Soup, Soup, Cauliflower Soup: Recipe Monday

On Sunday, the temperature suddenly dropped in the heart of Texas and we got the chills. The husband and I spent some time outside mowing the lawn, then grocery shopping, and then it was time for dinner. I felt like soup, well because I WAS COLD. And we had a head of cauliflower in the fridge that needed to be eaten very soon. I had recently read/watched a recipe for Cream of Cauliflower soup over on Food Wishes and I thought I would give it my own vegan twist. The soup was creamy, filling and made me feel so much more comfortable.


Here is what you will need to make this comfy fall soup:

• a glob of olive oil
• 1/2 a onion, chopped
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 potato, peeled and quartered
• 1 head of cauliflower, cleaned (remove outer leaves) and cut into chunks
• 2 cups vegetable broth or stock
• 2 1/2 cups water
• a splash of soy milk,about 1/3 cup (or regular milk if you prefer, you can also use cream)
• salt
• cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
• a pinch of nutmeg

1. In a large pot, heat up the olive oil over medium heat and add in the chopped onion and celery with a generous pinch of salt. Let the veggies soften for about 5 minutes.
2. When the onion is translucent, add in the garlic (no need for chopping), potato and cauliflower. Add the veggie stock/broth and the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Then let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes until the potato is soft.
3. Use a stick blender to puree the mixture to a smooth soup. We don't own a stick blender, so I used a regular blender to puree the soup. For that make sure to follow this method so that you and your kitchen don't get hurt*: Fill the blender only half way, put the lid on but remove the lid cap. Fold a couple sheets of paper towel and place it over the small opening in the lid. Now start to pulse the mixture in very short bursts so that the heat can escape. After pulsing the mixture about ten times you can carefully blend it on a slightly higher setting until smooth. I pureed the soup in three stages. After everything is nice and smooth, pour the soup back into the pot and return it to the stove over low heat.
4. Season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste, add the pinch of nutmeg and the soy milk, stir and then taste to see whether you need to adjust the seasoning.

And there you have it. Serve it with toasted bread and enjoy :)

* The husband and I got burned pretty badly a couple of times when I made broccoli cream cheese soup a few years back. We used the blender and did not remove the little lid cap so the steam in the blender built up and eventually lifted the lid off the blender splashing us (and the kitchen) with hot green soup. It was a mess...   Eventually I stopped making the soup although we both enjoyed it, because it was just not worth the pain and the clean up was awful (when we moved out of the apartment where the exploding soup incident happened, we found soup residue on the inside of one of the cabinets...). With the method described above you should be safe. Just make sure to be careful when pureeing hot soup in a blender!

Homemade Vegan Ice Pops - Recipe Monday

Do you feel guilty when you walk to your freezer with a spoon and take out that half gallon of ice cream? Well, forget the spoon and forget the guilt and make these instead: Mostly guilt-free ice pops with way fewer ingredients (and calories) than your regular ice cream. It's so easy, plus you not only get ice pops you can eat in a few hours you also get a milk shake you can indulge in right away :)

Here is what you will need:
- 2 handfuls strawberries & raspberries (or your choice of fruit - I currently have strawberries & banana ice pops in my freezer)
- a splash of Maple syrup (or honey if you prefer)
- plain soy milk (I am sure vanilla would be great, too or almond milk)

- A blender
- ice pop molds (we bought ours at our local grocery store for less than $5, have a look around)

How to make yummy ice pops and a very yummy milk shake/smoothie, too:

1. Prepare your fruit. Wash the berries and remove the stems from the strawberries and then cut them in half. Put the berries in the blender.
2. Add some soy milk (start with half a cup) and start to blend the fruits and milk together until smooth (you may have to add more milk depending on the power of your blender).
3. Add a drizzle or a splash of Maple syrup depending on how sweet you would like it to be. Then add more soy milk and blend until it has reached the desired consistency. You want it to be smooth and drinkable but definitely not too runny. - Taste as you go.
4. Pour mixture into the ice pop molds and pop them into the freezer. In a couple of hours you can enjoy your homemade ice pops :)
5. Drink up the rest of the mixture as a yummy and healthy treat.

