Veg Blog Search

I just found this great veggie blog search. Ex. lentils... or breakfast. I sent a request to include our blog in the searches.

http://vegblogsearch.com/

Garlicky Leek and Artichoke Soup

I love soup. I also love artichokes, leeks and garlic. So when I saw this recipe in Vegetarian Times as part of a veggie seder plate I knew it must be made. For me this soup delivered. I thought of it as an artichoke dip that you eat with a spoon and without all the fat. I had some whole wheat pitas laying around that I spiced up and put in the oven and it was a good accompaniment. I think Richard's yummy homemade bread would also be delish with it. I changed the recipe a tad and this is what I ended up with.

2 T. olive oil
2 med leeks, white parts chopped (approx 2 - 2 1/2 cups)
9 cloves garlic, peeled
3 c. vegetable broth
2 14 oz cans water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
1 med boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces (3/4 c.)
sprinkle each dried thyme and basil (recipe called for fresh thyme, mine died)
2 t. lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic, and saute 5 mins or until leeks are softened and translucent. Add broth, artichokes, potatoes, thyme and basil; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer covered 20 - 25 mins or until potatoes and garlic are very tender. Blend all ingredients and stir in lemon juice. I garnished with a little red pepper for kick. The recipe calls for a garnish of a little pesto drizzled into the soup.

*****I JUST DISCOVERED WHILE REWRITING THIS RECIPE THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO ADD 2 CUPS OF WATER TO THE BROTH, ARTICHOKES, ETC. NO WONDER MY SOUP WAS SO THICK. YOU DO AS YOU PLEASE. :D

Lentils & rice with carmelized onions

I'm really excited about this recipe. It reminds me of a great dish from my favorite middle eastern restaurant. I had a tried a few times to make something similar but failed. Until now! It's from Veganonmicon which is a cookbook I use at work and love. It's even better topped with a version of tabouli (chopped parsley, mint & tomatos) but I didn't have that today.


3 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced into thin rounds or half moons
splash of olive oil
1 cup brown rice
1 cup lentils **
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp all spice
1 1/2 tsp cumin

** The recipe calls for red lentils which will melt into the rice creating a "mashy" texture while brown lentils will keep their shape. I've tried both and may prefer the brown lentils.

Heat a large skillet and add the olive oil then onions. Carmelize the onions until soft, brown and delicious. (I did this on high heat for about 20 min. Karin took a farmers market class, loves carmelized onions and says they should be cooked low and slow. My bet's on Karin).

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the cinnamon stick, all spice, cumin and rice. Cover and simmer for 15 min.

Rinse and add the lentils to the rice. Stir only a few times as to not break up the rice. Simmer for 45 min (only took me 30) or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 10 min.

Remove the cinnamon stick, gently fluff the rice and lentils and add to carmelized onions.

Creamy Potato and Spinach Soup With Lemon

This recipe was actually a part of my link "13 Ways to Impress a Vegan" from Atlantic Monthly, but I loved the color so much (and they didn't have a picture), and I made a couple tweaks so I decided to repost it here. It's great, I love how the parsnip has an earthly lemon smell to it, so it really compliments the added lemon. My only complaint is that I don't have an immersion blender and I had some issues with processing the soup at the end in batches.

Ingredients

• 5 small potatoes
• 3 cups spinach
• 1 parsnip
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 onion

• 2 bay leaves
• lemon
• olive oil
• salt

• pepper
• 4 cups vegetable broth

Directions

Mince the garlic and the onion. Peel the potatoes and parsnip, and cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, then add the garlic and onion. Cook, stirring, until soft and lightly browned, about six minutes.

Add the potatoes and parsnip, and cook for about five to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, so that the vegetables are golden but not browned.

Add the stock, bay leaves, a bit of salt, and fresh ground pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes (more like 30), or until the vegetables are completely cooked. Using an immersion blender, a food processor, or a regular blender, puree the soup to break down some of the potato pieces (I basically creamed all of it together for no chucks. The finished product reminded me of a rich bisque without the cream of course). Add the spinach, one cup at a time, blending in between additions so that the soup is smooth and bright green. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice, then blend again. Taste for salt and lemon and add more of either as you think necessary.

Sandwich Loaf

Bread making last night took longer than I thought. I always underestimate rise time. I've been playing around with long rise times lately, so I'm still getting it down. I think it's worth it though because the longer the bread ferments the more tasty it becomes.

