Vegan French Onion Soup

Been busy lately. Or so it seems. Anyway, here's another tasty soup recipe. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!


Vegan French Onion Soup
Source: neverhomemake.com

Takes about an hour and 20 minutes total and serves about 5-6 people.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of sliced thinly onions

2 cloves minced garlic

1/4 olive oil for the onions and 2 tbs olive oil for the roux mixture

2 tbs maple syrup

salt and pepper (to taste)

1 tsp ground coriander

8 cups vegetable broth

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

wholegrain sourdough bread (or your favorite), cubed

Directions:

1. Slice onions very thinly.

This takes a while, and I guarantee will make you cry like a baby. I have proof.

See...

2. Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 8 to 10 minutes -- stirring often -- until softened.

3. Add the maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Stir well -- being careful not to burn the onions -- for 20 minutes, until golden.



4. Add in the garlic, coriander, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 30 minutes.

5. During those last 10 minutes of waiting, (and yes, the waiting is super annoying... While I waited all I could think is, Can I eat this already???) heat the olive oil into a shallow pan on medium-low and wait for the it to get to a hot, but not too hot (shouldn't be smoking).

By the way, this is how your onions should look at this point...

6. Add the flour to the 1/4 cup oil and stir continuously for 10 minutes -- until flower is deep brown and smells nutty.

7. Add roux to the soup and let cook for another 5 minutes. Serve with cubed bread and enjoy!

Everything but the Kitchen Sink – Indian Curry in a Slow Cooker

So I've been lazy lately.  I was out of town two weeks ago and last week I had a lot of catching up to do around the house, so I'm long overdo for a recipe.  I promise I'll make something this week, but in the meantime, I wanted to post this AMAZING recipe I received from my lovely colleague, Katie Boswell.  She prepared this delicious meal a couple weeks ago and my mouth has been watering since.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink – Indian Curry in a Slow Cooker
Source: Katie Boswell
Photo Credit: Katie Boswell

Prep time is about 20 minutes and cook time is about approximately 4 hours.

This recipe was inspired by a curry dish my mother made that I felt could be adapted to a slow cooker. Be prepared, it does have an authentic Indian heat to it!" - Katie Boswell

You can put pretty much use any vegetable in a curry dish but I felt the heartier ones would hold up better in the slow cooker, Don’t be scared to add your fave veggies to this dish. Butternut squash, eggplant, etc would all be nice additions.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 sweet onion chopped chopped/slice/diced to the size you prefer
• 3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/4 cup of Curry powder
• 2 tbs of flour ( I recommend Wondra flour)
• 1 tbs chili powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 2 or 3 large bell peppers, color of your choosing
• 1/2 head of Cauliflower pulled apart
• 1 cup of chickpeas
• 1 14 oz can coconut milk, unsweetened
• 1 ½ cup carrots cut into matchstick size
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 oz sliced mushrooms (I use a blend of baby bella, shitake and oyster but any ones will do)

Directions

1. Place potatoes , onion and garlic in the bottom of your slow cooker
2. Combine curry powder, flour, chili powder, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl. Sprinkle spices over the potato mixture and coat evenly
3. Add bell peppers, cauliflower, chick peas, coconut milk, and stir to combine
4. Cover the slow cooker and cook on Low until the mixture is bubbling, add some water or additional coconut milk if it looks dry and allow to cook on low for about 3 hours or until the potatoes are tender and can easily be cut in half with a fork
5. Add carrots, mushrooms and cilantro and cook until the carrots are tender, about 30 minutes
6. Salt dish to taste
7. Garnish bowl dish with cilantro to serve

Curry Tip: Some curry spice can end up a tad bitter when not used in the correct proportion or cooked at too high a heat. If you find a curry to be a tad bitter add 1 tsp of salt + 1 tsp sugar and stir, repeat until the bitterness is gone.

Low Fat Waffles

Lazy Sunday!!! Made these quick and delicious low fat waffles this morning... er, well, afternoon... Turned out fantastic!

Low Fat Waffles
Source: This recipe is a combination of multiple vegan waffle recipes I came across. I wanted to make them low fat, to be whole-wheat, and to not stick to the waffle iron.. So I suppose I can't really list a source for this one guys!