This is very easy and if you are willing to experiment a little you will end up with an awesome treat. The smoothie/milk shake on it's own is very satisfying and the ice pops make a great and refreshing treat.

Refreshing cucumber yogurt soup - Recipe Monday

Cucumber Yogurt Soup w/ Bread and Einstein

Today's recipe is a favorite in our little home. The husband always gets super excited when he sees me getting the ingredients out. Although this is technically a summer soup we make it whenever we want, you know, Texan winters aren't usually that cold :)

I have made this recipe many, many times, first following the instruction my grandma had given me and then following a recipe I found in a German vegetarian cookbook. By now I don't measure anything and follow my gut.  

Here is what you need for this quick, uncomplicated cold "summer" soup which will leave you wanting more - except of course if you are lactose intolerant.


Ingredients:

• Plain Greek yogurt, about 3 cups
• a drizzle of olive oil
• 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into rough cubes
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced or grated
• the zest and juice of one lemon
• salt and cayenne pepper to taste
• fresh or dried dill to taste (I use about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon)

And this is how it's done:

1.  In a food processor process the cucumber until smooth. 
2. Transfer the processed cucumber to a bowl, add in the Greek yogurt, garlic, a drizzle of olive oil and the zest of the lemon. Mix with a wooden spoon until smooth.
3. Gradually add in the lemon juice, dill, salt and cayenne pepper to taste. 
4. If you think that the soup is a little too thick add in a little cold water (about a 1/4 cup at a time) until it reaches the desired consistency.
5. Garnish with a slice of cucumber and serve with toasted bread. Serve immediately.

This is great as a light dinner or lunch and makes the perfect appetizer soup. But remember this contains a clove of fresh garlic, so don't eat it before going on a date ;-)

If you want to make it a little ahead of time, don't add the water until right before serving and keep the soup in the fridge so that it is nice and cold when you serve it.

On a side note, make sure you taste it while seasoning it. Add about half the lemon juice first and see whether it needs more lemon or not. Your taste is what matters not mine, and that's why I don't give clear measurements for the spices. As I have said before: Make it your own!

Vegan/ Vegetarian Chickpea Spread - Recipe Monday

Initially I wanted to post a sweet treat recipe and I really really wanted to bake. But it just too hot in Texas to turn on the oven. :( So instead I thought I share a great chickpea spread (that isn't hummus).
Before I jump into everything, let me give you a little bit of a back story. Our weekday dinners consist of homemade bread and spreads (onion and chive cream cheese (vegan or dairy), peanut butter and jelly, nutella (LOVE), cheese (vegan or dairy), and fake cold cuts) along with the occasional salad. Sometimes we go to Wholefoods and buy their mock chicken salad which is to die for both in taste and in price. The other day I found myself searching the web for a mock tuna salad because I used to love tuna salad. I found a couple of recipes, some more specific than others, most claiming to taste exactly like tuna salad, but all of them were attested superior taste and uber-deliciousness. So not following any one recipe but rather a combination from memory I  made a chickpea spread which was quite tasty. We made it two days in a row and finished it all in one sitting. It was NOM!

This is what you will need:

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained
• 2 tbsp of (vegan) mayo (I used veganese)
• 1 pickle, finely diced (I used a dill pickle, but you can use whatever pickle you like)
• some onion, finely diced (to taste, I used about 2tbsp)
• 1/2 cup sweet corn OR a celery stalk, diced OR a small handful of sun-dried tomatoes OR all of the above together OR whatever additions you like in your tuna or chicken salad
• a splash of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce (if you are making it vegan, make sure that the Worcestershire Sauce is vegan)
• salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, process the chickpeas to your preferred consistency. Transfer to a bowl.
Stir in the mayo, diced pickle, onion, soy sauce/Worcestershire sauce and corn/celery/or what ever you choose to add. Stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

And you're done. It's that easy. Spread it on bread or crackers or use it for dipping your favorite veggies. I assume you can keep it in the fridge for a couple of days, but I haven't tested that yet, as I said we finished it in one sitting.


