Vegetable Chowder

I made vegetable chowder today because I needed to get rid of some produce that I had hanging out in the fridge. This came out really nice, fairly creamy and tasty!

Vegetable Chowder

2 TB olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 celery rib, sliced
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups vegetable broth
2 small red potatoes, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 carrot, sliced
1 cup plain soymilk
1-2 tsp cornstarch
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a soup pot on high. Saute onions, bell pepper and celery until softened. Add corn and stir for a few minutes. Add broth, potatoes, zucchini and carrot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add soymilk and continue to simmer. At this point, I like to break down the potatoes a bit by mashing some of them with a wooden spoon to make the soup thicker. To thicken it a litt more, dissolve the cornstarch in a little water and then add slowly to soup and then bring it to a boil for 1 minute. Add nutmeg and season with salt and pepper and let simmer until heated through.

Chickpea & Fava Bean Burgers with Cucumber Sauce

I am a chickpea fanatic. I get made fun of when I make too many dishes with chickpeas in it. Lentils also. My brother says: "Kim is always eating lentils." And my husband says: "What's for dinner? Chickpeas?" I like that these beans as well as other varieties are a perfect ingredient to make burgers with and can be enjoyed with your favorite sauce. They are a great source of protein and are much more exciting to eat than a bowl of beans. I make falafel (middle eastern chickpea fritters) often. These are similar to falafel but not quite a traditional recipe because I add a bunch of other seasonings to it. I also made a garlicky cucumber sauce which is kind of like tzatziki sauce except I use rich vegan mayo instead of yogurt. These burgers are delicious. They are crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. Note: If you can't find fava beans, you may use all chickpeas and the results will be just as good.

Chickpea & Fava Bean Burgers

1 15 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can foul mudammas (cooked fava beans), drained and rinsed
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
handful cilantro, chopped
1 TB nutritional yeast (totally optional)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Trader Joe's 21 salute seasoning (or any salt free all purpose seasoning blend)
1/2 tsp salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup corn flour (masa harina) or all purpose flour for binding
canola oil for frying

Cucumber sauce:
3 TB vegan mayo (or more if you like)
1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Stir to combine all ingredients and chill.

Drain and rinse beans. Put them into a large bowl and with a potato masher or fork, mash the beans until there are no whole beans left. Add the remaining ingredients and using your hands, mix the ingredients until they are all combined. If you find the mixture a little wet or sticky, use a little more flour to bind it together. Form into 6 or 7 medium sized patties and place them on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
On the stove, heat a shallow layer of oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Fry the patties about 2 minutes on each side, just until they are browned. Then transfer patties onto the baking sheet and finish cooking them in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. Serve with cucumber sauce as is or as a sandwich inside of a pita pocket with lettuce and tomato.

Veggie Enchiladas with Smoky Chipotle Sauce + Coconut Cardamom Carrot Rice Pudding

I like cooking on the weekends as I get to spend more time with my food instead of plopping everything in a pot to be done with it. Today I wanted to make enchiladas and use up all the wonderful produce I got yesterday. These are chock full of red potatoes, cauliflower, red and green peppers, onions and zucchini and covered in a smoky chipotle enchilada sauce. Recipe at end of post.


A boatload of veggies!


Here they are cooked and ready to fill tortillas.


Out of the oven in all it's sauciness.


On my plate, halfway devoured.


Smoky Chipotle Enchilada Sauce

1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TB chili powder
1-2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1 14 oz. can crushed roasted tomatoes
3/4 cup water
1 tsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in some oil until onions get soft. Add spices and stir. Add tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enchilada Filling

1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped into small pieces
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped
4-5 small red potatoes, chopped into small cubes
3/4 cup water
corn tortillas

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan on high heat and add the onion, red and green peppers and zucchini. Saute for about 5 minutes or until vegetables get soft. Add frozen corn and continue to cook. Onions will start to brown. Remove all vegetables from pan and set aside.

2. In the same pan, add a little olive oil on medium high heat and add in the cauliflower and potatoes. Saute for a few minutes and then add 3/4 cup water. Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Stir occassionally to keep them from sticking to the pot. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Add first batch of vegetables to the cauliflower and potatoes. Stir to combine and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

4. Put a layer of sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Steam tortillas and roll up enchiladas with about 2 heaping TB of filling. Place seam side down in baking dish and cover with sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 5 minutes.


