Fresh Tomato, Lentil and Onion Soup

Now that the temperature is dropping, the Smith household will be making plenty of homemade soups.  Here's one to kick off the fall/winter season.

Fresh Tomato, Lentil and Onion Soup  (from The best-ever vegetarian CB)

Serves 4-6

2            teaspoons sunflower or

              olive oil

1            large onion, chopped

2            celery ribs, chopped

¾           cup red lentils

2            large tomatoes, peeled

              and roughly chopped

3 ¾        cups vegetable stock

2            teaspoons dried herbs

             Provence (I used savory, 

              basil, thyme & rosemary)

              salt & pepper to taste

**Easy way to peal tomatoes:  drop tomatoes into boiling water until you see the skin start to crack.  Remove tomatoes, let cool slightly and skin should peel off easily.

Heat oil in large saucepan.  Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 min., stirring occasionally. Add the lentils and cook for 1 min.

Stir in the tomatoes, stock, dried herbs, salt and pepper.  Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 min., stirring occasionally.            

When the lentils are cooked and tender, set soup aside to cool slightly.  Puree soup in blender or with an emulsion blender.

Crispy Portobello Steaks & Maple Sweet Potatoes

Since we gained an hour of sleep last night, we were ready to tear up the kitchen! We decided to try out a new recipe in addition to our usual Sunday pot of soup.

After viewing The Jazzy Vegetarian, Saturday on PBS, we were inspired to make this dish.

I was so excited because Laura, the host, showed a way to make breadcrumbs stick without using egg.  She used a mixture of vegan mayo mixed with dijon mustard -- it actually worked!  The crispy mixture on top of the Portobello Steaks was made from Corn Flakes, seasoning and olive oil.  You'll find both recipes on Laura's website - links below photo.  Enjoy!

http://jazzyvegetarian.com/products.html

http://jazzyvegetarian.com/products-group-64.html

Eggplant with Soy Yogurt and Fresh Dill

I needed one more appetizer for my girls night get together and found this recipe in a Rachel Ray magazine.   It originally called for regular yogurt but I replaced it with regular flavored soy yogurt.
The roasted shallots and garlic make this a rich and sweet dish.  Serve with pita chips or rounds.

Eggplant with Soy Yogurt and Fresh Dill


1  lb.     eggplant, chopped
3           shallots, unpeeled
3           garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/4  c.   olive oil
             salt and pepper to taste
1/2  c.   yogurt
             fresh dill
             walnut, hand full
         


Toss 1 pound chopped eggplant, 3 unpeeled shallots and 3 unpeeled garlic cloves with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper on a baking sheet.

Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Add some walnuts; bake for 8 more minutes.

Cool slightly, then squeeze the shallots and garlic from their skins and chop; toss with the eggplant, nuts, 1/2 cup soy yogurt, fresh dill and salt and pepper.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

This is my second time making this decadent dessert and I have a feeling that Kevin will be requesting it all winter long - and we're talking about a Michigan winter.  Luckily it only takes 3-5 minutes to make, but that will be our little secret!

Vegan Chocolate Mousse  (from Jazzy Vegetarian on PBS)

http://jazzyvegetarian.com/

3.5 oz.             Dark Chocolate bar  (I bought from Trader Joe’s), or Dark cooking chocolate

1     cup           Rice, Almond or Soy Milk  (I used Almond)

¼    t.               Chili powder

¼    t.               Cinnamon

1     T.              Maple Syrup

¼    t.               Vanilla Extract

Break chocolate bar into pieces and put in a blender.  Heat almond milk in small saucepan – just to a simmer.  Pour hot almond milk on top of chocolate in blender.

Add the rest of the ingredients and blend.  Pour into pretty bowl and chill.  Should set in 3-4 hours.

Tempeh Sloppy Joes

After seeing a Sloppy Joe recipe in my favorite cookbook (Veganomicon),  I decided to try the recipe with Tempeh vs. the suggested lentils, and it turned out great.  The Tempeh absorbed the sweet and spicy sauce, making a rich, thick mixture.

Tempeh Sloppy Joes

1            block of Tempeh, finely chopped

½           red onion, finely chopped

1            yellow or red pepper, small dice

1            clove garlic, minced

3            tablespoons chili powder

2            teaspoons dried oregano

1            teaspoon salt

1            8-oz. can tomato sauce

¼           cup tomato paste

3            tablespoons maple syrup

1            tablespoon prepared yellow mustard (I used stone ground)

              buns

Boil Tempeh in water for approximately 10 minutes, remove and let cool.  Once cooled, finely dice and set aside.

Add oil to saucepan, sauté onion and pepper in oil for about 5 minutes, add tempeh and more oil, sauté for 5 minutes.  Add garlic, chili powder and oregano. Saute for another 5 minutes.

Add tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the maple syrup and mustard, and heat through.

Turn heat off and let mixture sit for 10 -15  minutes.

Upside Down Apple Cake

We discovered a new cooking show on PBS called Jazzy Vegetarian.  Laura Theodore made this delicious Apple Cake that isn't too sweet.  Of course you can always add more sugar but I don't think you'll need it.

http://jazzyvegetarian.com/

Upside Down Apple Cake      http://jazzyvegetarian.com/
3     medium apples, sliced
1     medium apple, diced
2     tablespoons soy butter
4     teaspoons brown sugar
1/4  teaspoons cinnamon
2     bananas, mashed
1     cup pastry flour
1     cup whole wheat flour
3     teaspoons baking powder
1/2  teaspoons salt
1/2  cup raisins  (I used dry cherries)
1/2  cup brown sugar
1     cup vanilla soy/almond milk (I used regular and added vanilla)
1/4  cup olive oil

Grease an 8x8 pan then add parchment paper.
Slice 3 apples.  Heat pan and add 2 T. soy butter to pan.  Melt butter, add 4 T. brown sugar and cinnamon. Heat until all is melted, add apples and stir. Take off heat and let soak.  Add apples to prepared pan.
Mash 2 bananas and whip with fork, set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In separate bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt and whisk together. Add l apple diced, raisins, 1/2 cup brown sugar and mix.
Add soy milk, vanilla, 1/4 cup olive oil and mashed banana.  Batter should be thick - don't stir too much.
Bake 50-55 minutes.  Let cool, then flip over the cake onto dish so sliced caramelized apples are on top.

Cannellini Bean and Soy Sausage Gratin

Cannellini Bean and Sausage Gratin

3      tablespoons olive oil

2-4   Field Roast or Italian Tofurky Sausages,  chopped into small pieces

1       small bulb fennel, chopped

1       small onion, chopped

3       cloves garlic, minced

1       teaspoon dried sage or 2 tablespoons chopped sage

1       bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, chopped

½      cup vegetable broth

2       15-oz. cans cannellini beans,       drained

½      teaspoon kosher salt

½      teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½       cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/3     cup soy parm. Cheese

*Note:  I layered the mixture and put dabs of soy butter with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese over each layer.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly coat an 8 x 10” baking or gratin dish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.

In a large skillet, cook sausage approximately 5-7 minutes, until crispy.

Remove sausage from skillet and set aside.  Add the fennel and onion to skillet and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and sage and cook 1 minute more. 

Add the Swiss chard, a handful at a time, stirring until slightly wilted. Stir in the broth, beans sausage, salt and pepper.  Spoon the mixture into th baking dish and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and parmesan with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.  Serve warm.