Category Archives: Vegan

Dairy-Free / Dinner / Gluten-Free / Savory / Soup / Stay Healthy / Vegan / Vegetarian

Not Your Mama's Chicken Soup

January 6, 2014

IMG_0885Ok, the holidays are officially over (sad face) and it’s time to get back to being healthy and not acting like gingerbread is a health food.  (I mean, it does have ginger in it…)

If you or a loved one is suffering from a cold or the flu, this is a nice twist on regular ol’ chicken soup.  Plus, everything is made from scratch (including the broth), so you really know what you’re putting in your belly.  Word of caution though — this soup is kind of time consuming (at least, for me it is) and I haven’t figured out how to make it without dirtying like, 1000 dishes, so… be warned.  It does make a whole mess of soup though, so at least there’s that.

Not Your Mama’s Chicken Soup

serves 6-8 (at least)

adapted from a Real Simple recipe

  • 1 3 1/2 – 4lb whole roasting chicken, rinsed with giblets removed**
  • 1 large bunch carrots (I used the whole bag of Trader Joe’s organic carrots)
  • 1 bunch celery
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
  • 2 1/2 tsp salt (I used coarse sea salt)
  • 1 tsp whole peppercorns
  • 1 14.5 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 1/2 cups dry whole wheat cous cous*
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 bunch fresh, flat-leaf Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 1 jar kalamata olives (6.5 oz drained) drained, rinsed and coarsely chopped
  • lemon wedges, for serving
  1. In a large stock pot, add whole chicken, 3 carrots + 2 celery ribs (rinsed and cut into large pieces), quartered onion, salt and peppercorns.  Cover fully with water (about 8 cups), then bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, and simmer mixture until chicken is fully cooked (about 30 minutes).  Skim off any foam that collects on the surface.  While the chicken is cooking, rinse, trim and chop the remaining celery and carrots (large dice), and set aside.
  2. Once chicken is cooked, remove it from the broth and set it aside to cool.  Strain out vegetables and peppercorns, then return the broth to the stock pot.
  3. Cook cous cous by adding 2 1/2 cups of water + 1 tsp salt to a pot and bring to a boil.  Turn off the heat, add the cous cous, give it a good stir, then cover and let sit for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, remove lid, fluff with a fork and stir in chopped olives and parsley.
  4. Add chopped carrots and celery to the strained broth and bring it to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook until the vegetables have reached desired tenderness  (10-15 minutes).  While the vegetables are cooking, remove chicken from the bone, and shred with forks.  Add shredded chicken and garbanzo beans to the pot during the last 5 minutes of cooking time to heat through.

For serving, you can either just stir the cous cous into the soup pot, or spoon some of the cous cous mixture into bowls, then top with the soup.  Squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top and try not to burn the heck out of your mouth like I did.

*To make this gluten free, you can use quinoa instead of cous cous — just cook according to the package directions.

**To make this veg/vegan, omit the chicken entirely and in its place add: 1 bunch green onions (roughly chopped), 8 cloves garlic (roughly chopped), 1 bunch parsley, 1 bunch thyme, and 2 bay leaves to the water to make vegetable stock.  For more flavor, saute the vegetables in some olive oil until just softened and fragrant before adding in the herbs and water.

Dairy-Free / Dinner / Gluten-Free / Savory / Soup / Stay Healthy / Vegan / Vegetarian

Lentil Soup for the New Year

December 31, 2013

There are a lot of New Year’s traditions out there — eating black eyed peas, wearing red underwear, nursing a hangover…  But here’s mine!

My sister and I started the tradition of having lentil soup around New Year’s during our first year of law school when we lived together in San Francisco.  It wasn’t really a conscious choice, but we found out that eating lentils around the new year is supposed to bring money and good fortune in the coming year, according to Italian lore, and so the tradition stuck.

I mean, because who doesn’t want money and good fortune?  I sure do.