Dessert was Vegan Planet's Coconut Cardamom Rice Pudding with grated carrot added to it. It is so delicious both warm or cold.

Potato-Bean Chili and Cornbread

I need to go grocery shopping soon. Tonight's delicious dinner was concocted out of the very few things I had left in my pantry and fridge. I had a couple of canned beans, stewed tomatoes, russet potatoes and a carrot stick. A chili was in order...

It turned out so well. Nice and hearty with chunks of potato and a little bit of zest. I also made the PPK Vegan Cornbread which is the best cornbread I've ever made. I added 1/4 cup of sugar to this cornbread recipe to give it a bit of sweetness. Serve it with margarine and a drizzle of agave syrup.

Potato-Bean Chili

2 TB olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 carrot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 small russet potatoes, diced into 1/2" cubes
1 14 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 14 oz. cans diced or stewed tomatoes with juice
1 cup water
1 TB chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste


Heat olive oil in a pot. Saute onions, celery, carrots and garlic for a few minutes or until onions soften a bit. Add potatoes. Stir around and then cover and let cook for about 5 minutes. Stir every so often so they won't stick to the pot. Add the beans, tomatoes, water and spices. Bring to a boil then lower heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


PPK cornbread rocks so hard.

Thai Green Curry & Bonus birthday cupcakes.

I've said this before and I'll say it again: I LOVE curries. I'm from a Thai background so we like our curry. This one in particular. It's a spicy green curry made from green curry paste and creamy coconut milk. You can find these tinned curry pastes at asian groceries. They come in many different flavors: red, green, masaman, karee, etc...
When you buy these, make sure they don't contain shrimp or fish paste. Some of them do so you have to be careful. Here is the one I used by Maesri brand.






You must eat this curry with hot jasmine rice!

Thai Green Curry with Veggies and Tofu

2 TB canola oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 carrot, sliced
1 TB green curry paste (this is spicy so use as little or much as you like - store the leftover paste in a little ziploc bag in the freezer)
2 cans coconut milk
2 cups broccoli florets
1 small red pepper, diced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 package extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed
2 TB soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
juice of one large lime


Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add onions, garlic and ginger. Saute for a while until onions are browned and a bit soft. Add potatoes, carrots and green curry paste. Stir around to coat, then add coconut milk and stir. Bring to a boil. Add broccoli, red pepper and zucchini. Add soy sauce, sugar and lime juice. Lower heat to medium low. Add tofu cubes. Cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or so or until potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Serve over hot rice.

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Yesterday's post got me inspired to make Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes. These are for my friends for their birthday celebration tonight. I frosted them with vanilla buttercream and dusted them with cocoa powder.

Creamy Cauliflower and Potato Soup

I was out all day taking my father in law to see the sights and after a really big lunch, I planned to make something kind of light for supper. This soup was really simple and deliciously creamy.

Creamy Cauliflower and Potato Soup

2 TB olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, sliced
2 cups cauliflower, chopped
3-4 small to medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 cups vegetable broth or water
unsweetened soymilk (a good brand: Kikkoman Pearl)
salt and pepper to taste
dash of paprika

Heat olive oil in a soup pot on medium high heat. Add onion and celery and saute until soft. Add cauliflower and potatoes and stir for a few minutes. Add veggie broth or water and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes or so until the vegetables are very soft. Mash with a potato masher if you like to break them down even more. Then add enough soymilk until you get the right consistency of creaminess (about 1/2 cup or more). Blend 3/4 of the soup in a blender until smooth and add back to the pot. Heat through and season with salt and pepper to taste and paprika. Serve hot.

Cilantro Lime Pesto

I love pesto and as much as I love traditional pesto made with basil and pine nuts, I like to try other variations too. I've made pesto with broccoli before and it was awesome on pizza. I had a giant bunch of cilantro in my fridge that I thought would be good to use up in one go via a pesto sauce. This was amazing. It has a nice bright flavor with citrus undertone from the lime. Try it on spaghetti!

Cilantro Lime Pesto

1 big bunch of cilantro leaves (discard stems)
1/4 C slivered almonds
juice of one large lime
2 cloves (or more) of garlic
2 TB nutritional yeast (optional)
olive oil
water
salt and pepper to taste

Put the cilantro, almonds, lime juice, garlic and nutritional yeast (if using) in a blender or food processor. Process until all ingredients are broken down. Start adding the olive oil and process until it is the consistency you want it. You may add a bit of water too if you want to cut back on the oil. Just add it a tablespoon at a time so it won't be too thin. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Here's mine. My blender really blitzed my pesto into smooth cream. You can gently process yours so that it has more texture than this.