Takes about 10 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to cook. Serves 2 people.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 cup non-dairy milk

Directions:

1. Plug in waffle iron and allow time to preheat. In the meantime, combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl, and mix well. Then combine all wet ingredients in a second bowl, and mix well.
2. Pour the wet contents into the dry contents and stir until mixed thoroughly.
3. Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray. (This step is important! If iron is not greased, the waffles will stick!)
4. Use a measuring cup and scoop out waffle mix and pour it into the waffle iron.  Close the iron and let cook until light on iron indicated waffles are ready, or until waffles looks golden (approximately 3-4 minutes). Serve immediately and enjoy!

Chocolate Birthday Cake

This cake has some sentimental value attached to it. Last December a very close friend of mine passed away and today was her birthday. After some debate in my head, I decided I wanted to make her a cake (and then consider to eat the whole thing by myself), but because I am vegan and she was not, I wasn't sure what to make. I wanted to keep it as traditional as possible.  Dana loved chocolate and she (like pretty much any sane person, also loved cake - any cake.)  After a little searching, I found this simple vegan chocolate birthday cake recipe on Instructables.com. It turned out flipping amazing. It's so delicious, and I know Dana would have devoured it with me. I miss her terribly and this cake has not only satisfied my chocolate craving, but it also made me feel a little better about Dana not being around for her 24th birthday. I hope she knows I am only celebrating because I love her and think of her every day.

Chocolate Birthday Cake
Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/The-BEST-chococlate-cake-ever...that-happens-to-be/?ALLSTEPS

Takes 20 minutes to prep, 30 minutes to bake, 2 hours to cool, and 20 minutes to make the frosting and spread it on the cake. Serves 9 people.

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp distilled white or apple cider vinegar

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tbsp margarine
• 2 tbsp soy milk
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In an 8x8 square pan/dish, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt with a fork. Make sure it is very well blended.
3. Add the water, vanilla, oil, and vinegar. Again, make sure the mixture is really well blended. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides if necessary.
4. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 2 hours. Do not make the frosting until the cake has completely cooled as it cannot sit.

1. After the cake has cooled, bring the sugar, margarine, milk, and cocoa to a boil in a small/medium sauce pan.
2. Stir frequently; then reduce heat to a simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. It will look gloppy, but it's just the bubbles! Remove from heat and stir for another 5 minutes.
3. Add vanilla, stir, and immediately pour onto cake. Glaze dries really quickly, so spread it immediately!! Let cool for 1 hour... if you can wait that long!

Savory Crispy Tofu

Simple. Quick. Delicious. These little tofu bites would pair great with steamed broccoli or any other steamed veggie. They're light and have a great flavor. I'm excited to see how they do as leftovers tomorrow.

Savory Crispy Tofu
Source: Whole Foods Recipe App.

Takes at least 3 hours to marinate, a total of 20 minutes, max, to prepare, and 10 minutes to bake. Serves 3-4 people.

Ingredients:

• 1 16 oz package of extra-firm tofu
• 1/2 cup sweet and hot mustard
• 1/2 cup seasoned dried bread crumbs
• pinch of chile peppers
• olive oil or cooking spray

Directions:

1. Cut tofu in 3 equal sections lengthwise.  Then cut each section in half lengthwise and then again in half widthwise, for a total of 12 pieces.
2. Arrange several pieces of paper towel on a plate and place the tofu on top. Cover the tofu with several more pieces of paper towel and press lightly to remove excess water from the tofu.
3. Arrange the tofu in a container large enough to store the pieces in a single layer.  Using a knife or brush, spread the mustard evenly on all sides of the tofu.  Cover container and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
4. After tofu is marinated, preheat oven to 375.
5. Transfer bread crumbs to a large plate.  Add pepper flakes and stir together. Coat each piece of the tofu in the bread crumb mixture and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, or until brown and crispy.

Cleanup Factor:
Once again, LIGHT!  Pick up scraps and wash cutting board, baking sheet, plate, and other small misc utensils.