Our Veggie Kitchen

Here in Western Oregon, there is a very narrow window when pumpkins and lavender blossoms are still available. This year, we started getting pumpkins last week. I picked my lavender a couple days ago and they probably be gone by next week. So this soup is also an autumn metaphor, with the waning of summer herbs and the arrival of fall's bounty.



Provencal Pumpkin Soup
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups pumpkin, cubed (1 small pumpkin)
1 cup carrots, chopped (2-3 carrots)
2 cups cauliflower (1/2 head)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 quart water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp marjoram, chopped
1/2 tsp oregano, chopped
1/2 tsp rosemary, chopped
1/2 tsp thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp tarragon, chopped
1/2 tsp lavender, chopped

Note: Herbs may be replaced with 2 tsp dried Herb de Provence

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan set to medium high. Saute the onions until the onions have caramelized. Add the garlic and saute until aromatic. Add the pumpkin, carrots and cauliflower. Boil the wine for a couple minutes, then add the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in in the herbs, salt, turmeric and lemon juice. In batches, thoroughly blend the soup. Return to the pan, bring back to a simmer and remove from heat.

Another Note: I added turmeric for color, as the herbs lent a green tint. Next time, I will add half an orange or red bell pepper and eliminate the turmeric. The sweet pepper would be a welcome flavor and contribute to an oranger color.

4 Servings: 165 cal (7g fat, 20g carbs, 3g protein)

I love cabbage and I feel that it is an underutilized staple in any kitchen. It's sweet. It's versatile. And it's cheap and a decend source of protein, iron and calcium--all those things that you can't possibly get in a vegan diet.

Anyway, someone commented on one of my other cabbage creations, that it reminded her of a childhood treat, Haluska. Haluska is a simple Hungarian meal of egg noodles, cabbage, sour cream, paprika and sometimes smoked sausage. I came up with a recipe that trimmed the calories quite a bit and it tasted really delicious. The paprika flavored and colored the dish nicely and it was surprisingly complementary with the cabbage.

I would make a couple changes next time. First, I used ribbon noodles because they are closer in appearance to egg noodles. Any pasta will do and eggless ribbon noodles are expensive and hard to find. Second, I would omit the Tofurkey and add a little salt in its place.



Haluska
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tsp mustard seed
1 large sweet onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic
14 oz Tofurkey Kielbasa (optional)
1 head cabbage, shredded
1 tbs paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup Tofutti sour cream
1 1/2 cup soy milk
12 oz pasta (ribbon, fettuccine, etc)

Heat oil in a large saute pan set to medium high. Add the mustard seed and cook just until they begin to pop. Add the sweet onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and Tofurkey (if using) and saute for another couple minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring frequently until it is wilted, until the firmness is to your liking. Then add the salt, pepper, sour cream, soy milk and paprika. Stir together and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the cooked pasta.

I added the pasta to boiling water just when the cabbage began to wilt, but the timing can vary depending on the pasta used and the firmness of the cabbage. I like mine soft, but with a bit of a bite.

With Kielbasa:
6 Servings: 603 cal (22g fat, 76g carbs, 31g protein)
Without Kielbasa:
5 Servings: 433 cal (17g fat, 81g carbs, 17g protein)

My wife has been making these dolls for gifts to friends and family. They cute little guys with screwy smiles and stick figure arms and legs. She's got such a positive response, that she decided to sell them on her etsy account.

Now, she just needs some traffic and a little networking. So, please, click the link to her account and browse around. If you see something you like, favorite the item, spread the work, or make a purchase. They're all adorable creatures and they all need homes.

kfad.etsy.com


Thank you.

Now that football season is upon us, I've been working on no-hassle meals, so that I can watch my game in peace. Today's game was by no means peaceful. My Seahawks looked miserable, they lost the game and they lost their quarterback. On the up side, the Huskies beat USC. I'll say it again because it makes me happy. THE HUSKIES BEAT USC!!!

I had football on my schedule until 4:30. Then I started dinner armed with a batch of Nacho Sauce, a package of of Field Roast sausages and a new Rice-A-Roni recipe. I added this onion relish to the mix. This was so good piled on a hot dog with lots of mustard and nacho sauce. It was a bit sweet, a bit spicy, a bit sweet and a bit tart. It was perfect football food.



Onion Relish
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 large sweet onion, halved & sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs white wine vinegar

Heat the oil in a saute pan set to medium. Add the mustard seed and cook just until they begin to sizzle. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and saute until they are brown and fully carmelized. Add the garlic and saute until aromatic. Stir in the brown sugar. Then stir in the white wine vinegar and cook until it has evaporated. Remove from heat and add as a topping to a hot dog, burger, pizza, etc.

4 Servings: 95 cal (7g fat, 8g carbs, 1g protein)

I'm not sure if its some new trend or just a bit of tunnel vision on my part, but everywhere I look, it seems, I see creamy pesto. My psyche has been inundated with beautiful pictures of pasta laden with Alfredo sauces, cream sauces, and delicious pesto. I decided that I had to have some for myself. I did some playing (and a fair bit of chopping) and came up with this, rotini pasta with a creamy cashew pesto sauce.



