I’m a big fan of those bean soup mixes– you know, the kind that come with the dried beans, some dehydrated veggies and the spice pack mix. I made one last week that I thought was really good, but have since not been able to find it again in the store. It was one that I had bought at Whole Foods a long time ago and found when I was packing up the old house. I guess it’s now not something they carry. That got me thinking, it can’t be that hard to make, so I decided to give it a try myself this week. It turned out so fabulous and since I made it myself, I know exactly what’s in it. This stuff is seriously good and makes a lot. I love having leftover soup; remember, it’s the same amount of work to make a gigantic pot as it is to make a small pot. Make a huge batch and freeze some for later.

(Sorry for the yucky photo. Had to use the flash.)

Easy Vegan Minestrone Soup

1 cup kidney beans, dry

1 cup cannellini beans, dry

1 cup chickpeas, dry

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped (roughly 1-2 tsp)

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 TB dried basil

1 TB dried oregano

1 tsp dried sage

2 quarts veg stock

1-28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 head cabbage, chopped

4 cups baby spinach, lightly packed

Any pasta type or shape that you like

S & P to taste

1. Begin by soaking the beans and chickpeas 12 hours or overnight.  After soaking, drain off soaking liquid and rinse with fresh water.  Drain.  Add to slow cooker.
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add all the veggies and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add herbs and saute another minute.  Add to slow cooker.
3. Add the stock and tomatoes to the slow cooker.  Cook on high for 4-6 hours or until the beans are cooked through.
4. Add the cabbage, spinach and pasta* and cook another 1-2 hours.  Season with S & P to taste.

* I prefer to cook the pasta separately and add to each bowl of soup.  I find that cooking it in the soup only makes it super mushy if you have leftovers.  For this recipe, I used quinoa pasta, but you could use whatever you like.

If you want to do this on the stove top, it will probably only take half the time.  Keep a watchful eye on it and add more liquid as necessary as m0re will cook off on the stovetop than in the slow cooker.

How I love one pot meals!  What could be easier?!  I made this chili recipe last night for dinner and it was awesome.  All 3 of us enjoyed it… and the simple fact that Emma ate it should tell you how good this is.  I hope my second isn’t as picky of an eater as my first.  This recipe made a HUGE pot of chili, so you may want to cut the recipe in half.  We’ve got a baby coming soon and I’ve been making large pots of soups and stews to freeze for after she gets here.  This recipe made enough for all of us to have a bowl for dinner last night, plus enough leftovers to have later in the week, AND enough to freeze 2 quart jars.  Feel free to add whatever veggies you’ve got on hand; you don’t have to specifically follow my recipe.  I also kept the spice very mild because of Emma.  Even without using any jalapenos, it still had a little kick from the chili powder but is extremely mild.  If you prefer yours spicier, you could use a jalapeno or add some cayenne.  This chili recipe would also adapt very well to a slow cooker– saute the onions, carrots and celery on the stove top, then throw everything (minus the zucchini and potatoes) into the slow cooker.  I would guess 6 hours on low should do it.

Very Veggie Chili

2 TB olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 head broccoli, cut into bite size pieces

2 large chard leaves; stems removed and finely chopped (I use my food processor)

2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1- 28 oz. can/box pureed tomato product (I used strained tomatoes because it was all I could find in a box; you can use a can of crushed tomatoes, or puree a can of whole tomatoes)

1-2 cups water

1/4 cup chili powder (half would be 2 TB if you were cutting back on the recipe)

1 tsp allspice (next time I will use between 1/2 and 3/4 tsp instead)

2 zucchini, chopped

4 small potatoes, chopped

S&P to taste

In a large pot over medium heat, saute the onion, celery and carrots in the olive oil under tender.  Add the broccoli, chard, beans and tomatoes.  Add enough water until the veggies are just covered with liquid.  Add spices and simmer for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes of simmering, add zucchini and potatoes and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.  When the potatoes are cooked through, taste and season with S&P.

My husband’s cousin had some dental work done and now she can’t eat anything that isn’t soft and pureed. I thought I’d whip up something tasty for her, since she mentioned being tired of the stuff she’s been eating lately.

It was the perfect opportunity for me to use up the apples in my fridge that weren’t quite right for eating raw.  I’ve been telling myself for a while now that I needed to either juice them or make some applesauce, so I was happy to have an opportunity to put them to use.

