VEGAN CREAM OF CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Look who's Vegan all of a sudden!  Can't say when it began, but slowly over the long Winter, I have had less and less interest in eating meat for protein.  Before you start to worry about my nutritional needs, let me just say I have never felt better.  I am excited to share this creamy, delicious cauliflower soup for a few reasons.  1.) It is Vegan.  2.) No one in your family will ever suspect it is Vegan. 3.) It is delicious.
Enjoy.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons chopped garlic (about 2 cloves - I used 4 cloves)

2 cups (200g) chopped leeks (white parts only, from 2 or 3 leeks)

Kosher or Sea salt

1 head cauliflower, chopped

7 cups vegetable broth (or water with a bit of added Kosher or Sea Salt)

1/4 cup (35g) raw unsalted cashews (available at Bulk Barn)

Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the garlic, leeks, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add the cauliflower and saute for another minute. Add the vegetable broth (or water), increase the heat to high, and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the cauliflower is completely tender. Stir the mix periodically and mash the cauliflower with a wooden spoon.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the soup to cool slightly; stir in the nuts. Pour the soup into your blender in batches and puree on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy. (Remember to remove the plastic cap in the blender top and cover the opening with a kitchen towel so steam can escape while you blend.) Return the soup to the saucepan and warm it over low heat. Taste to adjust seasoning.

Enjoy.

20 MINUTE ORGANIC BLACK BEAN AND CHIPOTLE CHICKEN CHILI

This recipe takes NO MORE than 20 minutes to prepare.  It hardly needs to be written!  I have included easy to follow pictures with a few suggestions for amounts included, but honestly, the prep is insanely quick and easy. 

Enjoy. 

Add this (1 to 1 1/2 cups each) organic celery, carrot, and onion, to one pound of cooked organic ground chicken, turkey, or grass fed organic ground beef.  I often use 4 organic chicken burgers, and break them up in the bottom of the pot as they cook. See photos below.
Add organic beans and organic pasta sauce. (Pasta sauce should be from a glass jar.)The only spice I add is chipotle powder.  (If you  want to add other seasonings, feel free!  Just know that this chili has been called "EPIC CHILI" by some very discriminating eaters.)
Add water as desired to thin out the recipe.  I usually find this is not necessary.

I use organic chicken (or beef) "burgers" that I get in the frozen section at the organic market. You can put them in the bottom of the pot right from the freezer, and break them up, or get about 1 pound of ground organic chicken (or grass fed beef).  Either way, it will take you about 3 minutes to get your meat broken up as you see in the picture below.

 You're done!  Bring the chili to a boil, and then let the chili simmer until the vegetables are tender and the sauce thickens a little - this usually means about 10 to 15 minutes.

HOMEMADE INSTANT BOULLION

In the bad old days, when I used processed foods, one of my favorite things to enjoy on a winter afternoon was a cup of boullion, which I made using a pre-packaged square of heaven-knows-what and hot water. I love this recipe because the cup of steaming soup I can enjoy is at least as good as the "mystery boullion" I used to make, it is actually quicker to prepare than the pre-fab cube, and, most importantly, I know exactly what's in it.

This recipe requires a food processor. I have a 8-cup / 2 liter / 2 quart model, and needed every cubic inch of it. I found the best approach if you are tight for space in your food processor is to add a few of the ingredients, then pulse a few times. The ingredients collapse and free up more space for the next few ingredients.

I would suggest making half of the batch described below for your first attempt. I would also encourage you to add and subtract ingredients according to your taste. For instance, I added a red pepper, and omitted the cilantro.

This may seem like a long list of ingredients to put together, but remember that you will have "instant" boullion for the rest of the winter.

Ingredients:

5 ounces / 150 g leeks, sliced and well-washed

7 ounces / 200g fennel bulb, chopped

7 ounces / 200g carrot, well scrubbed and chopped

3.5 ounces / 100 g celery

3.5 ounces / 100g celery root (celeriac), peeled and chopped

1 ounce / 30g sun-dried tomatoes

3.5 ounces / 100g shallots, peeled

3 medium garlic cloves

9 ounces /250g fine grain sea salt

1.5 ounces / 40 g flat-leaf parsley, loosely chopped

2 ounces / 60g cilantro (coriander), loosely chopped

Preparation:

Place the first four ingredients in your food processor and pulse about twenty times. Add the next four ingredients, and pulse again. Add the salt, pulse some more. Then add the parsley and cilantro.

You should end up with a very moist, loose paste of sorts.

Keep 1/4th of it in a jar in the refrigerator for easy access in the coming days, and freeze the remaining 3/4 for use in the next month. Because of all the salt it barely solidifies making it easy to spoon directly from the freezer into the pot before boiling.