Tossed with hot spaghetti and pine nuts. Delicious!

Stuffed Peppers & Creamy Chili Lime Coleslaw

I made stuffed peppers for dinner last night that were pretty awesome and easy to make. They are stuffed with soy crumbles, corn, onions, rice and tomatoes and spiced with cumin, oregano and other mexican seasonings. I originally wanted to use cooked lentils instead of the crumbles but my husband is a big fan of the crumbles. Next time I'll try lentils. I also made a really nice creamy coleslaw with the flavors of lime juice and chili powder to go with the flavors of the stuffed pepper. For dessert we had banana cake. I used this recipe but omitted the chocolate chips.


Stuffed Peppers

3 large green bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise with seeds and membranes removed
2 TB olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 12 oz. bag Morningstar Grillers Crumbles, frozen (you may substitute rehydrated TVP or even cooked lentils.)
1 14 oz. can stewed tomates, broken up and with juice
1 TB taco seasoning, store bought or make your own
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and black pepper to taste
1-1/2 cups white or brown rice cooked
tomato sauce seasoned with a little taco seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Submerge peppers in the boiling water and let them cook for 3 minutes to soften them a bit. Take them out and let cool.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan on medium high heat and saute the onions and garlic for a few minutes. Add the corn and cook for about 4-5 minutes until onions are soft and corn is a little browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. In the same pan on medium high heat, add a little oil and add the soy crumbles. Stir around for a few minutes until all the crumbles are no longer frozen. Add the corn/onion mixture and the stewed tomatoes. Add the spices and continue to cook for about 3-4 minutes or until everything is incorporated and heated through.
4. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and add the cooked rice. Mix everything until combined. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Proceed to stuff each pepper half to bursting with the stuffing mixture.
5. Place stuffed peppers in a baking dish and spoon a little tomato sauce on top of each pepper. Add about 1/4 cup water to the baking dish. Bake uncovered for about 30-40 minutes or until peppers are soft and tops get nice and browned.



Creamy Chili Lime Coleslaw

1 small head of cabbage, chopped or sliced thinly
1 carrot, peeled and grated or sliced thinly
1/4 red onion, sliced
Optional ingredients: corn, olives, tomatoes, avocado etc...

Dressing:
1/2 C vegan mayo (Vegenaise preferably)
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp (or more if you want) of chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
You may add more or less of any ingredient to your tastes.
Whisk all ingredients together and toss with cabbage mixture. Chill in the fridge for a few hours.

This is what dessert looked like...

Grilled Cheez and Gypsy Soup.

These hit the spot!


I make these sandwiches ALL the time using the "Colby Chedda" Block uncheese recipe from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. They are so good.


Gypsy soup (aka creamy tomato soup)

There's this cafe in Westwood called The Gypsy Cafe. And they have (or had, I haven't been there in years) this creamy tomato soup called 'Gypsy Soup'. I remember it being my favorite thing on the menu, served with 1/2 a sandwich. I never knew what was in it but I think ricotta cheese was what made the soup creamy. At that time I would recreate it at home very cheaply with a can of condensed tomato soup and a tub of ricotta.

I haven't thought about that soup since then but tonight I wanted tomato soup to go with my grilled cheez sandwich. I've never made my own tomato soup before so I decided to just wing it. I brought out stuff from the pantry and fridge and next thing I knew, I was making a creamy soup that reminded me a lot of the Gypsy Soup from that cafe. yeah!

Vegan Gypsy Soup

1 TB olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TB fresh basil, chopped
2 TB soy sauce or more to taste
1 tsp sugar
1 14 oz. can stewed tomatoes, blended until smooth in a blender
2 1/2 cups plain and unsweetened soymilk
4 tsp. (or more if desired) tomato paste
1 TB nutritional yeast (optional)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and saute onion and garlic until softened. Add the basil, soy sauce and sugar and stir. Add the tomatoes and bring it to a boil. Slowly add the soymilk. Add the tomato paste and stir until it is dissolved. You may add more depending on how tomato-ey you want your soup. Add the nutritional yeast if using and ground black pepper. Lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until everything comes together and thickens a bit.