Easy Applesauce

5-6 apples peeled, cored and chopped

Juice of 1/2 a lemon (or lime– I was all out of lemons)

1 TB maple syrup

2 cinnamon sticks

pinch of whole cloves

Put all ingredients in a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover the apples.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until apples are tender.  When cooked, remove the cloves and cinnamon stick and puree or mash.  If there is a bunch of water left at the bottom of the apples, drain them before pureeing.  The water in mine had all evaporated during cooking.  This made about 3 cups of applesauce.

In the other jar is my Butternut Squash and Apple Soup, which I haven’t made in a really long time.  I LOVE it, but it’s not my husband’s favorite and I just never think to make it.  Thankfully, this batch made 2 quarts of soup, so that’s what we’re having for dinner too!  Since I wanted this batch of soup super smooth (didn’t want to risk any chunks getting stuck in her stitches), I used my food processor to puree it.  If you opt to use a blender or food processor to puree instead of an immersion blender, let the soup cool a little beforehand to be sure you don’t burn yourself.  Yummy!  I can’t wait for dinner tonight!

The recipe for this can be found in Robin Robertson’s Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.  Even if you don’t have a slow cooker, all of the recipes I’ve tried from her book have been excellent and can be easily modified to fit whatever method of cooking you choose.

Let’s talk slow cookers for a minute first:  I have the Cuisinart model pictured above.  Mine is slightly different in that it has two knobs on the front and not buttons.  I LOVE this slow cooker because it can be set at low, high or warm and also has a timer that can be set.  When your dish has cooked for the amount of time that you programmed, it automatically turns from high or low to warm.  Perfect for those who like to throw dinner in before leaving for work.  You come home to a perfectly cooked meal that is ready when you want to eat.  Cleaning it is easy (the ceramic insert comes out and is easily washed– although it is pretty big and doesn’t fit in my tiny sink very well).  And the best part is that the cord is retractable… this was one of the biggest selling features for me when I was shopping around for a slow cooker.

Anyway, back to the chowder.  I followed the recipe exactly.  The creaminess here is supposed to come from pureeing half of the soup, but as luck would have it, I had an opened container of MimicCreme (unsweetened) in my fridge begging to be thrown into the soup.  I did end up pureeing half of the soup, but then I added about a cup of MimicCreme and it was so delicious!  MimicCreme is a cream substitute made of various nut milks.  It’s pretty hard to find in stores, but can be ordered online.  If you live near me, you’ll be thrilled to learn that Nob Hill (270 Redwood Shores Pkwy, Redwood City, CA 94065) has started carrying the unsweetened variety in their natural foods section.  Since it’s about a quarter mile from my house, I’m pretty excited about that!

My husband said that this soup reminded him of a corn chowder that his mom used to make.  Her recipe starts off with bacon, I’m told, but he said that this one was pretty close.  Most chowders do start with bacon and if you want that smoky flavor, you could probably add some liquid smoke to the soup or use smoked salt.  If you ask me, this soup was perfect exactly as is, but I am curious if the smoky flavor would add anything.

I can’t believe I’ve never blogged about this recipe.  I guess that means it’s been over a year since I’ve made it.  Shame, shame on me.  Matt loves this soup and I like it too.  It does take a while to cook, but the prep time is quick and it’s so easy.  It’s also really cheap to make.  I like the addition of barely because it gives the soup some extra texture.  Otherwise, it’s pretty much like baby food.  AND, I think you could throw the ingredients into a slow cooker and have it cook on low the whole time you’re at work and you could come home to a delicious, easy meal.  Unfortunately, split pea soup just doesn’t photograph well.

Split Pea and Barely Soup

1 onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups split peas

1/4 cup pearl barley

8 cups water

Throw everything into a big pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer for about an hour or until the peas are soft.  You may need to add more water as it cooks off and gets absorbed.  Cook until you’ve reached a consistency that you like.

I’ve really resisted going grocery shopping this week.  Instead, I want to use up what we got and make more stuff homemade.  The other night, I had some kale that was about to turn to seaweed and some lentils, so I threw it all together in a soup.  It was FANTASTIC!