Here’s a delicious way to get your lentils (not to mention a crapload of veggies!)  And it’s gluten free.  And vegan.  So, y’know, make a big ol’ pot and invite the pickiest of eaters over.*

*Although, I find it’s especially delicious with a giant hunk of sourdough slathered in butter, so…

Lentil Soup

Lentil Soup
serves 6

based on Ina Garten’s Lentil Vegetable Soup

  • 1 pound green lentils
  • 3 medium to large yellow onions, diced
  • 2-3 leeks, white part trimmed, washed, and sliced thin
  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 bunch celery, trimmed and chopped
  • 1 large bunch carrots, chopped (I just do the amount that comes in the Trader Joe’s bag)
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried cumin
  • 3 quarts vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste, or 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil
  • Optional for serving: freshly grated parmesan cheese
  1. In a large bowl, cover lentils with boiling water and let sit for 15 minutes.  Drain.  If the water is murky, rinse lentils in warm water.
  2. To a large stockpot over medium heat, add a few tablespoons of olive oil.  Add onions, leeks, garlic, celery, carrots, thyme, cumin, salt (start with 1 tsp) and pepper.  Saute until softened and fragrant (10-15 minutes).
  3. Add stock, tomato paste (or tomatoes), and lentils.  Cover and let come to a boil.  Lower heat to a simmer, then simmer uncovered for 1 hour (until lentils are cooked through).
  4. Add red wine vinegar, then salt and pepper to taste.  Top bowls with freshly grated parmesan, if desired.

Devour and then reap your wealth in the new year!

Dinner / Gluten-Free / Savory / Vegan / Vegetarian

Whole Wheat Pasta with Kale and Goat Cheese

December 15, 2013

Whole Wheat Pasta with Kale and Goat Cheese

First of all, let me just say that this pasta doesn’t photograph particularly well.  I’m not a great photographer to begin with, but pasta in particular (along with dressed salads) seem to always end up looking SHINY.  Ugh.  Oh well, just know that this pasta is really easy to throw together in a pinch, and it’s pretty dang delicious.

I used dino kale in this recipe, because it’s what I had sitting in my fridge, courtesy of our CSA box, but you can really use whatever kinds of greens here.  Other types of kale or spinach would be good, as would arugula (although I would eliminate the sauteing and just toss it in at the end).  Collards would be fine, but tend to take a long time to cook to get the bitterness out, so be prepared if you’re going to go that route.  I like the dino kale in this because it’s a heartier variety of kale, so it maintains a bit of texture and chew even when sauteed; but if you’re not someone who likes kale on the semi-raw side, I would choose a softer variety of greens.

kale yeah

Whole Wheat Pasta with Kale and Goat Cheese

  • 1/2 – 3/4 lbs pasta (I used whole wheat fusilli, and would recommend using a spiral-shaped pasta for this)
  • olive oil
  • 2-3 tbsp butter
  • 2 shallots, sliced
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 bunch dino kale, stems removed, leaves torn (or greens of choice)
  • 2-3 oz goat cheese, crumbled
  • parmesan cheese
  • red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a generous handful of salt, add pasta and cook according to package directions, until al dente.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil and butter, stir until melted.  Add in shallots, salt and pepper, and saute until softened and fragrant.  Add garlic and saute another minute or two, until garlic is very fragrant.  Add in kale, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste.  Add stock to pan (just enough to cover the bottom of the pan).  Saute greens until desired done-ness is reached (I did mine for 4-5 minutes).
  3. When pasta is finished cooking, transfer it into the skillet and toss to coat.  Add parmesan and goat cheese (to taste), tossing until goat cheese is melted and coats the pasta.

*Vegetarian: use veggie stock in place of the chicken stock.

*Vegan: use veggie stock and a butter substitute

*Gluten-free: use a gluten-free pasta (brown rice pasta would probably work well here)

 

Breakfast / Brunch / Dairy-Free / Drinks / Fall / Gluten-Free / Sweet / Vegan / Vegetarian

At-Home Stovetop Mochas

October 23, 2013

IMG_1633Y’all know I have an intense love for coffee.  (If you don’t — hi, I’m Chelsea, it’s nice to meet you.)  While I normally just opt for straight brewed coffee, sometimes it’s nice to liven things up a bit (y’know, like with sugar.  And chocolate.)

I, honestly, love a mocha.  I mean coffee + chocolate?  What’s not to like?  However, I find that ordering a mocha at many coffeehouses tends to be like OMGCHOCOLATE&SUGAR!! + coffee.  I mean, I love a hot chocolate on occasion; but if I want a mocha, I want it to be a nice balance of chocolate and coffee (with an emphasis on the coffee).  Because of this, I like to make mochas at home.  Stovetop mochas = you control the coffee/chocolate ratio.  That’s right my friend, you are the master of this combination.  You can even require that people refer to you as “your Excellency” when you make these.  (*Note: I mean, you can require it… but whether that actually happens…)

So with that, Mocha Masters, let’s get started.