Make sure to give this one a try. I am sure to make this again soon :)

Fruit Bowl - Recipe Monday

This really is a no brainer. Fruit is good for you and how much you should eat depends on your age, sex, and level of physical activity. Fruit and veggies contain important vitamins and minerals and we all know that we should eat more fruits and veggies. But why exactly if you can pop a multivitamin in the morning? Well, a multivitamin does not provide you with fiber, does it? Nor will it make you feel full or satisfied, or does it? Do you really want to be munching on a highly processed fiber (and calorie) loaded granola bar? Not only do fruits and veggies add their nutritional value, but fruit (and certain veggies) can help relieve your sweet tooth and that's basically what we have been trying to do: We have been trying to replace servings of ice cream with a bowl of fruit.
I understand that for some people eating an apple as is seems kind of boring, I usually throw together a number of different fruits to keep it interesting.

My favorite fruit bowl at the moment uses the following and it really only takes 5 minutes to throw together (serves 2):

• 1 medium apple (with skin), cored and diced
• 1 mango, skinned and pitted, diced
• 1 peach, pitted and diced
• some walnuts/pecans/hazelnuts/almonds for decoration and extra crunch

I throw them all together and mix them up. If fruit alone is not sweet enough for you, drizzle over some maple syrup (the real stuff) or honey. It makes a great dessert, a wonderful snack, and it makes any breakfast look so much better.

Add whatever fruit you like. Maybe you don't like apples, but love pears. Try different combinations such as mango, banana, strawberry or grapes, oranges, pears. Try different kinds of melon with a few raspberries thrown into the mix. Make it colorful and make it your own.

You might say, fruit is too expensive. And yes, some fruits are very expensive. I have a tip for you: Buy fruit that is in season. I don't buy strawberries in winter because they are ridiculously expensive. There are so many types of apples, some more expensive than others. I really like Red Delicious and they are often on sale at my grocery store. Bananas are usually fairly cheap and they make a great addition to any fruit bowl...

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If you want to find out more about why fruit/veggies are important check out the CDC's website on fruits and veggies. They also provide a fruit and veggie calculator to help you determine how many servings of fruits and veggies would be ideal for you. For me they recommended 1.5 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables a day (based on a 1800 calorie diet), while the husband should get 2 cups fruit and 3 cups veggies a day (based on a 2400 calorie diet). They also provide a great guide as to what constitutes a cup of fruit/veggies.

Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes - Recipe Monday

Today we are trying something new: A recipe! Because, well the wife took over :) We will see whether it will become a thing or not. So let's get started.

Here is what you will need to make these super delicious vegan summer cupcakes:
Makes 12 cupcakes:

• 4 tbsp (vegan) butter or margarine at room temperature
• 2/3cup sugar
• 2tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 egg replacement (I used 2 tbsp flax seed meal and 6 tbsp water, but if you are not vegan feel free to use 2 eggs)
• 1 and 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk (such as plain soy milk)
• 7 oz strawberries (about 8 strawberries), pureed (try raspberries or maybe even peach)

1. Preheat your oven to 325F and lightly grease a muffin pan.
2. In a bowl, cream together the butter/margarine, sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in the egg replacement, then add in the flour and baking powder and stir until well combined.
4. Lastly add in the pureed strawberries. The batter will look nice and pink.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

What is great about these cupcakes is that they are easy to make and don't require any weird ingredients... and they are a lot cheaper than anything you can buy at the store. (We buy flour, soy milk and vanilla extract from Costco.)
And if you are worried that these might taste funky, I assure you they taste wonderful. I never use milk or eggs in my baking and no one has ever noticed a difference. I halved the recipe yesterday and made 6 cupcakes, and what can I say... they were gone by bedtime. In addition, they don't need fancy frosting. They are wonderful with just a dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of melted chocolate.