recipe

{Recipe}: Sweet and Smoky Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup

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This past weekend the Hubz and I went out for lunch at Zabby & Elf’s Stone Soup where I debated between two soup/chili options and ultimately ordered a big cup of chili  while  the Hubz had the hot/cold bar.  The other soup that I was hotly debating over was a Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup which became my inspiration for last nights dinner.  Having no idea what else was in Stone Soup’s Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup my inspiration was limited to sweet potatoes and carrots and the fact that it was a creamy pureed soup.  I decided that I would go for a smoky sweet flavoring for the soup and serve it up with a nice green salad (and a veggie frankfurter for him).

Sweet and Smoky Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, baked, peeled and mashed
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 2 large garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon umeboshi vinegar (or substitute with red wine vinegar)

Directions:

  1. Prick the skin of the sweet potatoes and bake in a 350F oven for 1 hour.
  2. In a medium heavy bottom pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add in the onions and saute for 3 minutes.
  3. Stir in the carrots and saute for 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in the garlic, chipotle powder and sweet paprika and cook for 1 minute.
  5. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered.
  6. While the broth is simmering remove the sweet potato from the skin and mash together in a bowl.
  7. Place the broth and sweet potato in a food processor or blender (you may have to do this in two parts depending on the size of your machine) and process until smooth.
  8. Return to the pot and season with salt, pepper and umeboshi vinegar.
Why use umeboshi vinegar?  Umeboshi vinegar helps to balance flavors by adding a little tartness to your dish. I always use it to balance the flavors in my soups, sauces and with tomato recipes. Have you ever made a recipe and tasted and gone “there just something missing but I’m not sure what” well I recommend adding a little umeboshi vinegar to your recipe and my experience is 9 out 10 times it is just what the recipe needs.  Now a little goes along way so start with 1/4-1/2 teaspoon because you don’t want to overwhelm the other flavors in your dish.

 

Recipe: Giant Beans in Tomato Oregano Sauce

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Last week during my Eating for Energy workshop a few participants got to talking about their favorite beans and one gentleman said how much he loved to make his beans in his slow cooker.  I thought that this sounded like a really great idea and decided to try it out myself.  I picked up these giant organic dried fava beans at the market on Saturday and decided to make a dish inspired by this dish Neil and I had a few years ago at a tasty Greek restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  The dish was made with giant white fava beans and had a tomato sauce with spices.  My recreation may not have been authentic but it sure was tasty!

Giant Beans in Tomato Oregano Sauce

Ingredients

Yields 6-8 Servings

  • 1.5 cups dried fava beans
  • 2 cups water plus more for soaking
  • 1-28oz can of crushed tomatoes
  • 2-3 garlic, sliced
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste
Soak the fava beans for 8-12 hours, changing the water once. Once they a finished soaking drain and rinse; place in a slow cooker with the 2 cups of water and the crushed tomatoes.  Cover and turn onto low for 6 hours.  After 6 hours, add the garlic, onion, oregano, salt and pepper; stir and cover and allow to slow cook for 2 more hours or until the beans are tender.  Serve with your favorite whole grain or with whole wheat pita.

Recipe: Wasabi Shoyu Almonds

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One of my favorite snacks are almonds but not just any almonds, I love tamari almonds. As much as I enjoy them I don’t purchase them often because they are pretty expensive per pound so I usually just get regular almonds. Finally I decided that instead of spending $4 more per pound I’d make my own.

Wasabi Shoyu (Tamari) Almonds

  • 2 cups raw almonds
  • 1/4 cup shoyu or tamari
  • 1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder
Pre-heat oven to 250F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl mix the shoyu with the wasabi powder; toss with the almonds and spread in one layer on the baking sheet.
Bake for 25-30 minutes; tossing half way through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet.  Once cooled store in an air tight container.

Three Quick & Easy Recipes

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I have actually been doing a lot of cooking lately however I have failed at making much that I deem “blog worthy”. Last week was a lot of quinoa and veggie bowls with salad, Saturday morning we had tofu scramble with homefries and yesterday for lunch I made a mac and cheese with gluten free pasta that turned out too dry. I did find last nights dinner to be successful and I took the time to actually grab a photo of what I made.

Since we get our CSA on Wednesday’s Sunday until Tuesday usually ends up being unplanned meals because we never know how much of things we are going to receive. Last night I decided to use up the remaining potatoes, bright lights chard, dill and a cayenne pepper. I also found one carrot, one beet and half an onion that all needed to be used, and so they were.

Garlicky Chard, Creamy White Beans and a Dilly Root Veg Mash

Garlicky Chard
Makes 2-4 servings

  • 1 bunch bright lights chard (or any kind of swiss chard you like)
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the chard and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Serve!

Creamy White Beans
Serves 4-6

  • Two 15oz cans of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 medium onion, minced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tablespoons white wine, vegetable broth or water
  • 1 cayenne chili, minced (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
  • 3 tablespoons vegan cream cheese
  • salt and pepper

In a medium pot heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute. Stir in the beans and white wine, cook until liquid is gone. Add in the chili, dill, cream cheese and salt and pepper, stir until combined. Serve!

Dilly Root Veg Mash
Serves 2-4

  • 3-4 medium sized new potatoes, washed and quartered
  • 1 large red beet, peeled, washed and quartered
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
  • 2 tablespoons vegan margarine
  • 2 heaping tablespoons chopped dill
  • salt and pepper to taste

Place the potatoes, beet and carrot in a pot and fill with water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until fork tender. Drain and return to the pot; add the remaining ingredients mash together to combine. Serve!