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First — a little note about the coffee in these: I like to use espresso in my mochas, because it’s both traditional and delicious.  While I do own a Nespresso, I like to use my Bialetti stovetop espresso maker ↑ for these.  If you don’t own an espresso maker, you can always make your own double-strength coffee and just use that.  (I would use 4 tbsp. fresh, finely ground coffee — ideally an espresso roast — per 1 cup of water.  You’ll only need about 1 cup for these.)

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Stovetop Mochas

serves 2

  • finely ground espresso (about 4 tbsp)
  • chocolate of your choice (about 4 tbsp) — I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, usually
  • tiny pinch of salt
  • 1-2 tsp. sugar
  • 3-4 cups milk (again, your choice — I did a 50/50 mix of nonfat and half and half)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  1. Prepare your espresso by filling the bottom of your espresso maker with fresh, cold water up to the bolt.  Place grounds into the basket until full, then lightly tamp down.  Screw the top on the espresso maker tightly, then set over high heat and let it come to a boil.
  2. Place chocolate, salt, sugar and about 1/4 of the milk into a small pot over medium heat.  Heat until small bubbles start to appear on the sides of the milk, then stir or whisk constantly until milk is heated and chocolate is fully melted and dissolved (about 2 min).  Add remaining milk and heat until just warmed through (about 3 min).  Turn off heat and whisk in vanilla extract.
  3. When espresso is done (all the water has boiled through the top of your espresso maker), pour the espresso into the milk mixture and stir to combine.
  4. Pour into cups and top with whipped cream if you’re feeling fancy.

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This recipe is really easy to customize, so play around with it until you get the flavors the way you like them.  Some people will like more or less chocolate, more or less sugar, different milk (to make it dairy-free use soy, hemp, almond, or rice milk), etc.  You can also play around with the extracts — adding about 1/4 tsp. of peppermint extract would be fun for the holidays.  Or maybe serve it with a cinnamon stick to make it more of a Mexican chocolate mocha.  You could even add a dash of cayenne if you wanted to get real crazy.  Do what you want — you are the mocha master!

Dairy-Free / Dinner / Gluten-Free / Savory / Snack / Stay Healthy / Vegan / Vegetarian

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde

October 9, 2013

More salsa!  Hooray!  If you get a CSA box, you’re likely getting some tomatillos around this time of year, now that they’re in season.  I don’t have much expertise in dealing with tomatillos, but I do know how to turn them into a pretty delicious salsa.  And, like I said yesterday, making salsa is about as easy as it gets.  (I mean, it’s literally prep + roast + puree — not exactly rocket science).

Let’s get cookin’.

Salsa VerdeRoasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde

  • Bunch of tomatillos (about a pound), hulled, cleaned and cut in half or quarters (depending on size)
  • 1 red onion, peeled and quartered (a white onion would also work in this)
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • Jalapenos (this is to taste — I used a lot (like 8) and just removed the stem and cut them into chunks.  Use fewer if you like less spice, remove seeds and ribs to cut down the spiciness even more.)
  • olive oil
  • s&p
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1-2 tsp honey**
  • handful of cilantro leaves (optional)
  • fresh-squeezed lime juice
  1. Preheat oven to 425°
  2. Combine tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, then roast until tender (about 15 minutes).
  3. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
  4. Place roasted veggies into a food processor fitted with the blade attachment.  Add cumin, honey, lime juice, and cilantro, then pulse to combine until desired consistency is reached.  Taste and doctor as you see fit.*

*If the salsa is too sour, add salt + honey.  If the salsa is bland, add salt + more jalapenos.  If the salsa lacks depth, add cumin + lime juice.  If the salsa isn’t bright enough, add lime + cilantro.

**I find that the honey really makes a difference in this recipe.  Salsa Verde can be kind of boring and sour if not made correctly, but I find the spiciness of the jalapenos and smokiness of the cumin are balanced perfectly by the sweetness of the honey.  Try it out and see for yourself!

 

Somebody get me a margarita.