Start by using 1 teaspoon of bouillon per 1 cup (250 ml), and adjust from there based on your personal preference.

Makes roughly 3 1/2 cups.

To give credit where it's due: I found this recipe online, and it is apparently inspired by The River Cottage Preserves Handbook by Pam Corbin. The U.S. edition of the River Cottage Preserves Handbook will be available this summer.

Anne Willan's Home Canned Tomatoes and an Elegant, Easy Cream of Tomato Soup

This is one of the simplest methods for canning fresh tomatoes I have ever heard of. The method is the creation of Anne Willan, a respected chef who has written over a dozen internationally published cookbooks, and is the founder of one of the best cullinary schools in the world, La Varenne, in France. Once processed, the jars of fresh whole tomatoes will last for one year, and can be used for soups and sauces all winter long. Although you will probably use this method next summer at tomato harvesting time, I promised one of the blog followers to post the method over the weekend. (Sorry I am a day or two late.)
Directions:
Pack whole, well washed, unpeeled tomatoes with stems and any leaves removed, into quart/litre jars with a few sprigs of thyme, a couple of bay leaves, and an onion slice or two. Close the sealer lids and set the jars on a rack in a deep canning pot. Add enough water to cover generously. Weight the jars down (with a brick or other weight) so they don't float. This can be tricky. My suggestion is to weight the jars down before adding all the water. One other tip: If you do not have, and can not find, a round rack to fit in the bottom of the deep pot, use a clean kitchen towell or two in the bottom of the pot. This worked well for me after I scoured my town for a round rack.
Bring the water to a boil, and then simmer for an hour and a half until the tomatoes begin to lose their shape and collapse. Let the jars cool in the water so the lids form a tight seal. When done, each jar will look only half full of tomatoes. See the photo.
Elegant, Easy Cream of Tomato Soup
Open one of the jars of canned tomatoes and remove the bay leaves and sprigs of thyme. Put the remainder of the contents into a blender and puree until smooth.
Add the puree to a soup or sauce pan, and add approximately 1/4 to 1/2 cup of organic heavy cream (or a combination of cream and unsweetened almond milk) to taste. Bring the soup to temperature, add just a touch of salt, and enjoy one of the freshest tomato soups you have ever tasted.
Note: I used about two tablespoons of cream and approximately 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk. Suit yourself. You won't believe how wonderful the soup tastes.

Fresh Tomato Soup

When I grew up, Fridays always meant Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup for dinner. Over lunch this past week, at least a dozen of my co-workers admitted that one of their favourite food memories from their own childhood was the grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup combo.
Now that I am grown up, but don't want to grow out, I've made some changes. I rarely eat grains at all, so that generally eliminates the grilled cheese sandwich. Bummer. They really were delicious. Of course, if you do eat grains, stone ground whole grain bread with a slice of organic cheddar cheese can make one beauty of a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich. But the best way to ruin a Maximized gourmet style soup and sandwich combo is to open a can of condensed tomato soup containing very few tomatoes and very many additives, preservatives, bad fats, and sugars.
Try this tomato soup recipe. It is made with fresh tomatoes, and takes very little time to prepare.
Enjoy.

Fresh Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
4 peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped fresh tomatoes
1 roughly chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, grated or diced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 to 4 cups of organic chicken stock
2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste (no sugar - check the ingredients on the label)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup organic cream, milk, unsweetened almond milk, or a combination

Preparation:
1.) Remove the core and cut an "x" into the bottom side of each tomato. Drop them into boiling water for approximately 1 minute and then remove. The skins will literally fall off the tomatoes. Chop them into quarters and squeeze out the seeds.
2.) In a soup pot with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, gently saute onion and garlic.
3.) Add the chicken stock and the tomato paste.
4.) Bring the soup to a boil; season to taste, and simmer for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
5.) Puree the soup in a blender, in batches if necessary.
6.) Return soup to pot, add the cream, or milk, or almond milk, or a combination. (I used unsweetened almond milk only, and found the soup delicious. But then, I usually do impress myself, if no one else.)
7.) Bring the soup back up to heat and serve.

Home Made Chicken Stock

It is almost impossible to buy chicken stock that isn’t ruined by the food industry's additives, sugar, or bad fats. I have not found a single ready-to-use stock that I want to consume. Fortunately, homemade chicken stock is not difficult to make, and it is well worth the time and easy effort.
In the London area, we have an Organic chicken farm, McSmiths, which I have blogged about in the past. I cannot overstate the importance of a quality protein supplier. The chickens in the grocery stores are loaded with hormones and, in most cases, antibiotics, which do not make for healthy or delicious meals. Find an organic chicken farm in your area. It will mean the world to your family, and to the farmer who is working so hard every day to provide quality food for so many of us.
Once you make a big batch of this golden, hearty stock, you can freeze it in 1 quart containers. It will be the basis for so many beautiful soups all winter long. In fact, my next post will be an old family favorite - Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup. Wait for it. . . .

