Quick Vegan Corn Chowder

I'm from New England, the land of chowders, which is fortunate, because I absolutely love chowder. Basically, a chowder is a soup which always contains milk, onions and potatoes, and is usually thickened with flour. You can add seafood, like clams or crab or fish, or ham, or my personal favorite: corn! Yes, corn chowder is my most favorite chowder. With all of the nondairy cream and milk available, its easy to make a vegan chowder, and that is what I did. You can substitute dairy products if you want. I usually don't thicken my chowders with flour; instead, I mash up some of the potato until it is the consistency that I want. If you want potato soup, add another potato at the beginning and leave out the corn. Simple as that!

Quick Vegan Corn Chowder
4 large potatoes (about 2 lbs), peeled and diced in 1/2 inch cubes
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
olive oil for sauteeing
1 Tbs veggie broth powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 heaping Tbs salt (I use Adobo Seasoning Salt which adds a slight yellow color and garlic flavor)
generous pinch each of: rosemary, sage and marjoram
2 generous pinches thyme
4 C water
2 C corn kernals
2 C nondairy creamer
1 Tbs non-dairy margerine like Earth Balance

Saute the onions, carrots, celery and potatoes in olive oil until onions are transparent and veggies are starting to soften. Add cayenne, salt, rosemary, sage, marjoram and thyme and saute for another minute. Add the broth powder, then pour in the water and stir well. Simmer for 15 minutes until all the veggies are very tender. Use a potato masher or a hand-held immersion blender to puree the veggies, giving the soup more body. I prefer to use the potato masher because it leaves a white colored soup with little orange and pale green flecks which is so pretty! Pour in the creamer and the corn, and heat until the corn and soup are piping hot. Adjust seasonings. Serve with a little shaving of margerine on top for added richness.

Yum!

Chowders lend themselves to endless variations in spicing and ingredients, but sometimes its nice to chow down on a plain old New England classic like corn chowder.

Kale Braised with Carmelized Onions and Rutabagas

One thing I've learned about cooking is that you can never have too many carmelized onions! They are so very delicious that sometimes I eat them as a vegetable. I should have gone food shopping yesterday, but didn't want to brave the Saturday crowds, so I had a look in the fridge to see what I could put together. I had a lovely bunch of curly kale and a medium-sized rutabaga as well as a few onions, so this dish was born. Its really a riff on Italian minestra, which is garlicky greens and beans, and southern-style turnip greens with turnips. Whatever it is, it certainly is delicious - so delicious that I ate half of it in one sitting. Luckily, its pretty healthy, so no problem. The rest was packaged up for work lunches this coming week.

Kale Braised with Carmelized Onions and Rutabagas
2 Tbs butter or margerine
4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 onions halved and sliced very thin
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium rutabaga, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 Tbs smoked paprika
1 Tbs garlic salt/Adobo seasoning
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 bunch curly kale
2 Tbs water

In a large pot with a tight fitting lid, melt half the butter and 1 Tbs of oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute, stirring often, for about 10 minutes until starting to carmelize and brown. Add the remaining oil, minced garlic, rutabaga, paprika, salt and pepper, stir well so that everything is coated with oil and spices. Turn heat down to medium, cover tightly, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring twice, until rutabagas are just barely tender. Add water to keep from sticking if necessary - this should not be necessary if your pot is nonstick. Uncover, add the kale and stir well. Cover again and let steam for about 4 - 5 minutes, until kale is wilted. Stir well and adjust for salt and pepper.

The onions continued to carmelize as the other veggies were cooking and ended up sweet and almost sticky, as did the rutabagas, which also were beginning to carmelize. This would be yummy with a spritz of lemon juice, or even balsamic vinegar to cut the buttery richness of the oil. I used Earth Balance spread rather than butter, since that's what I had in the house (Lent is upon us, you know), and it was yummy. I think this would be a fabulous base for a pasta salad - just stir in about a half pound of pasta, cooked al dente.

