inch in diameter.
Work quickly as the gluten in the dough becomes more elastic the longer the dough sits, and this will make rolling more difficult. Do not make the meatballs too large because they will increase in size when simmered.
Now add the meatballs to the boiling broth and immediately reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Cook uncovered for 25 minutes. Check frequently to maintain the broth at a very gentle simmer. Do not boil. Stir occasionally once the meatballs float to the top of the pot. When done cooking, remove the pot from the heat and let the meatballs cool in the broth until they reach room temperature. Refrigerate the meatballs with about 1/2 cup of the simmering broth in a zip-lock bag or airtight container for a minimum of 8 hours, or for up to 10 days, before browning in the skillet. This will firm and optimize their texture. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months
Finishing the Meatballs:
Sauté the meatballs in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until nicely browned
Italian Wedding Soup with Gluten Free Basil Crackers
Italian Wedding Soup with Gluten Free Basil Crackers
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