Rotini with Creamy Pesto
1 lb pasta shapes, such as rotini or shells
Pesto:
1/4 cup almonds, ground
2 tbs olive oil
4 cups basil leaves (lightly packed), minced
1 cup parsley (lightly packed), minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sauce:
1/2 cup cashews, ground
1/2 cup boiling water (reserved from pasta)
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 tbs miso
1/2 small lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp salt

For the pesto, chop the herbs very finely. combine with the ground almonds, olive oil and garlic. Stir thoroughly.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, combine the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend thoroughly. When the pasta is finished cooking, drain. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the boiling water. Add the water to the blender and blend. Pour into the pasta pan with the pasta and heat just until the sauce begins to thicken and remove from heat. Stir in the pesto and serve.


5 Servings: 545 cal (18g fat, 78g carbs, 19g protein)

I've been working a Spanish Rice recipe for about a month, now. I got the flavor right a couple batches ago, but the water content continued to elude me. So, finally, I strained the tomato and just measured the liquid, then added additional broth. This batch turned out perfectly.



Spanish Rice
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 Anaheim pepper, seeded & chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
2 tomatoes, grated
1 lime, juiced
1 1/2 cup chicken flavored vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups Jasmine rice

Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan set to medium high heat. Add the onion and pepper and saute until soft. Add the garlic, saute until fragrant then add the spices and stir. Add the tomatoes, lime juice and broth. Bring to a boil, stir in the rice. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

4 Servings: 376 cal (6g fat, 73g carbs, 8g protein)

I've made this a couple a couple of times and it's fast becoming one of my favorite soups. It's not spicy hot, but the blending of colors and flavors is beautiful and the spinach adds a welcoming texture to this creamy soup.



Curried Tomato Soup
3 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp brown mustard seed (or yellow)
1 large onion, chopped
6 red jalapeno peppers, seeded & chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbs ginger, chopped
1 cup red lentils
1 tbs curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 lbs tomatoes, chopped (about 5 cups)
5 cups water, divided
6 oz tomato paste
4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
3/4 cup plain soy yogurt

In a large sauce pan, heat the oil over medium high. Add the cumin and mustard seed and cook until they begin to pop. Add the onion and jalapeno and saute until the onion begins to caramelize and turn brown. Add the ginger, garlic and red lentils and saute until the ginger and garlic become fragrant. Stir in the curry powder, salt sugar and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften. Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered for about 45 minutes, until the lentils have turned to mush.

In batches, blend the soup and set a side. In the now empty sauce pan, add 1 cup of water and the chopped spinach. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until the spinach is fully cooked, about 5 minutes or so. Add the blended soup and wisk in the soy yogurt. Bring the soup just to a simmer, then remove from heat.

5 Servings: 335 cal (11g fat, 49g carbs, 14g protein)

Yesterday, I made buckets and buckets of burgers. I normally a double batch of something and freeze them for later. But, lately, I haven't been getting around to making them, and I've completely run out. So, I made two staples: Chickpea Burgers and BBQ Tempeh Burgers.

Then, I made one that's been kicking around in my brain for a while, now: The Thai Tempeh burger. I made them with typical green curry spices and topped with mushrooms sauteed in some soy milk and red curry paste. They were delicious with the mushrooms and Thai basil. These are not hot. If it were me, I'd double the peppers, so make your own choice.



Thai Tempeh Burgers
1/4 cup lentils, raw
1/4 cup brown rice, raw
1 cup water
-----
6 oz tempeh, grated
1/2 cup shallots, minced
1 tbs galangal (or ginger), minced
1 tbs lemon grass (white part only), minced
1 tbs Thai Birds Eye Peppers (see note), minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup lime juice (2-3 limes)
2 tbs Golden Mountain Sauce (or Soy Sauce)
2 tbs vegetable oil
2-4 tbs water
-----
1 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup chickpea flour

Add the brown rice and lentils to 1 cup boiling water, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered until the lentils and rice are soft, about an hour. Cool in the refrigerator when finished cooking. Meanwhile, boil the tempeh in water for about 10 minutes. Remove, drain and cool in the refrigerator.

When the tempeh, rice and lentils are cooled, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients together and kneed for a couple minutes. Form into 8 patties. Coat a cookie sheet with vegetable oil. Bake the patties for 25 minutes, flipping after 15 minutes.

I make these to be reheated, so if you eat them right away, they will be a bit soft. You can reheat them, either frozen or refrigerated in the oven, microwave or grill.

Pepper Note: The green peppers are hotter than the red, but the red add a pleasing color. Use your own judgement when mixing them and determining quantity. I used 4 green and 2 red and the burgers were not spicy hot.

8 Servings: 205 cal (7g fat, 19g carbs, 19g protein)

This is a family favorite. When all the families converge on my mom's house each summer, we will go through a couple bowls of this. This is my mom's creation and she doesn't measure much of anything and that's how this recipe should be. I make it mild, and two jalapenos won't add much heat. Also, my boy cherry picks the tomatoes, so I add a bunch in anticipation of that. If you can hold off the crowd, this is best the second day, or after it's sat out for a couple hours. It's also best served at room temperature.



Cabbage Salsa
1 head cabbage, chopped
1 tsp salt (more to taste)
1 red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 tomatoes, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded & finely chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 limes, juiced
2 lemons, juiced

Chop the cabbage and put into a large serving bowl. Toss with the salt and set a side while you chop the remaining ingredients, or just let set for a few minutes. Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, jalapenos and cilantro and toss to combine. Squeeze the lemons and limes and toss again. It's best if you let the salsa sit for a while to let the flavors mingle. It's also best served at room temperature.

6 Servings: 75 cal (0g fat, 18g carbs, 4g protein)