Again, I have no photo, and I apologize. I've unpacked the camera, but haven't found the charger yet, so photos will have to wait. Suffice it to say that this was a very pretty dish, with the small orange cubes peeking out from the dark green of the kale.

In the Orthodox Church, the Rite of Forgiveness at vespers this Sunday afternoon is the official beginning of the fast, of Great Lent. Every person in the parish, from the youngest to the oldest, will line up and ask forgiveness of each other for what they have done and what they have failed to do during the past year. There is always much hugging and many tears as hurts are forgiven. It never fails to move me, and humble me as well. So, in the spirit of Forgiveness Sunday, dear brothers and sisters, I ask you to forgive me for my sins and offenses, for what I have done and what I have failed to do, for how I have consistently missed the mark and fallen short of Christ's example.

Ratatouille (not the mouse!)

Dear Daughter and I watched the movie, Ratatouille, last month and absolutely loved it! So, that got me thinking about how long it had been since I made this delicious vegetable stew from the south of France. When I first became Orthodox, it was one of my main go-to lenten recipes - a real staple. I made it probably once a week or so for years, but when we moved here 11 years ago, Mom took over the kitchen and I think I've only made it two or three times since then.

Last week there were beautiful eggplants at the new Kroger where I shop, the first eggplants of the season, so I splurged and bought one. (HOW I LOVE THAT NEW KROGER!) I admired its perfection for a day, that's how beautiful it was! Then I decided to make ratatouille.

Here is my tried and true, favorite recipe:

Ratatouille
2 medium eggplants cut in 1" cubes
8 tomatoes cut into eighths
4 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2" cubes
4 green peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 1" squares
2 onions roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced finely
2 tsp dry thyme
2 bay leaves
1 - 2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 C dry white wine
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

Over medium heat, put the olive oil into a heavy bottomed dutch oven. When the oil is hot, saute the onions, garlic, zucchini and peppers for a about 5 minutes, adding more oil if necessary. Add in the eggplant, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper and wine. Stir well, then bring to a slow simmer, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and buttery, and the flavors are well melded.

I have often made this in the crockpot. Simply place the ingredients into the crockpot in this order: eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini and peppers. Lightly salt and pepper each layer, and sprinkle a little bit of onion, garlic and thyme on each layer as well. Bury the bay leaves and pour the wine over all. Cover tightly, set heat to med and let it cook all day, at least eight hours.

I have often made this in the 8 qt. pressure cooker as well. Layer the ingredients as for the crockpot. Lock the lid into place and bring to 15 lbs pressure. Cook for exactly 10 minutes and reduce the heat quickly according the manufacturer's directions.

This smelled so yummy as it was cooking, that it woke DD up from her apres-school nap! She wanted potatoes, so I made some garlic mashed potatoes and served the ratatouille on top, a la Vegan with a Vengance Punk Rock Chickpea Gravy which we dearly love and eat often.

There are a million variations on this theme. You might notice from the photo above that there are no visible peppers. Well, I didn't have any peppers, and it was still yummy! Sometimes I put in mushrooms, or during Lent, I might put in a can of drained chickpeas for the protein. Add some potatoes, change the thyme to oregano, drizzle olive oil over the finished dish and you have Greek briami. Add the potatoes, omit the oregano and the thyme and replace it with a handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped, and you have ciambotta from southern Italy, where my people are from.

I've served this over noodles and in bowls with crusty bread for dipping. I've simmered most of the liquid off, lightly mashed the veggies, and used it as dip and as a topping for crostini. It makes a wonderful filling for a quiche. There is no end to what you can do with the leftovers, if you're lucky enough to actually have leftovers!

No matter where in the world you are from, or where in the world you are, you will enjoy Ratatouille, and all its variations!

Spanikorizo

I love Greek food, I really do. I've often said that my idea of a perfect vacation would be to eat my way through Greece!

Last Sunday, my church worshipped together with the local Greek Orthodox Church for the Sunday of Orthodoxy, which got me thinking this week about Greek food I have known and loved. The best - the most fun, with the best dancing and best food and best stuff to buy - Greek Festival I've ever attended was in San Francisco, CA, but my sentimental favorite, of course, is St. Nicholas in San Jose. Oooooh..... I'm salivating just thinking about it! And the Greek restaurants! Oh yeah....