Lentil Kale Soup

(click here for a printer-friendly version)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 TB olive oil

2 small carrots, pealed and chopped

4-5 kale leaves, stems removed and chopped

1 cup dry brown lentils

3 cups veg stock

3 cups water (or more veg stock)

S&P to taste

Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the carrots and cook a few minutes more.  Add the lentils, stock, water and kale and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour until the lentils are tender.  Taste for seasoning.

I boiled up some noodles separately to stir in just for fun.  I thought it might be more appealing to Emma that way.  She ate a couple of bites but wasn’t too wild about it.  I like to keep the noodles separate in soup because they get mushy and gross in any that is leftover.

To go with it, I used more freezer and pantry items in my Mediterranean Panini Sammies.  I didn’t have any tomatoes on hand, so these just had artichoke hearts, Vegenaise, olives, roasted red peppers and basil.  These are SOOOO good that I could probably eat 5 of them in one sitting.

I’ll admit that the photo probably won’t make you drool… in fact, it looks downright disgusting!  Like a big bowl ‘o puke or something.  Anyway, I made an enormous pot of veggie chili the other day to make nachos with.  After searching a bit, I found a recipe a vegan nacho cheese recipe on the PPK that everyone seemed to like.  The salt in this recipe is way over the top, so consider cutting it down to 1/4 tsp at first and increasing a little at a time until you find a level that suits you.  I didn’t have any RoTel, so I subbed 1/4 cup of salsa and it turned out just fine.

Very Veggie Chili

(click here for a printer-friendly version)

1 cup dry black beans, soaked overnight

1 cup dry cannellini beans, soaked overnight

1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked overnight

1 cup dry pinto beans, soaked overnight

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, minced (or more to taste)

1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets

3 zucchini, chopped

1 quart veg stock

4 TB chili powder, or more to taste

3 tsp cumin, or more to taste

3 TB dried oregano

1 TB coriander

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

2 cups frozen corn kernels, canned, frozen or fresh

Soak your beans for several hours or overnight.  Substitute one can of each kind, if you don’t want to use dry.  After soaking, drain and rinse, then put in a large pot (or slow cooker) and add enough water to cover.  Cook on a low heat for several hours until the beans have softened, but not cooked completely.  Add more boiling water as necessary to keep the beans covered.  When the beans have softened, drain and set aside.

In an extremely large soup pot, saute the onion, garlic and jalapeno for a few minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the corn and stir to combine.  Cover and simmer for several hours, until the beans and veggies are cooked through.  Add the corn.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

I can’t believe I’ve only made this once before.  It’s so filling, so tasty, and SO easy.  When I made this before, I used sweet potatoes.  This time around, I subbed carrots because carrots are far cheaper than sweet potatoes and I thought I could save myself the extra expense since I need carrots for a soup I’m making later in the week.  I also threw in a handful of frozen peas just to give it a little color.

I served it over some Israeli couscous (although according to this Wikipedia article, it’s actually called Levantine).  Whatever!  The point is that I used big couscous rather than small just because I had a meals-worth left.  You could use whichever you have/prefer, or have it with some flatbread instead.

We’re back!!  We had a great time, but are happy to be back home.  We made it safely, despite being bombarded by Hurricane Norbert.  More to come on our adventures… it will be a very long post, so it may take a few days for me to put it up.

In the meantime, I’ll write about tonight’s dinner.  I will admit to you that I absolutely couldn’t wait to get back in the kitchen.  I was missing yummy vegan food, BIG TIME.  I ended up making my Butternut Squash and Apple Soup.  This soup is awesome!  I love the addition of the apple- gives it a little sweetness and tang.  Love it, love it, love it.  It’s one of the best things I’ve eaten in the past 11 days.

To go alongside, I made panini sammies.  Since I only had time to make it to the fruit stand today, these were super simple with some tomatoes, basil, and chopped kalamata and green olives.  Nothing fancy, but tasty.  Again, one of the best things I’ve eaten in the past 11 days.

Stay tuned for more on our Mexican cruise adventure!

I randomly bought a tub of miso at the store the other day.  I’ve never, ever tried to make miso soup before and was totally surprised by how easy it is!  All you do is boil some water, add miso to taste and maybe a little soy sauce to give it a little zing.  That’s it!  Since I was making it as a main course for lunch, I added in some tofu, green onions, edamame and udon noodles.  Emma LOVED it.