Red Curry Soup with Rice

by IsaChandra

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced medium
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3/4 cups basmati or jasmine rice, rinsed
6 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons red curry paste
1 large sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 can lite coconut milk
1 tablespoon agave syrup
Juice of one lime

Optional: fresh chopped cilantro to garnish

Preheat a 4 quart soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion in oil with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes or so, until translucent. Add garlic and ginger and saute a minute more.

Add rice, vegetable broth and salt, cover pot and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, lower heat to simmer. Mix in 2 tablespoons curry paste. Add kale and sweet potatoes. Cover pot and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender.

Add coconut milk, agave and lime. Taste for salt and flavor. Add more curry paste if you like.

Remove from heat and serve immediately, or even better let it sit for 10 minutes to give the flavors a chance to meld. Top with fresh chopped cilantro if you like.

White Bean Rosemary Soup with Jumbo Croutons & Fresh Basil

White Bean Rosemary Soup with Jumbo Croutons & Fresh Basil

White Bean Soup (in foreground)

This soup is captivating, with olive-oil drizzled croutons that soften slowly into a mellow, rosemary infused soup.  Recipe is from eat, drink & be vegan.

1 - 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onions, diced
1 1/2 cups celery, diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dry mustard
3/4 - 1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 cups cooked white kidney (cannellini) beans (see note)
3 cups vegetable stock (I use Harvest Sun brand)
1 1/2 cups water
2 tsp fresh rosemary, Chopped
2 - 2 1/2 tbsp lemon Juice
1 batch "Jumbo Croutons" (p.82, or below)
1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced in thin strips or chopped
1 -2 tbsp olive oil (for finishing)

In a large pot on medium heat, add oil, onion, celery, garlic, dry mustard, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 4 cups beans, stock, water, and 1 1/2 tsp rosemary, and increase heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. With a hand blender, puree soup until smooth. Stir in remaining 2 cups beans, remaining 1/2 tsp rosemary, and lemon juice. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Sirve in individual bowls, topped with a handful of Jumbo Croutons, sprinkle of fresh basil, and drizzle of olive oil if desired.


Serves 5 - 6.

Note: Since this soup uses a lot of beans, I prefer cooking the white beans from dried rather than canned because they taste fresher, but certainly canned work fine too.

Jumbo Croutons
5-6 slices bread (your choice, can use artisan, multigrain, kamut, spelt)
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut bread slices into 1 inch squares.  In a large bowl, toss cubes with oil.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and transfer bread onto sheet, then sprinkle with salt.  Bake for 9-12 minutes, tossing once or twice throughout, until lightly browned.  For crunchier croutons, bake for 2-3 minutes longer.

Sweet Potato Lentil Chili

Recipe from ed&bv. 

1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 3/4 cups (425 mL) onions, diced
1 cup (250 mL) celery, diced
2 - 2 1/2 cups (500 to 625 mL) orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 in (2.5 cm) cubes
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp (10 mL) chili powder
1 tsp (5 mL) paprika
1/2 tsp (2 mL) freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cumin
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 mL) crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1 1/4 cups (310 mL) dry red lentils
2 1/2 cups (625 mL) water
1 - 28 oz (796 mL) can crushed tomatoes
1 - 14 oz (398 mL) can black or kidney beans, rinsed
1 bay leaf
3 Tbsp (45 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice
Lime wedges (for serving)

In large pot on medium heat, add oil, onions, celery, sweet potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and spices, and stir through. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally; reduce heat if onions are sticking to bottom of pot. Rinse lentils. Add to pot with water, tomatoes, beans, and bay leaf, and stir to combine. Increase heat to bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes or until sweet potatoes are softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in lime juice and serve portions with lime wedges.
Serves 6.

Cooking Note:  If you only have whole or diced tomatoes, use a hand blender to 'crush' them:  first pour off some liquid from can into pot, then use a hand blender to puree tomatoes directly in the can.