Anyway, I was thinking about cooking something Greek this week, and I had some perfect, tender, organic spinach so it was a no-brainer to make spanikorizo, or Greek-style spinach rice. In many ways, Greek food is like Italian food - rather simple, depending on perfectly fresh, high quality ingredients. Here in America, we just don't understand the concept of fresh, high quality ingredients. But my spinach fit the bill. I had already eaten half of it as a salad and wanted to cook the rest.

This was absolutely delicious! When Lent is over, Iwould serve this garnished with a little bit of crumbled feta cheese, but its still delicious without it. To make this a one pot meal, add in some chickpeas or a large white bean such as canellini.

Spanikorizo
2 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 3/4 C chicken or vegetable broth
1 heaping Tbs dried dill, or 1/4 minced fresh dill
1/2 C dry white wine
1 15 oz can of petite diced tomatoes with their juice
1 scant tsp salt
a couple of pinches of cayenne (add less or more depending on your taste)
1 1/4 C long-grain white rice
1 or more lbs fresh baby spinach (you can use up a lot of spinach in this dish)
1/4 C pitted and sliced kalamata olives

In a large saute pan, heat the oil to medium high and saute the onions and garlic till translucent. Add the dill, rice, tomatoes with their juice,white wine, salt and pepper and spinach and stir till the spinach is wilted. Add the broth, stir well so that the rice is well distributed among the other ingredients, bring to a simmer, cover tightly and cook rice for the amount of time on the bag of rice - I cook my rice for 20 minutes and taste to see if it needs more time. When rice is cooked, stir in the olives and serve mounded on a plate. Sprinkle with some crumbled feta when its not Lent!

This recipe made three large main-dish servings, so it would probably feed 6 - 8 as a side dish.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1/4 large pot

Amount per Serving

Calories 180

Calories from Fat 46.5

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 5.17g 7%

Saturated Fat 0.64g 3%

Cholesterol 1.67mg %

Sodium 1908.49mg 79%

Total Carbohydrate 25.14g 78%

Dietary Fiber 3.63g 14%

Sugars 5.08g

Protein 4.87g 9%

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat 25%

Carbs 55%

Protein 10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/spanikorizo/#ixzz1ASN8sTi3

Quick Vegan Borscht with Dilled Tofu Whip

I've been thinking about borscht a lot lately - I haven't made it in a while. I really love it when its made with fresh beef stock made in my pressure cooker, with the chunks of beef stirred back into the soup, but with DD being a vegan and with her graciously eating meat on Christmas Day but just that once, I figured I'd have to make vegetarian borscht. Vegetarian borscht is not my favorite, so I've been delaying.

Yesterday I received another box of vegetables from my CSA, so I really needed to clear out a couple of veggies that were hanging around from the last box. Vegetable soup seemed to be the most practical thing to make this morning, but as I was sauteeing the veggies in the pot, intending to make something else, on a whim, I decided to make a version of borscht. Its still simmering, so I'll let you know how it tastes after lunch.

What happened was that as I was sauteeing the onions, garlic, carrots and celery in the pot, I glugged in about 4 oz of cabernet sauvignon, and the deep purple color reminded me of beets, and that was enough to make me decide to make borscht! After I put the beets in, though, I searched my fridge for that wedge of cabbage that I was SURE was there, and alas, it was nowhere to be found, so I used two medium zucchini instead. I'm not sure if I can truly call it borscht if there is no cabbage, so with apologies to my dear Russian friends, here is what I did this morning:

Quick Vegan Almost-Borscht
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
A good glug of whatever wine you happen to have, maybe 3-4 oz
4 medium tomatoes, chunked
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
1 15 oz can of chunked beets, cut in half if they are too large
3 smallish potatoes, peeled and chunked
1/4 of a small cabbage, sliced thin
1 quart water
2 tsps vegetable bouillion granules (I used not-beef flavored)
1 tsp herbes de Provence
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 - 2 Tbs red wine vinegar or to taste after the soup is cooked

