Warming Veggie Soup

This is not a dainty soup by any means. It's a "throw it in the pot and get it cookin'" kind of soup. It's the kind of soup you make in a log burning house and that keeps you warm from head to toe. I don't do any kind of delicate chopping and have been known to throw whole carrots and celery stalks right into the pot for this one. It's soup for a daredevil chef! I chose carrots, potatoes, parsnips, onions, celery and parsley. I roughly chopped large chunks of all, and put into a nice tall stainless steel stock pot filled with salted water. I also added one veggie boullion cube to amp up the flavor, but the veggies themselves will provide enough flavor that you may not even need it if you don't have. After that I just let it simmer away until the potato and carrot softened. I added some black pepper and pre-cooked egg noodles (do you know they also make eggless egg noodles for all you vegans out there?) and a dash of apple cider vinegar. This abundant soup kept giving for days and on the last night I added some leftover soy chicken breast pieces to make it even heartier!

I would kill for this soup if out camping in the cold or after a day of skiing or sledding. It would also be great if you have the sniffles, but if you eat this soup often you probably won't ever GET the sniffles.......

Now go get soupin'!

Veggie Chili for Chilly Days

So go get yourself a good old fashioned crock pot if you don't already have one. Or better yet, ask around at your next family gathering and see if anyone has one laying around. My mother-in-law gave us this one (probably from the late 70's early 80's) and it rocks! Chili is hearty, healthy and won't break the bank! Plus, you can pretty much put whatever you like in it and omit what you don't! Nothing is better on a cold, raw day than a nice warm veggie chili. Friends who say they could never go veg because they hate salads and "cold" food and crave hearty meals would surely be satisfied by this meal!

We used two types of beans: kidney and pinto. We also threw in some chopped carrots, onions, celery, tomatoes (boiled quickly then peeled and seeded) and chili powder! We used almost a dozen tomatoes which pretty much made the "sauce" consistency in the chili. We added salt and pepper to taste and a little bit of water as needed. We also added a soy based beef tip substitute this time. Then we turned the slow cooker on and pretty much just let it do its thing. We would stir and check accordingly, allowing the aroma to fill the kitchen. It cooked for about 10 hours, and we enjoyed with soy sour cream, chopped scallion and cilantro. Warmed us to the bones!

I recommend a nice warm corn bread as a side!

Warming Potato Chard Soup

I can live on soup alone when the weather turns to chilly and the leaves are no longer ON the trees. This soup is so warming and healthy that I can literally feel it working wonders as I slurp it down! It has a nice light, clear-ish broth and is full of minimal yet key ingredients: 3 cups of water, pinch of salt, 2 cups of chopped taters, 1/2 cup shelled soybeans (edamame), 3 tablespoons of raw pumpkin seeds or raw papitas (to top the soup), 1 cup of chopped zucchini, 2 cups of slivered green or red chard, 3 tablespoons of whit or yellow miso, 1/2 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, fresh basil and rosemary.

Place water, salt, taters and beans in a pot on high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about ten minutes until taters are tender.

Meanwhile, place the pumpkin seeds or raw papitas in a skillet over medium heat and dry toast for a few minutes until puffed up and browned. Remove from heat and set aside. (A great source of omega-3 fatty acids- just another reason to make a big ol' jack o'lantern and get some seeds!)

When taters are tender, add zucchini and chard and simmer another 5 minutes. Ladle some broth into a small cup and add the miso-combine until smooth. Add that back to the pot of soup along with the basil, rosemary and apple cider vinegar. Add salt to taste and top with seeds once poured into serving bowls. Get ready to feel good......

I also added a dash of nutritional yeast (from health food store) to add more B vitamins.

nutrition breakdown:

basil and rosemary- help calm the mind and improve mental function

miso and taters- help with acid conditions in the body

chard- calcium and magnesium rich

apple cider vinegar- good mood food

Thai Coconut Soup

This is one of Mike's specialties and is one of the reasons I love Autumn. It's not only "sweata weatha" but "soup weatha"! I think it's different every time he makes it, but always delicious! He uses a box of veggie broth and a couple cans of coconut milk. This simmers with oyster mushrooms, although he used shitake this time. (I suppose you could use your favorite mushroom and get away with it). He adds salt and pepper to taste, jalapeno pepper to taste and adds lime zest. He tops off with green onion and cilantro before serving with some nice artisan bread. The flavors all compliment each other so nicely, it's truly a beautiful, tasty soup!

GREAT ALTERNATIVES!

My current three favorite alternatives all available at Trader Joe's!

Earth Balance natural buttery spread- tastes great and also works great for baking and cooking.

Tofutti "Cuties" are little perfect portion "icecream" sandwiches. Yummy!

Trader Joe's brand Soy Milk Creamer- perfect for coffee, hot cocoa or chai tea when you want a little creamier consistency than just soy milk but without the dairy! (Be sure to shake well before use as directed on package to avoid settled ingredients pouring out into your yummy drink.) Mike was getting annoyed by this, but once you shake it, the problem is gone!

Attack of the Killer Tomato

We have been blessed this past summer to be given a constant bounty of tomatoes. Our dear old neighbor would sneak them onto our patio table out back or hand us a full bag as we got out of our cars. She must have a huge secret garden in that yard of hers. Mike's aunt and uncle supplied us with several from their garden one day on a visit. They also gave us a huge portion of their killer gazpacho (see pic) which even though had quite a kick still made our toddler say "mmmmm". We made everything from pizza, to caprese salad (shown in pic) to freshly topped pasta, to vegetarian BLT sandwiches. I also could just settle for fresh sliced tomato with oil, garlic and some salt or a tomato sandwich (one of my mom's faves) on toast with mayo (soy preferred) and salt and pepper. When they're that tasty and fresh they are good right off of the vine! And of course, nothing is finer than a nice glass of red wine to go with a tomato dish. Mike found this bottle (see pic) for me last summer and bought me another this year while on vacation. Life is good!

Think Pink Smoothie

I know, I know, ANOTHER smoothie recipe? But seriously, I can live on these things. And what better way to get a whole bunch of vitamins and nutrients packed into one tasty glass? Soooo..... this one is an "autumn" smoothie. I used a couple of frozen bananas, some plain soy milk, an apple (cored), and a generous handful of frozen cranberries. The color was so pretty and the taste was delicious. We fought over the last few slurps!