Mellow Lentil Soup

From 

Dreena's Vegan Recipes

MAKES 5–6 SERVINGS. WHEAT-FREE

1–1½ tbsp olive oil
1½ cups onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
¾ cup carrots, diced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
¾–1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp paprika
¼ tsp dried thyme
2 cups dry red lentils
3 cups vegetable stock
4–4½ cups water
2½–3 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (see note)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

In a large pot on medium heat, add oil, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, salt, pepper, curry powder, paprika, and dried thyme and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 7–8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Rinse lentils. Add lentils, stock, and water and stir to combine. Increase heat to bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 12–15 minutes. Add rosemary and simmer for another 8–10 minutes or more, until lentils are completely softened. Stir in vinegar, season to taste with additional salt and black pepper if desired.

Cooking Note: Fresh rosemary is exquisite in this soup, but if you don’t have it, you can use dried. However, add it at the beginning of the cooking process, along with the other dried spices, and use less—about 1 tsp.

Red Lentil Thai Chili

By Isa Chandra

Olive oil (1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons, however much you feel like using)

1 large yellow onion, diced medium

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced medium

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes cut into æ inch chunks

1 cup red lentils

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups vegetable broth

2 15-ounce cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste

1 15-ounce can low-fat coconut milk

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish

Limes for garnish (optional)

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Sauté onions and pepper in oil with a pinch of salt, for 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and sauté a minute more.

Add chili powder, sweet potatoes, lentils, salt and vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. When lentils are cooked and sweet potatoes are tender, add the remaining ingredients and heat through.

Taste for salt and seasoning, top with cilantro and lime and serve!

Peanut Butter Pecan Biscott

From Joy the Baker

Makes: about 2 1/2 dozen biscotti

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup natural peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk (save the egg white for the egg wash)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup pecans

egg wash and 1 tablespoon of milk for egg wash

sugar for topping

Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, beat together butter, peanut butter and sugar.  Beat until well incorporated and slightly fluffy in texture.  About 3 minutes.  Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl and add egg and egg yolk.  Beat on medium speed until well blended, about 2 minutes.  Add the dry ingredients, all at once to the peanut butter mixture and beat on low speed until just incorporated.  Stop mixer.  Add pecans and remove the bowl from the mixer.  Finish incorporating ingredients with a spatula.  Dough will be slightly dry.  That’s ok.

Divide the batter between the two baking sheets and shape dough into two logs about 8-inches long and 1 1/2-inches wide.  Brush with egg wash and sprinkle generously with granulated sugar.

Bake on alternating racks for 15 minutes.  Switch baking racks and  bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking pans until cool enough to handle, but still soft.  Use a serrated knife to slice biscotti about 1-inch thick.  Place cut side down on the baking sheet and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Biscotti will last, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 10 days.

Spinach "Chicken" Curry

Spinach "Chicken" Curry  From Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes.

(Makes 8 servings)

Ingredients:

1 10-oz package of frozen spinach, thawed in the microwave with a tablespoon of water. Puree in a blender and set aside.

1 package chicken.

2 cups mushrooms 

1 onion, minced

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 cup tomato puree

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp red chilli powder 

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup of almonds, soaked in hot water for two hours, then pureed in a blender to a smooth paste with 1 cup water. (You can use pistachios which make this dish even more wonderful-- I didn't have any on hand this time. Cashews are also a good substitute)

Salt to taste

1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

Heat oil in a skillet. Add the onions and saute until brown spots start to appear, about five minutes over medium heat.

Add the ginger and garlic paste and saute another minute.

Add the tomato puree and the powdered spices and saute until the tomato darkens and starts to express oil from the sides.

Add the mushrooms and saute until they start to soften, about 3-5 minutes.

Add the vegan chicken chunks and saute another three to four minutes.

Add the spinach puree and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often to prevent any sticking, until the spinach darkens and all the water has evaporated.

Add the almond paste and 1/2 to 1 cup water (depending on how thick you want your curry) and bring to a boil.

Add lemon juice and salt to taste and turn off the heat. Garnish with coriander leaves.






(Nutrition Facts Per Serving: Calories 128; Protein 10.5 grams;  Dietary Fiber 4.1 grams; Total Fat: 5.8 grams (Saturated Fat 0.5 grams, Polyunsaturated Fat 1 gram; Monounsaturated Fat 3 grams); Carbohydrates 11.1 grams)