Curried Pumpkin Soup

This soup is delicious!  I had a couple of small bowls and my husband ate the rest of the pot in one night!  Do you think he liked it?

I had also made a big beautiful salad.  It was a perfect light meal. I love cooking food for my husband!  He is so appreciative and complimentary and gets such pleasure in eating the delicious vegan food I make. I’m thinking of making this again for a first course for Thanksgiving.  It has the perfect blend of sweet and savory flavors.  I think even the younger kids will like it! Here’s the recipe from Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook.  I only made a few changes.  I used half of the amount of Earth Balance and two cans of pumpkin from Trader Joe’s. Deelish!

Tags: curry, Pumpkin, soup

A Visual Tour of My Saturday Morning in Ann Arbor

Okay, this has nothing at all to do with being vegan.  However, wouldn’t it be nice if all these Mud Bowl participants and spectators were vegan?

Giant Rutabagas at Farmer’s Market!  My mother-in-law introduced me to the delights of eating these monster vegetables.  So, so good!  By the time I saw these, I already had too many veggies to cook up so I checked with the farmer to make sure she would have some next week and the answer was Yes!

Have you been to the Spice Merchants at Kerrytown Market yet?  They carry an amazing array of spices, teas and grains as well as artisan crafted sea salts beyond your imagination.  All of their offerings are arranged in such an aesthetically pleasing display that invites you to look into each jar and be surprised by what it holds.  Yes, that’s Wild Porcini Sea Salt, Vintage Merlot Sea Salt and Spanish Rosemary Sea Salt.

Black Lava Sea Salt, White Cypress Sea Salt and Pink Hawaiian Sea Salt

Habanero Sea Salt, Chile Verde Sea Salt and Chipotle Sea Salt

Those pictured are just a few samples of the varieties of sea salt offered at this treasure of a shop.  I’m going to attempt to make some vegan candy and caramels so I bought some Fleur de Sel Sea Salt and some Candied Ginger.

After shopping for my sweet nephew, Gianni’s, birthday gift, I headed home with my goodies.  I didn’t even show you the tomatoes, kale, spinach, radishes or spicy salad mix I bought!

Here, however, is my giant parsnip!  All ready to be peeled and chopped to go into……..

Quinoa, White Bean and Kale Stew from Appetite for Reduction. Healthy, Delicious, Comfort Food!  Mine looks very pretty with the red quinoa I bought at Spice Merchants!

Tags: Kale, Parsnips, Quinoa

Luscious Lasagna from VegNews

I love getting VegNews.  I am in general, surrounded  by mostly omnivores.  When I flip through my VegNews Magazine, being vegan feels like the new “normal”.  In these pages, I am treated to a global community of like-minded individuals sharing their resources, recipes, wisdom and compassion.  I feel so much less alone in my vegan living and very supported.  So I send a heartfelt Thank You! to VegNews for making my world a better place!

The new issue (Nov./Dec.) has a recipe for this Luscious Lasagna in the VeganizeIt column by Allison Rivers Samson.  I was looking for something like this to take to a friend who has just moved into a new home.  This is her special housewarming gift, along with a delicious salad, some Zingerman’s Paesano Bread, Coconut Bliss and double chocolate cookies for dessert.  She’s not vegan so I feel like I’m doing my little part by sharing with nonvegans how good vegan food can be!

Tags: Vegan, Vegan Italian, VeganizeIt, VegNews

Hoisin -Braised Baby Bok Choy and Crimini Mushrooms

This was only slightly changed from a recipe from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson.  The sauce ingredients include hoisin sauce, tamari, sake, water, ginger, garlic and dried chiles. Cooking slowly over a low heat allows the sauce to be absorbed by the bok choy and mushrooms.  It called for fresh shiitake mushrooms and I only had baby bellas on hand, so that’s what I used.  I also added some savory baked tofu from Trader Joe’s to make it a little heartier meal served with brown basmati rice.  It was scrumpdillyicious!

As a side note, check out all the possible vegan food your local Trader Joe’s might carry!