{Guest Post} Recipe: Kale & Sweet Potato Brown Rice Bowls

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Hi, I’m Brittany from over at Eating Bird Food where I blog about eating healthy and staying fit while still having fun and not feeling deprived. I’m honored to be guest posting for Lindsay today as I’ve been a fan of Cook Vegan Lover for quite some time. Although Lindsay and I haven’t met (yet!), we’ve had fun connecting over the fact that we both attended IIN and are health coaches.Today I want to share with you all one of my favorite recipes, which just so happens to be vegan and super tasty!
Kale and Sweet Potato Brown Rice Bowls
Serves 3 to 4, Print Recipe

Besides waiting for the rice and potatoes to cook, these bowls are super easy to toss together and taste amazing. Even your non-vegan friends will be amazed at how delicious and filling this meal is.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup uncooked long grain brown rice
  • 1 bunch of fresh kale, cleaned and de-stemmed
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas,  or 1 15 oz. can
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into bite size chunks
  • sea salt
  • creamy peanut sauce, recipe below

Preparation:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400°, chop sweet potatoes into 1/4 inch chunks, sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 30 minutes.
  2. While sweet potatoes are baking, cook brown rice according to the instructions on the package.
  3. Blanch kale in boiling water for 3 minutes, remove kale from water with a slotted spoon and place kale in an ice water bath so it stops cooking. Drain and squeeze the water out, chopped and set the kale aside.
  4. Prepare creamy sauce (recipe below)
  5. When the rice and sweet potatoes are done you can start compiling your bowls. Each bowl should contain 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup blanched kale, 1/4 cup chickpeas, 1/2 cup roasted sweet potato chunks.
  6. Drizzle each bowl with some of the creamy peanut sauce and enjoy!

Creamy Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 tbsp. fresh ginger, chopped
  • 1/8 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/8 cup tamari, shoyu or soy sauce
  • 1/8 cup brown rice syrup
  • a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
  • water, to thin

Preparation:

  1. Simply put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend. Then add as much water as necessary to make the consistency that you like. It makes quite a bit so store any leftovers in the fridge for later. (It tastes good on everything!)

If you like this recipe, be sure to check out my blog. I’m always posting new and delicious recipes. 🙂

{Recipe} Guest Post: Brownie Muffins

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I’m so excited to be doing a guest post for Lindsay. Her and I have a lot in common, besides the fact we both love healthy delicious food, we both work as health coaches. Although I’ve been working as a health coach for awhile, I’m just getting into it full time because I just quit my teaching job! Now I have lots of time to spend working with my clients AND cooking & baking in the kitchen. Since I know you all love delicious vegan recipes, I figured why not share one of my favorite recipes….brownie muffins!

These brownie muffins are made with spelt flour, which has higher protein and is easier on your stomach to digest. Make them just like this, or swap out a flour you have in your cabinet, like whole wheat or unbleached white flour and that’ll work just fine too.
Brownie Muffins
Yield: 14 muffin tops or 16 regular sized muffins
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups spelt flour
  • 1/2 cup turbinado sugar (or white sugar will do too)
  • 1/4 cup agave nectar
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin (or unsweetened applesauce)
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1/4 cup ground flax
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup dark or semi sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In 2 small bowls, add the ground flax to one and the chia seeds to the other. Add 1/2 cup water to each cup and mix well. Set aside. Add spelt flour, turbinado sugar and cocoa to a large mixing bowl and mix. Then add wet ingredients: agave nectar, pumpkin, vanilla extract and almond milk. Mix again.
Make sure that your ground flax & chia egg have “set” (it will be a gel like consistency) and then add both bowls to batter and stir. Take 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips and melt it either on a double boiler, or in the microwave at 50% of power for 45 seconds. Mix into batter when melted. Add baking soda and baking powder and mix to combine. Lastly, add remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
Spray a muffin pan with non-stick spray or use paper liners. Spoon batter into muffin pan and sprinkle tops of muffin with a bit of turbinado sugar. Bake for 22-25 minutes and enjoy!
You’ve got yourself a healthy breakfast or dessert! You can have your muffin without the guilt! I hope you come over to my blog to visit!
Thanks Lindsay for letting me guest post! 
—
Nicole Culver, M.A.

Health Counselor

Recipe of The Week: Italian Almond Tart

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I have been attempting to get myself back in the kitchen to cook up some new recipes from my pile of ideas. Finally last night I decided to try out one of my ideas for this wonderful and delicious tart filled with creamy white-bean cashew cheeze and sweet roasted tomatoes.

Italian Almond Tart 

with Cashew-White Bean Cheeze, Sauteed Summer Squash & Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Yields 8 Servings

Ingredients:

  • One large tart crust (recipe below)
  • Cashew-White Bean Cheeze
  • One medium summer squash, thinly sliced & sauteed in olive oil for 4-5 minutes
  • Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • Greens, for garnish
For the Crust
  • 1 1/2 cups almond meal
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning (dried) or 1 TBSP fresh herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, thyme)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 TBSP water

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, mix together the almond meal, salt, and Italian seasoning. In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil and water. Create a well in the almond meal mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Slowly stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until  combined. Press the dough into a 9-inch tart pan.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on the counter for about 30 minutes.

For the Cheeze

  • One 15-oz can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the ingredients; process until smooth.  You may need to add a little water to help the mixture combine; start with 1/2 tablespoon at a time.
For the Tomatoes
  • One pint of cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
Preheat oven to 350F
Toss the tomatoes with the olive oil and place on a sheet pan.  Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

—
For the Tart

While the tomatoes are roasting, fill the cooled tart shell with the cashew-white bean cheeze.  Place in the 350F oven to warm for 10 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and top with the slices of sauteed summer squash.  Once the tomatoes have finished roasting remove them from the oven; place the oven roasted tomatoes on top of the tart.  Garnish with a handful of greens, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
This is delicious warm, cold or room temperature.