Vegan Bean with "Bacon" Soup

Vegan Bean with "Bacon" Soup

In trying to replicate Melanie's favorite childhood canned soup, I came up with this.  I doubled the recipe for my family (of seven), and there was plenty left over.  

• 3 cans white beans, rinsed and drained 
• 6-8 slices Morningstar Farms "bacon" strips
• 1-2 carrots, minced
• 1-2 stalks celery, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 1/2 of a small can (approx 2 tbsp) tomato paste
• salt and pepper to taste.

1. In the pan you plan to cook the soup in, fry the bacon on both sides until it is thoroughly cooked, but not crispy.

2. Remove the bacon from the pot.  Add the carrots, celery, and onion.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened, 5-7 minutes.

3. Add the beans, broth, water, and bay leaves.  Partially cover and cook over low heat for a good long while.  (I let it go for a couple of hours).

4. Chop the bacon in to tiny pieces.  Add chopped bacon and tomato paste to the soup.  Cover again and cook another 20 minutes or so.

5. Just before serving, use an immersion blender to half-puree the soup, leaving some whole beans and chunks intact.  (If you don't have an immersion blender, remove about 2 cups of the soup, puree in a blender, and stir back into the pot.)  Season with salt and pepper to taste (it shouldn't need much; the bacon is salty, so start with a light hand) and serve. 

Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa

Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
8 oz tempeh, crumbled
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder blend
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
10 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

prepared quinoa

lettuce, cilantro, avocado, sri racha, etc for topping

1. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat
2. Sauté onion and pepper until soft
3. Add tempeh and cook until lightly browned
4. Add spices and stir to mix well
5. Add sweet potato and tomato, turn heat to low, and cover skillet for 8 - 10 minutes until sweet potatos are soft
6. Add black beans and stir to combine
7. Serve on a bed of quinoa
8. Add fun toppings

Adapted from the P90X2 Nutrition Guide

Vegan Stuffed Bell Peppers P90X2

I recently purchased the P90X2 Nutrition Guide because I heard it had lots more vegetarian and vegan recipes than the original guide. And it does! 

 

http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_gear/p90x2-gear/p90x2-nutrition-guide.do

The first recipe I tried was Vegan Stuffed Bell Peppers. DELICIOUS! My family loved them. I made a triple recipe. Also I doubled the tomatoes. 

 

Vegan Stuffed Bell Peppers

 

Ingredients

2 large red bell peppers

sea salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup water

8 oz tempeh, crumbled

7.5 oz (1/2 can) fire roasted diced tomatoes (I doubled this to 15 oz.)

2 Tbsp raw pine nuts

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley

1 Tbsp freshly chopped basil

1 Tbsp raisins 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut peppers in half lengthwise, leaving stems intact. Scoop out seeds and place cut side up in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake about 15 minutes, or until they're soft, but they still retain their shape.
3. Put 1 cup of water in small pan and bring to a boil.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute onion and garlic until soft.
5. Add tempeh, tomatoes, and pine nuts to skillet and saute about 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Stir in rice, parsley, basil, and raisins. Remove from heat and season with a bit more salt and pepper.
7. Spoon mixture into peppers in the baking pan. Pour just enough boiling water around the peppers to touch the base of each so they won't burn in the oven.
8. Bake for 15 minutes.

Nutrition Info and Tips

Nutrition Info Per Serving (1 pepper): Calories 247, Fat 7g, Carbohydrates 35g, Protein 12g, Fiber 8g, WWP: 6

And then, family Beast!

 

Onion Egg Pie

This is a recipe in pictures, with simple directions. Mostly because it is one of the few times I don't follow a recipe but use what's available.

Caramelize two onions:

Unroll aldi pie crusts into pans. I made four pies:

Put onions in crusts:

 Stir up a lot of eggs (I use 8 to 12 per pie) with a big squirt of blue cheese dressing.

 Pour into crusts and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes - or until they look done:

  Variations: use cheese instead of onions (we made one with cheese), or spinach, or a combination of all three. Use Ranch dressing. Or whipping cream and nutmeg.

 Crush egg shells and feed them back to your chickens.

Enjoy!

Which variation is your favorite?

Vegan Turkey Saver

Vegan Turkey Saver

 Yield: 8 servings

1 gallon water
2 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten flour
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups vegetable broth*
1/4 cup light olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce**
Cheesecloth (one double thick 24-inch by 16-inch piece)
2 6-inch pieces of string
1 batch uncooked stuffing (optional - I don't use it)

*If using the homemade vegetable broth, you may need to add salt to this recipe.
**Substitute Bragg liquid aminos if desired.

1) In a large pot, bring 1 gallon of water to a low boil.
2) In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten, yeast flakes, thyme, onion powder, and salt.
3) Add the vegetable broth, oil, and soy sauce, stir just until combined.
4) Form into a loaf shape.
5) Place gluten loaf on cheesecloth and roll up (not to tight). Tie each end with a piece of string.
6) Place in simmering water, covered, for 1 hour*** (2 hours for a double batch).
7) Preheat oven to 325.
8) Take roast out of water and remove cheesecloth.  Place in baking dish with prepared stuffing, if desired.
9) Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.

*** Make stuffing while turkey is simmering in the water.  Cook the stuffing in the baking dish with the turkey.



I have read this variation, but never tried it:

Variation: Vegan Turkey with Puff Pastry
After turkey is done boiling, remove it from the water and remove cheesecloth. Roll out a piece of puff pastry so that it will cover your turkey.  Cover turkey with puff pastry.  Brush puff pastry with a mixture of half ketchup and half water.  Sprinkle with a little bit of thyme.  Bake turkey, uncovered, at 400 degrees F. for 25 minutes.


 This recipe has been adapted from this great cookbook by Brian McCarthy:

Pumpkin Soup (Titus' Birth Soup)

Home Grown Shiitake and Nettle Pasta

  Hasn't the weather been incredible?!? I know it's scary from an environmental standpoint, but I am enjoying it anyway! This weekend while mowing - seriously - mowing in March - I came across the year's first patch of nettles. Young and green. Yum! We were already planning to have pasta with a mushroom sauce made with our home grown shiitakes (a gift project from Ansel), so nettles would go perfectly!

  Chris made the supper free style, so this is more an overview than a recipe. First he caramelized some onions in fake butter. Then he added garlic. Then sauteed about a dozen chopped shiitake heads. They produced quit a bit of liquid. When it reduced he added a splash of whipping cream and salt and pepper.

In another pan he sauteed the nettle (leaves only!) with garlic.

He also cooked up a big pot of fettuccine.

Combine everything, serve with a little vegan parmesan. Delicious!!!!!!!

It was so beautiful, we ate outside!

We ended the evening with an Equinox bonfire, Mad Farmer style.

  Happy Spring everyone!