Spinach and Potato Soup

Remember when I said I was trying to incorporate more sweet potatoes into my diet?  Well, ditto for leafy greens.  This recipe has both, and I am able to take credit for this one myself.  It's been a fairly warm spring in Memphis, but we had a cold snap last night.  Soup was a warm and comforting supper, and this recipe is super easy!

Ingredients:
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
water or vegetable broth (I used water plus some leek broth I had in the freezer.)
salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
1 12-oz. package frozen crowder peas
1 can diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 12-oz. package chopped frozen spinach


Method:
In a stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Sauté the onion until transluscent.  Add the garlic, and sauté a minute more.  Add the diced potatoes plus water/broth to cover.  Add 1 t. salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste.


Raise heat to high and bring the water/broth to a boil. Add the frozen crowder peas plus additional salt, if desired (I used anotehr 1/2 t. and honestly could have used a little more.), and return to a boil. When the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork and the crowder peas have a proper cooked texture when bitten, add the can of diced tomatoes with juice and the frozen chopped spinach.  Add more water/broth, if necessary.  (The soup will be very spinach-y.)  Bring the soup briefly back to a boil to ensure all soup (including frozen spinach) is thawed and warm.  Adjust salt/pepper to taste, and serve warm with crackers, cornbread, or some other tasty bread.

Savory Vegan Breakfast - Spicy Black Bean Potatoes

Memphis has a famously great breakfast restaurant called Brother Junipers, and you should visit it if you haven't already.  I love their potato dishes.  The "P1" is my favorite, and I usually order it without the cheese.  This weekend, I didn't have the time to wait for a table at the popular restaurant, so I took a stab at the "P1" at home.  I think it turned out pretty well!

Ingredients:

1 T. canola oil

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced into 3/4-inch chunks

1.5 c. salsa (I used 1 can of Kroger's diced salsa-style fire-roasted tomatoes.  They have some kick!)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Method:

In a large nonstick skillet, preferably with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat.  Toss the potatoes in the oil, and cover the skillet with either the lid or aluminum foil.  Allow the potatoes to cook in the oil until they're softening, about 8 minutes.

Remove the cover and pour the salsa over the potatoes.  Try to have the salsa spread out enough to touch all the potato pieces without disturbing the potatoes.  Pour the black beans on top and recover.  Cook until the potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork.  Remove from heat before the potatoes are too mushy to hold together.  Stir in scallions.

Serve the potato dish with a piece of whole-grain toast and green tea for a healthy, savory vegan breakfast.

Garlicky Red Lentil Dip or Spread

I think I've mentioned before how I will sometimes get a good recipe and hang onto it for quite a long time before trying it.  I don't always have the emotional or creative space to try out something new, and when I do, that recipe might not fit the bill for that moment.  Well, this is one of those recipes, but I'm so glad I finally got around to trying it!  My friend Elaine, who lives in Tampa, mailed this to me a few years ago.  I'm not sure where she got it, but I'm glad she shared it!

This recipe is for a garlic-y red lentil dip that can easily be used as a spread for crostini, canapes, or even, as below, a sandwich!  The dip is hummus-like, but it does not have garbanzo beans nor tahini.  It's deliciously vegan and makes about 2 cups or maybe more.

Ingredients:
1 c. red lentils
1.5 c. water
6 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 t. salt
1.5 t. ground cumin
1 t. chili powder
1/4 t. hot red pepper sauce (or more, to taste)

Method:
Place the lentils, water, and garlic cloves in a medium saucepan and bring the water to a boil over high heat.  Boil for 3 minutes, then remove the pan from heat.  Cover and let stand for 12 minutes or until the lentils have absorbed the water.

Put the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, cumin, chili powder, and hot pepper sauce in the work bowl of a food processor.  Add the lentils and garlic, and purée until smooth.  Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately as a dip - or spread over crostini, canapes, or your sandwich bread to build something else delicious.  (I made a sandwich on baguette bread and stacked up the spread, mild banana pepper rings, avocado slices, arugula, and tomato slices, and I served it with crinkle-cut fries.)

Spinach and TVP Calzones

Here's a new, DELICIOUS vegan calzone recipe!  It takes some time, but it is so worth it.  The recipe for the dough is a slightly modified version of the vegan pizza dough in the cookbook Fields of Greens by Annie Somerville, but the filling is mine.  This recipe makes 8 calzones.

dough ingredients:
1 T. yeast
1 1/4 c. lukewarm water
2 T. cornmeal
1/2 c. olive oil
1 t. salt
3.5 cups AP flour, plus more for kneading and rolling out dough


filling ingredients:
1 c. TVP
1 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
7/8 c. boiling water
1 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
12-oz. bag frozen chopped spinach
8 Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped


topping:
1 jar of your favorite jarred tomato spaghetti sauce (like Newman's Own or Muir Glen!)


