October 20th, 2011
Potato leek soup is one of my all time favorites. And, incidentally, one of my biggest cooking disasters. The first time I tried to make it, I was very new to cooking and had never used leeks before. I assumed they were like green onions – you use the green parts and discard the white part. I ended up with this incredibly thick and fibrous inedible mush. It wasn’t until years later that I realized you only use the white part of leeks!
Anyways, back to the soup. I like my soup to be the main event, not a mere side dish. So it needs to be hearty and filling and have some protein. The problem with traditional potato leek soup is that it’s not very filling and basically just carbs. Enter white beans. I decided to try adding white beans to the soup to make it a complete meal. I wasn’t sure it would work. The beans could have overwhelmed the delicate potato leek flavor. Dave was certainly not happy when he found out I had stuck beans in his favorite soup. But we were both pleasantly surprised. The result was super rich and creamy and the beans didn’t compromise the potato leek flavor at all. This will be our new go-to potato leek soup recipe.
Potato Leek Soup
1 tbs olive oil (or water)
1 bunch leeks (3 large leeks) – white parts only!!
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 lbs potatoes, diced
5 cups water
½ tsp dried thyme
2 cups cooked cannellini beans
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
salt and fresh pepper
Slice the white part of the leeks and rinse them very well in a strainer. Heat the oil or water in a soup pot, add the leeks and saute until soft (5-7 minutes). Add the minced garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add the diced potato, water and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the potato can be easily pierced with a fork. Add the beans and puree with a hand blender until smooth (I like to leave some texture). Add almond milk until you reach your desired consistency. I added 2 cups and it was still quite thick. Add salt and pepper liberally to taste.
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August 30th, 2011
Sweet Potato Lentil Chili!
This is truly one of my favorite recipes. It’s by Dreena Burton (my fav vegan cook book author) and I haven’t felt the need to alter the recipe one bit. I actually just finished making about 5 ½ litres of this stuff. I’m going to a baby shower this weekend and the momma-to-be wanted some freezable food for when the baby arrives. This is exactly the occasion I turn to this tried and true recipe. I’ve made this recipe for many omnivores and it is always a hit. This is my go to recipe when making dinner for a crowd or when I’m making meals to deliver for a friend. This would be a great starter recipe for someone who is just starting to make plant based meals. Lucky for you guys, Dreena has shared this recipe with VegNews and it’s available online. Here are some reasons why I LOVE this recipe:
- it’s super easy to make
- you can make it ahead
- it freezes well
- you can double it
- with sweet potatoes, lentils and beans, it is very hardy and healthy
- it’s always a crowd pleaser, even when serving omnivores
Things are getting pretty busy around my house. My partner Dave is running in the Ontario provincial election for the Green Party and the election period officially starts in 8 days (ahh!). Generally during times of super busyness and stress we end up eating out a lot more and eating way less healthy. But, I’m determined to not let that happen this time! So expect a lot of tips on eating healthy during busy times over the coming weeks. The first tip is – never make a single batch of anything!! It only takes a tiny bit more time double a recipe and you end up with twice as much healthy food. This is how I ended up with 5 ½ litres of this chili. I’ll probably give 2 litres to the momma-to-be which means I still have around 6 meals worth of chili left for us. I know this recipe freezes well so I’ll pop them in the freezer for when we need a healthy meal and have no time to cook.
I’m working on a long post all about how to make the switch to natural and cruelty free bath products so look out for that next week!
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October 26th, 2010
After a traumatic experience attempting to make quesadillas with vegan cheese a few years ago, I had pretty much given up on the idea of ever having a deliciously gooey and cheesy quesadilla. I had accepted that my quesadillas would forever be held together with refried beans or mashed sweet potato.
Enter Daiya.
I was pretty much speechless the first time I made a Daiya quesadilla. It was exactly like the cheesy quesadillas I remember eating before going vegan. Here is the recipe for the quesadillas I made for dinner tonight.
Vegan Quesadillas
- 2 bell peppers
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 heaping tsp chilli powder
- ½ cup salsa plus more for serving
- 4 whole grain or sprouted grain tortillas
Dice bell pepper. Sautee peppers in 1 tbs of water until soft, approximately 10 minutes. Add chilli powder, black beans and green onions. Stir to combine.
Sauted peppers and beans
Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat a non-stick or cast iron pan over medium heat. Spread ½ cup Daiya over the top of the tortilla. Let the Daiya start to get meltly, this only takes a few minutes. Then cover half of the tortilla with pepper/bean mixture. Fold cheesy half over the pepper/bean half. Cook until tortilla is lightly browned then move to a baking sheet in the oven and start the next one.
Making the quesadillas
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