Tags: Robin Robertson, Trader Joe's, Vegan, Vegan Planet

Vegan Fare at the Jolly Pumpkin

I was walking around downtown Ann Arbor last week on my assignment from VegMichigan to help update their website of Ann Arbor Restaurants with vegan fare.  I passed by the Jolly Pumpkin and was delighted to notice several vegan options on their menu including a vegan chocolate cake!  So, of course, I invited my dear husband out to dinner last Saturday night, our long-standing date night.  We hadn’t been to the Jolly Pumpkin for many months and only a handful of times since their opening in September of 2009.  It was hopping busy at 8:30 when we arrived so we hovered near the bar hoping for a couple of bar stools to open up.  About 15 minutes later we had prime seats and were happy to see the television sets at the bar tuned to the MSU vs Wisconsin game.  I don’t follow football much but my husband let me know these were two of the best teams to watch.  If you missed this game, try to find the highlights.  It was amazing!

Anyway, back to the food!  I was feeling like a sandwich so after my husband ordered the Truffled French Fries for his appetizer, I ordered the Red Thai Tofu sandwich.  I subbed out the fries for a nice green salad instead.  It was all so delicious!  The grilled bread was a bit too oily but otherwise I loved the flavors and texture of this sandwich. It also came with a pickled zucchini wedge that was a surprise treat.  Forgive the picture above as it does the fabulous taste an injustice.  I also had a Oro de Calabaza, the Belgian-style ale the New York Times had voted their number one favorite in February 2010.  It was yummy and refreshing with a luscious citrus taste.

Other options on the menu for vegans included an appetizer of Grilled flatbread with Three Spreads.  They also had a Smoked Tofu Salad and an Asian Layered Salad.   Several of the items seem like they could be easily veganized by leaving off the cheese, including the pizzas.  I was too full to try the Vegan Chocolate Cake, which it turns out seems to be provided by Avalon International Bakery in Detroit.  I will definitely be back again soon and be sure to save some room in my belly!  Check out the Jolly Pumpkin’s menu here.

Tags: Ann Arbor, Vegan

Cranberry Walnut Tabbouleh

I found some fresh mint at the Farmer’s Market last Saturday and wanted to use more of the parsley that is still overflowing in my herb pot on the deck.  The first thing I think of when I think of parsley and mint is tabbouleh.   This tabbouleh is not your traditional one with tomatoes and cucumbers but a little sweeter and chewier with dried cranberries and chopped walnuts that have been toasted.  It’s become a family favorite.  I hope you enjoy it, too!

Cranberry Walnut Tabbouleh

1 cup bulgur wheat

1 cup boiling water

1 cup chopped fresh cranberries (I used dried instead and added it to the bulgur before I added the hot water)

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 minced red onion

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 1/2 tablespoons walnut oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine bulgur and 1 cup boiling water in a large bowl.  Cover and let stand 30 minutes or until water is absorbed.  Fluff bulgur mixture with a fork.  Stir in rest of ingredients and toss gently to combine.

Tags: salads

Lightly Steamed Kale with Tahini Sauce is My Latest Addiction

So, I’m imagining you’ve heard or read about the wonders of kale.  Much has been written in the last few years about it’s “power food” status and how it’s insanely good for you. It’s packed with Vitamins A & C, and is also rich in beta carotene, potassium, calcium, and phytonutrients that are believed to help fight cancer and repair cells.  I personally never ate kale before I became vegan, except maybe to add it to some soups occasionally.  So getting to know a new food and discovering tasty ways to prepare it has been a fun learning edge for me, especially when I land on a recipe that is so delightfully delicious, like the raw kale salad I posted about awhile back.  I never would have thought that I would end up craving kale on a daily basis.

This last week I went through my farmer’s market  kale stash faster than ever so I was determined to get plenty today.  I usually buy Dino (Lacinato) Kale or Curly Kale but today I bought Curly Kale, Russian Kale (which I’ve learned is a type of Curly Kale) and a new (to my taste buds) variety called White Russian Kale (a flat leaf variety).

                                                                          Curly Kale

                                                                          Russian Kale

                                                                          White Russian Kale

So, as I said in my post title, I’m lately addicted to lightly steamed kale with this Tahini Sauce from Vegan Coach.

Here’s some links to some other great kale recipe and resource blogs.

Tags: Kale