Had enough soup?

I was going to make this yesterday, but it was too warm in my third floor apartment to have the oven on, and I heard today was going to be "brisk." I'll say. I went down to Target to pick up some aluminum foil and a few other things, and nearly blew right out of my frozen skin. I realize that I've lived in Minnesota all 41 years of my life, but I can never be prepared enough for that first cold day. A lady at the bus stop even went so far as to say, "I hear there's snow in some parts" and I said, "You just said 'Macbeth' in a theater, I hope you realize." 

Anyway, a comforting, spicy soup was in order. Most African squash-peanut soups are made with butternut, but I am kabocha's biggest fan. It's kind of like pumpkin, only a little ...I don't know. Zestier? Anyhow, this turned out beautifully.

African Squash and Peanut Soup

makes 6-8 pretty healthy servings

To roast the squash:

1 kabocha or butternut squash, gutted and cut into wedges (reserve seeds if using kabocha; I've never tried toasting butternut seeds)

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

Preheat oven to 400°

Place the squash wedges in a large baking dish, and pour broth over them. Cover tightly with heavy duty foil, and bake for about 45-60 minutes, turning wedges once, until just tender. Cool on a platter, peel, and cut into small pieces (I just let it get all mashed; I like smooth soups).

To make the soup:

1 onion, finely chopped

6-7 cloves garlic, minced

water

3/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp coriander

pinch salt

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 quart low sodium vegetable broth or water

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter  (only ingredient is peanut; no added oil or salt!)

Cook the onion and garlic in a little water in a large pot or dutch oven until they start to soften. Add a little more water if the veggies start to stick. Add the squash and the rest of the ingredients, and stir well. Cook about 5 or so minutes. Serve garnished with wilted collards and cinnamon-scented kabocha seeds or sunflower seeds, almonds, or pumpkin seeds if desired.

Cinnamon Scented Kabocha Seeds

Make these while your roasted squash is cooling.

seeds from one kabocha squash, or pumpkin

1/2 tsp smoked salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Turn oven down to 300°

Remove the stringy stuff from your seeds (it's okay if there's a little on there). Toss with salt and cinnamon.  Spread evenly on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and bake, turning often, for about 20-25 minutes or until golden and crunchy. Chop them up if desired.

Garlicky Oil-Free Pesto

One thing that sucks about having a job is that during Vegan MoFo, I don't really get second chances to make things. This is why I fail a lot. This dish was not a fail, but will definitely improve when I make it again and again. I think I just puréed it too long, and I need to tweak the seasoning. Don't get me wrong; it's delicious. I just think that I could have done better, but it was hard with all the running to the TV during the debates.

Pesto is traditionally very olive oily. Even when I looked up "lowfat" or "fat free" pesto, I got recipes with SOME oil in it. Well, not this one. It's similar to the recipe over on Oh She Glows, but I left out the lemon (which would have really helped!), and used three cloves of garlic. So, it's waaay garlicky, but I like it like that. I have the night off.



Garlicky Oil-Free Pesto
makes about 1 1/2 cups

3 cloves garlic, chopped 
3/4 can of white beans (I used cannelini), drained and rinsed
1/4 avocado, chopped   
3 oz. fresh basil, stems removed (reserve some for garnish)
handful baby spinach
1/2 cup walnuts
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
juice of half a lemon
pinch salt
water
fresh ground pepper to taste

In a food processor, purée garlic, beans, and avocado until smooth. Add basil, spinach, walnuts, nooch, lemon, and salt. Turn on the processor and blend, scraping the sides, for 5 second intervals. Start dribbling water into the machine until it reaches a spreadable consistency (I think I used about 1/3 cup, total). Season with pepper, toss with hot pasta or use as a sandwich spread.



 
 

Cuban Black Bean Stew

I woke up this morning feeling like 100% crap, yet managed to pull through a ten hour day after taking an Allegra (which I forgot to pick up at work today GOD DAMMIT). I really really wanted something spicy to get the junk out of my sinuses. I think this was just spicy enough, but it's not going to scare anyone off. I think it's absolutely delicious. Too bad I don't have a special someone to share my cold, and my stew with.