Ingredients

9 oz cold water
1 scant tsp. active yeast
2 tbls. honey
15 oz flour
1 3/4 tsp. salt

In your mixing bowl combine the water, yeast and honey. Then add the flour and salt on top. Mix until a dough forms. At this point in time I have been putting my dough hook on the kitchen aid and auto kneading for about two minutes, but that's just a time saver. After the auto knead, I turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and finish kneading by hand. This way I can get a really good feel for exactly where the bread is at. After passing the window pane test* place the dough back in the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. At this point in time you have a choice. Either place the dough in a warm place to rise quickly (around 3-4 hours), or place the dough in the fridge and don't worry about it until the next day (remember the harder the yeast has to work, the better your bread will taste) Once the dough has doubled in size punch it down on a floured surface and cover with a towel for 10 minutes to rest. While the dough is resting oil a 9 inch loaf pan, and preheat your oven to 350. After 10 minutes form the dough into a loaf (I'm still working on the best way to do this), and place in the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a towel, and place on top of the stove to proof. After about an hour the dough will have risen again and it will be time to place it in your well preheated oven. Cook the bread until it has reached an internal temperature of at least 180 degrees. In my oven this is around 40 minutes, the recipe that I started from said it would be around 60 minutes.

Optional - If I have an egg around (I didn't last night), I like to brush the top of the bread with an egg wash about halfway through cooking. This gives the crust a nice dark brown look.

*Window Pane Test - Cut a small piece of dough off of your dough ball and stretch it out with your fingers, if you can get it to a point where you can see light through it without it tearing it has passed the window pane test.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

So good and easy!
Just like me.

From The Kind Diet



Ingredients
1⁄2 cup Earth Balance butter
3⁄4 cup crunchy peanut butter
(preferably unsweetened and unsalted)
3⁄4 cup graham cracker crumbs or 10 graham cracker squares
1⁄4 cup maple sugar or other granulated sweetener
1 cup grain-sweetened, nondairy chocolate or carob chips
1⁄4 cup soy, rice, or nut milk
1⁄4 cup chopped pecans, almonds, or peanuts

STEPS
Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. (If You Care makes unbleached liners made from recycled paper.)
Set aside.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Stir in the peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and maple sugar and mix well. Remove the mixture from the heat.
Evenly divide the mixture, approximately 2 tablespoons per cup, among the muffin cups.
Combine the chocolate and milk in another pan.
Stir over medium heat until the chocolate has melted.
Spoon the chocolate evenly over the peanut butter mixture.
Top with chopped nuts.
Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours before serving.

Butter

I've got some bread fermenting (or rising) in the fridge today and once I cook it and take a picture I'll post my recipe for sandwich bread. I make about a loaf a week, and don't buy bread any more, it's awesome. With bread comes a need for butter, and I've got a great way to make it if you have a Kitchen Aid (or some kind of mixer). Most of the butter I use now, I've been making this way. I did cheat this weekend and buy a couple pounds, but that's because I was making lots of things with butter, and it was easier that way. Without further commentary, here is how I've been making butter.

Ingredients

16 oz Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

That's it! But these in the mixer bowl and mix on high, periodically scraping down the sides. It takes around 5-10 minutes but the mixture will solidify (whipped cream) and then it will start to look shiny (or wet), at this point it starts to look like couscous, and you know you are about done. I typically let it mix for a little longer (maybe around a minute), and the solid part (butter) begins to separate from the wet part (butter milk). At this point in time form the butter into a ball and drain off any butter milk you can. Fill your mixing bowl with water and massage the butter ball under running water until it runs clear, this rinsing step helps get out any of the leftover butter milk and will make your butter last longer. The butter I have made has kept for at least 2-3 weeks (it isn't around past that so I don't know how much longer it would last).

GMO threatens organic food supply

I logged on this morning with this article to share, wondering if it was ok to not post a recipe. Thanks for paving the way Richard.

In general, I am not a fan of "sign this petition to alert the government." You need to be a registered voter in the politicians district for them to care what you think. This goes to the USDA--I'm not sure how much they care about this sort of thing, but it's also worth being aware of what is happening.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/monsanto_alfalfa/?rc=fb_share1

The Post Where I Don't Share a Recipe

Instead of a recipe, I thought I would share this link. Everyone here should really enjoy what you find here. I for one am planning on trying a couple of the recipes here.

13 Ways to Impress a Vegan - The Atlantic Monthly