Method:
Mix the yeast and lukewarm water, and allow the yeast to soak until foamy, about 5 minutes.  At the same time, mix the cornmeal, salt, and olive oil in a 2-quart bowl so that the cornmeal can be softening.  When the yeast is ready, mix the water/yeast mixture into the 2-quart bowl with the cornmeal/olive oil/salt mix.  Stir until mixed.


Begin adding AP flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly with a wooden spoon between each addition.  Once the dough is too stiff to stir, turn out onto a floured countertop.  Knead in the remaining flour and add any necessary flour sprinkling to keep the dough from sticking while you are kneading it.  Once the dough has reached a smooth, firm consistency (It should feel the same way your earlobe feels when you pinch it.) and is not sticky, form it into a ball and return it to the bowl.  Pour in a little olive oil, then turn the dough over so it is coated in the oil.  Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 35 - 40 minutes.


In the meantime, preheat the oven to 500 degrees Farenheit.  Mix the TVP, 1 t. salt, garlic powder, and boiling water.  Allow this to sit 10 minutes to hydrate.  Warm the spaghetti sauce in a medium saucepan over low heat (enough to top 8 calzones).


Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Sauté the chopped onion in the warm oil until the onion is transluscent (6 - 8 minutes).  Stir in the chopped spinach and continue to sauté until the spinach is no longer frozen.  Stir in the chopped olives and TVP until thoroughly mixed.

When the dough is doubled in size, punch it down with your fist.  Divide the dough into halves, then divide each half into 4 equal parts.  Roll one of the dough parts into a 6-inch circle.  Put 1/8 of the spinach filling over half of the dough circle.

Fold the other half of the circle over the filling, and seal the edges with the tines of a fork.  Prick the calzone with a fork several times to allow heat to escape while it is cooking.  Move the calzone to a baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining 7 dough parts.

Bake the calzones for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove the calzones from the oven.  Plate each calzone topped with tomato spaghetti sauce.  Be careful, because they are hot!

Pumpkin-Banana Muffins

This is a muffin recipe I got from a friend maybe....15 years ago?  I modified it to have pumpkin and chocolate chips and nuts.  It makes the muffins more interesting and more healthy!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. sugar

2 1/2 t. baking powder (Try to buy the kind that does NOT have aluminum in it.)

3/4 t. salt

1 egg, beaten (If you want to make these vegan, use Ener-G Egg Replacer.)

1/2 c. plant-based milk

1/3 c. canola oil

1/2 c. canned pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie mix)

1 banana, peeled and mashed with a fork

1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional, but delicious!)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease a 12-muffin tin (or line with cupcake papers).

In a 2-quart bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well-blended.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the egg, milk, oil, pumpkin, and banana.  Mix with a wooden spoon until just blended.  Fold in nuts and chocolate chips, if using, until just evenly distributed.

Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin tins.  Bake 20 - 25 minutes until golden.  Cool on a wire rack.

NOTE:  If you don't have any canned pumpkin, you can omit the pumpkin and just use 2 mashed bananas.

Hot Chocolate Mix

Even though we've had a pretty warm winter, there have been chilly mornings and evenings that were still just right for hot chocolate.  Here's a recipe I got from Martha Stewart that allows you to make your own hot chocolate mix.  As her publications point out, you can make this mix and have enough to last you through the hot chocolate season.  It's economical, and it allows you to make vegan hot cocoa.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 c. sugar

2 1/4 c. cocoa

1 T. salt

plant-based milk, for serving

Method:

In a large bowl, sift the ingredients together.  Store them in an air-tight container.  To serve, pour 1 c. plant-based milk into a microwave-safe mug.  Zap the milk to the desired temperature, then add 3 heaping tablespoons (or more or less, to taste) of the mix and stir well with a fork to break up all the powdered lumps.

To make a larger batch, heat the plant-based milk in a saucepan, taking care not to boil it.  Add 3 T. of the mix per cup of milk used.

Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup

Here's another fantastic recipe from Peta's The Compassionate Cook vegan cookbook.  I've modified it only slightly.  Serve this with toasted garlic bread for a light, delicious dinner.

Ingredients:

1 bunch (or about 1 lb.) broccoli

1 medium onion, peeled and quartered

1 clove garlic, peeled

2 c. vegetable broth

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. salt

2 c. plant-based milk

freshly ground black pepper and/or cayenne pepper, to taste

Method:

On each broccoli stalk, cut off about 1/2-inch from the bottom and discard.  Cut away the florets, and reserve to the side.  Cut away the woody, tough exterior from the stalk, and cut the stalk interior into pieces.

Place the broccoli florets and stalk interor pieces, onion quarters, garlic clove, and vegetable broth into a large saucepan.  Bring the broth to a boil, cover the saucepan, and reduce heat to medium.  Boil until the vegetables are soft, about 10 - 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Add the flour and salt to the pan.  Using an immersion blender, purée the vegetables and flour together.  (Alternatively, you can move the ingredients to a regular blender and purée.  It's just a little messier.  Once puréed, move the ingredients back to the pan.)

Stir in the plant-based milk and heat through.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and ladle into soup bowls.