Engine 2 Cuban Black Bean Stew
makes about 6 servings

1 small onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
4 cups cooked black beans (or two cans, drained)
1 can fire roasted tomatoes with chipotles (Muir Glen), or diced tomatoes with chilies
2 tbsp tomato paste
splash sherry vinegar (or apple cider vinegar, or red wine vinegar)
hot sauce, optional
cooked brown rice
cilantro, red onion, lime wedges

In a large pot, with a little bit of water (no oil!), cook and stir the onion, peppers, and garlic until soft. Add oregano, beans, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Cook about five minutes. Stir in a splash of vinegar. Hot sauce to taste. Serve over rice and garnish with chopped red onion, cilantro, and lime wedges.

I'm doing it, okay?

Yes, I know. Not a day goes by that I don't think about this blog, and how I've neglected it. I tend to blow my wad during MoFo, and then spend the rest of the year recuperating. Well, here it is. Vegan Month of Food starts today, and I seriously didn't make up my mind on participating until this morning. I just have zero time! Well...zero time after watching Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad, and Walking Dead...

 This morning I missed the bus to Whole Foods, so had to go to the Wedge. This means that I had to budget, which I am no good at. I ended up spending $40 for a bag of groceries, and I can use the stuff for maybe two dishes I have planned. Gawd, can payday please come sooner?

Lucky for me, I had some pictures and a recipe waiting in the wings from last week. Right now, I'm doing the Engine 2 diet. Not because I need to lower my cholesterol (it's never been better!), or because I've strayed off the plant-based path, but because my weight graph on Weight Watchers' website looks like a bunch of Ms and Ws, and I needed something to kick it in the right directions. After two weeks, I'm down 6.5 pounds and feel like I've been scrubbed clean inside. The thing I don't like about it, is the lack of recipes out there. I googled "Engine 2 recipes" and got a lot of stuff from the cookbook. Not a bad thing; because folks who want to do it and not buy the book have a resource, but COME ON. No one's created anything? So, week one of MoFo is all about Engine 2. I'll start with a soup I made last week.

Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes, Apples, and Kale

 (makes a ton)

1 1/2 cups dried green or brown lentils

2 medium red potatoes, diced (leave the skin on)

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 onion, diced

2 apples (I used Granny Smith), cored and diced

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp curry powder

Put all this in a normal-sized slow cooker, and fill almost to the top with water. Cover and cook on low six hours.

Uncover, stir, season to taste (I ended up adding more curry). Then add the following:

1 bunch of dinosaur kale, rinsed and chopped

1 can fire roasted tomatoes with chilis

splash of sherry

Stuff it down in there, cover. Cook on high for about an hour, or until kale is nicely wilted. Serve garnished with avocado or plain, unsweetened soy yogurt.

Updates and a little porn.

Yeah, it's been a while. So sorry, blah blah blah. I haven't posted since...January. Ugh...because, well, number one: Laziness. Followed by boring ass weight loss. Who wants to see pictures of salads? Every day? Also, it appears I've caught the stupids or something, because lately I've been the Typo Queen, and the check I wrote for July's rent looks like it was written with my left hand. I know, practicing writing will make it better, but...

But yeah, mostly laziness.  

Not that I haven't had anything to post. I recently started up a vegan cooking club with a few of my most awesome vegan friends, and we've met up three times now and eaten our weight in delicious vegan yums. Last weekend we gorged on Daiya jalapeno garlic havarti, guacamole made with tequila, pizzagna, and dipped various things into a chocolate fountain. I'm fairly sure that last weekend, along with my birthday excursion to Modern Times, and lunch at the Chicago Diner on the 29th led to a four pound weight gain. So, I'm back to eating rabbit food again. Well, after breakfast.  