Enjoy.

Ingredients
2 organic, free range chicken carcasses (locally available at McSmith's Organic Chicken Farm)
2 small carrots, peeled, trimmed
2 small onions, peeled, trimmed, and quartered
2 small celery stalks, trimmed
3 peeled, smashed, garlic cloves
Stems from 1 bunch parsley (optional)
3 to 4 green leek leaves, sliced (optional)
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
4 quarts water, approximately

Directions
In a stockpot, place the chicken bones, then add all of the remaining ingredients, except the water. Add water to cover by 2 inches, bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer uncovered for 2 to 3 hours, skimming as necessary.
Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl and cool. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 days, discarding the hardened layer of fat before using or freezing.

Note: for more about McSmith's Organic Chicken Farm, see August, 2009 blog.

Leek and White Asparagus Soup

This soup is comfort unlimited! The white asparagus are slightly sweeter than the green, and whenever I see them at the market, I just have to get at least one bunch of them for this soup. I usually cave in, though, and buy another bunch to grill up and then wrap with smoked wild salmon slices (an appetizer extraordinaire if I do say so myself).
But back to the soup. This recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare, and will make about 8 cups of soup, once you puree it. Because it is such an easy soup to drink, I love to divide it into 2 cup mason jars to take to school for lunch. Makes my day.
Enjoy.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 bunch of white asparagus (approximately 20-25 spears), chopped
3 leeks, whites only, cleaned and cut into rings (as shown)
5 to 6 cups organic chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 to 3 cups almond milk
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste See note.

Saute all the vegetables in the olive oil, adding the garlic last, for 2 to 3 minutes, just until soft. Add the stock, and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the asparagus is cooked through.
Remove the soup from the heat, and let it cool slightly.
Transfer the soup into a blender, in batches if necessary, and blend until smooth.
Return the soup to the pot, add the almond milk and bring it back to heat.
Check for seasoning.
Note: Purists may want to use white pepper, because the soup is a very light color. This is entirely up to purists.

Butternut Squash and Green Apple Soup

For those of you who enjoy the tastes of fall, and the aroma of fall spices, this soup really fills the bill. I particularly liked the distinctive, slightly sweet taste. The recipe is so simple. The most difficult part is peeling and seeding the butternut squash. Once that's done, you are 15 minutes to a delightful first course.

Ingredients:

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped


• 1 tablespoon organic butter


• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, chopped


• 1 or 2 tart green apples, peeled, cored, chopped (squash and apple should be a 3 to 1 ratio)


• 3 to 4 cups organic chicken broth (or organic vegetable broth)


• 1/4 teaspoon salt, a pinch of pepper


• pinch of nutmeg (to taste - freshly grated is best)


• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


• 1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk (original or vanilla flavor)

Preparation:

• Combine butter and onion, saute gently for 5 minutes.


• Add squash, apple, and broth. Bring to a boil.


• Simmer for 10 minutes, or until squash is tender.


• Puree.


• Stir in Almond Milk and spices to taste.

Enjoy.

My friend Chantal's Roasted Cauliflower, Leek, and Garlic Soup

If you have been looking at the beautiful leeks in the grocery store, and wondering what you might do with them, here is one of my favourite fall soups. I have been having a giant cup of it for lunch every day at school, and it makes me feel so warm and full, although the actual calorie load is extremely light. Thanks to my friend Chantal for this delicious recipe.
Enjoy.

Ingredients:
· 3 Leeks – white ends only (To clean the leeks, which can be quite sandy, slice them half way through, lengthwise, and open them out slightly under running water. You are going to put them through the blender later anyway, so don't worry too much about the shape they're in when you roast them.)
· 1 Head Cauliflower
· 1 Head Garlic
· Olive oil
· Nutmeg to taste
· Salt and pepper to taste
· 3 cups organic chicken stock
· 1 cup organic milk, or unsweetened almond milk


Directions:

1) Clean, prep & place all ingredients on a baking sheet. Spray or drizzle with some olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a bit of freshly grated nutmeg.
2) Roast at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.
3) Remove vegetables from oven and put into 3 cups of organic chicken stock.
4) Simmer another 30 minutes.
5) Puree in a blender - or by using an immersion blender.
6) Add 1 cup organic milk, or unsweetened almond milk.
7) Bring back to heat and serve.