In a 5 quart dutch oven, saute the onions, carrots, celery and garlic in a Tbs or so of oil. When fragrant and translucent, about 3 or 4 minutes, pour in the wine and continuing sauteing. Quickly prep the other vegetables and add them in, as well as the bay leaves, herbes de Provence, bouillion granules, parsley, dill, pinch of sugar, salt and pepper. Stir all around quickly, making sure that nothing sticks to the pan, and then add in the water. Stir well and taste for salt and pepper. Let simmer slowly until everything is tender and the flavors are well melded, at least a half hour, but at this point it could really simmer for quite a while. Mine simmered for about an hour. Taste again for salt and pepper, and even adjust the dill flavor. Stir in the vinegar and serve.

This is traditionally topped with sour cream, but we will serve it with the last small rustic loaf of rosemary bread and Earth Balance.

I would normally use or 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes with their juice, but I had a few tomatoes that were crying to be eaten soon, so I used them without peeling them. If I let the soup simmer long enough for the tomatoes to break down, maybe an hour, it should be fine. I will update you after lunch!

Apres Lunch: It was delicious, and the tomato skins were not a problem as I had feared. I was really missing the sour cream, though, but then I remembered that in a corner of the fridge was the failed experiment in trying to replicate ranch dip using tofu as a base. When I made it, I thought that the dill was too strong a flavor and it didn't resemble ranch dip at all. It was very disappointing in that regard, and I never did do anthing with it at all, but it was delicious on top of the nearly borscht. I'll try to remember how I made it - I think I wrote it down somewhere - and will post it soon.

PS: If anyone has a homemade (no expensive packets of seasonings) tofu-based recipe for REAL ranch dressing - PLEASE share it!

Lebanese Cauliflower Rice (Yakhnit al-Qarnabit)

Years ago, back in San Jose, I was friends with a young Palestinian couple, Bill and Renda. I drove Renda home one night and was invited in. Arabic hospitality is legendary, and of course, Renda would not let me leave until I had eaten something. Since we had been talking about food, she gave me a taste of her dinner from the night before: cauliflower rice. Oh my.... I really loved it! Since it was Lent, it was vegan, but it often includes meat, and sometimes is made with wheat instead of rice.

On Sundays, I don't usually cook a large meal, but we pick at leftovers, or sometimes we go out to eat. I was watching figure skating yesterday afternoon, and DD was online chatting with her cousin, but The Ex was getting a little agitated. Turns out he was hungry! When I looked in the fridge, I saw a beautiful head of cauliflower and decided to make cauliflower rice. Here is what I did:

Lenten Cauliflower Rice

1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt or to taste (I used Adobo seasoning salt)
1/8 tsp red pepper
2 C long grain white rice
4 C water
1 15 oz can chickpeas
olive oil

In a 5 quart dutch oven, saute the cauliflower over high heat in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil until it is golden. Add in the onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add in the salt, pepper and rice and stir until all the grains of rice are coated with the oil. Continue sauteing the rice for 30 or 40 seconds. Stir in the water and chickpeas, bring to a full simmer, lower heat to just barely simmering, cover and let cook for 20 minutes.

Served with a salad and a piece of fruit, like we did, and you have a complete meal! I just love this rice - I haven't made it in a long, long time but I have a feeling I'll be making it often again! No photo for this one because we were too hungry! Once I started cooking, the delicious aromas made DD and me very, very hungry!

If you want to use meat in this, its traditional to saute about 1 lb of cubed lamb first, then add the cauliflower. I've also used cubes chicken which is really yummy in this. You can use chickpeas with the meat, but most people that I know don't - at least not in this dish. Also if using meat, add in 1/2 - 1 tsp of allspice.

Note: I never use just plain allspice, though many, many excellent Arabic cooks do. I use a mixture of cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. In a pinch, go ahead and use commercial apple pie spice as a substitute.