 I've been eating a tofu scramble every morning. It's good protein and veggies, which keeps me going for about five hours before I have to eat again. When I eat cereal, it tends to set me up for failure by 11:00am, because it gets my carb cravings going. Today, I made my version of a breakfast sandwich, with I call a "scrammie," and yes, I've annoyed even myself with that Rachael Ray BS. I made a tofu scramble (light on the tofu, heavy on the veggies), and put it on a Bagel Thin with a Sol sausage patty, a lightly dressed cabbage relish, and chili-garlic aioli made from reduced-fat Vegenaise. The whole thing cost me 10 Weight Watchers points (a little more than 1/4 my daily allotment), and was super filling and delicious. That sausage patty was a mere point! I'll be throwing those in the cart every time I go to Whole Foods. I may have to write to them and have the girls sample these things on Midwest Vegan Radio, as well. Good stuff.

Quick and easy breakfast? Don't mind if I do!

I made a huge crockpot of Hoppin' John for my ungrateful coworkers last week, and realized last night that I had a good amount of collards left over. I hate that I always buy more greens than I need and avoid using them due to the mistaken belief that it's too much work. In fact. washing, rolling, and shredding with a knife before quickly sautéing is a lot quicker than waiting for water to boil (and then waiting for said water to cook pasta).

That said, I made a very quick and easy plate of sausage (Gimme Lean; also leftovers) and sautéed greens with mushrooms and cayenne for breakfast. I ended up making a sandwich out of it with those Bagel Thins. Quick, packed with protein, iron, and calcium for a Monday, and delicious.



Easy as Hell Sausages and Greens
Serves 1 or 2

1 tsp olive oil
5 or 6 crimini mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 package of Gimme Lean sausage
dash smoked salt
dash cayenne pepper or hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot; and I sure do put that shit on everything)
3 large collard leaves (cut away the tough stem), rolled and sliced into shreds
juice of 1/2 lemon

Cook the mushrooms, garlic, and sausage in oil. Stir and scrape often. When browned, add greens and a little water. Cook until wilted. Add lemon juice and stir around until evaporated. Serve with toast, rice, or quinoa.

Hey, I said I was going to post more. These aren't all going to be big productions.

2012 Resolutions, Updates, and Pictures

Midnight came and went with hardly an acknowledgment from myself on Sunday. I think this is the first New Year in many, many years that I awakened without a hangover. I had a nasty cold, but that's never stopped me before; alcohol is the Great Alleviator.

One thing I will not forgo is making resolutions. I've made them before and had them stick (quitting smoking, losing weight), with or without stumbling and relapsing. This year, I resolve to blog more often. With that comes creating, experimenting, and experiencing. I also resolve to make more of an effort as an activist. Any lazy sonofabitch can share links on Facebook, but it takes some sacrifice and schedule shuffling to hand out leaflets and talk to people about what it means to be vegan, especially when people just want to fight with you. 2011 was very trying for me in the activist regard; I lost a friend over it, but it made me realize that this is not just something that will eventually pass with me. It's the barometer by which I make any decision. After six years, it's the one thing I've stuck to without a known slip-up; probably because sneaking a cigarette outside a bar or eating an entire pizza after losing 40 pounds only hurts me.

Anyway, here's some pictures I cleaned out of my camera today.

From the night of Paranormal Activity and chocolate-cherry-cheesecake, Aaron's Pumpkin-Pie-in-a-Pumpkin:



From Thanksgiving Day at Dallas & Brandon's:

Wild Mushroom & Walnut Paté (Dallas hates shiitake mushrooms with the fury of a thousand ninjas, but looooved this).



The Beast made another appearance.



Maple glazed carrots.



Creamed spinach and parsnips. This didn't turn out as good as I wanted (but it was much better as leftovers). I'll try it again next Thanksgiving, but now I know how to make it better.



Autumn Latkes from Veganomicon. Props to Brandon for doing all that peeling and shredding. My arthritic hands thank you!



I forgot to take pictures of dessert, which was eggnog pumpkin pie and apple-pear crumble. That just means I need to make them again!

Aaron and Kevin showed up for dessert that day, and showed us a piece from the news that night.

Rescued beagles get normal homes

Then they told us that they were adopting one of the beagles! Meet Kevin Junior:



Junior is still a little scared of stuff, especially doorways. I promised him that whenever I come through a door, I will always have hugs and treats.

That's it for now, but expect more soon. I hope I can keep my word on that.