cream of celery soup with spinach and crispy onion

I'm relatively sure we are all experiencing quite a hot summer, regardless of where we are individually located. While the weather is so scorching, soup might seem to be the last meal on your mind to make, but this Cream of Celery Soup with Spinach and Crispy Onion is light and delicate.

I chose celery as the base of this soup because celery automatically brings to mind a level of coolness and it is easy on the budget.

Since celery is very stringy (in fact, I like to peel my celery before I dip the stalks in any dip) it is imperative that the soup be strained through a fine mesh strainer, otherwise instead of enjoying a delicious soup, you'll find your mouth full of celery fiber.

This is not as difficult as it sounds, and the straining can be accomplished in around five minutes. Transfer your soup to the strainer set over a clean pot and use the back of a ladle to swirl the soup around in the strainer. This motion will effectively push the soup through the strainer without back-aching strain.

There was a comedian on Last Comic Standing a few weeks ago who joked that since celery is about 10 calories, the digestive process requires more energy than the celery provides, therefore you can kill yourself eating celery.

To avoid this calamity, I've added thin ribbons of spinach to increase the nutrition.

The soup is garnished with crispy fried onions, which adds another layer of flavor, and minced celery leaves, which increases the celery flavor.

There is a little bit of vegan cream cheese in the soup and some might be tempted to omit it, however, doing so is the difference between a creamy potato soup with celery and cream of celery soup.

CREAM OF CELERY SOUP WITH SPINACH AND CRISPY ONIONS 

PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Cream of Celery Soup with Spinach and Crispy Onions  

Serves 2 as a meal, 4 as an appetizer

1 tablespoon neutral oil

1 bunch celery, trimmed and chopped, leaves reserved

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium (9 ounces) waxy potatoes, peeled and chopped

pinch cayenne

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

Sea salt and ground white pepper

2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese

1 cup thinly sliced spinach, tough stems removed

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Crispy Onions, recipe below

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the celery and onion. Cook for 2 minutes to soften the vegetables. Add the potato and cayenne. Stir and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the vegetable broth and water. Season with salt and white pepper. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook until the potatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Blend the soup until smooth using an immersion blender or use a standard blender, taking care not to overfill the blender jar. Strain the soup through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pot. Use the back of a ladle, swirling the soup in the strainer, to move the soup through the strainer and into the pot.

3. Return the soup to a simmer, add the spinach and cook gently until the spinach is tender. Stir in the cream cheese, using a wooden spoon to stir until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasoning.

4. Mince the reserved celery leaves and serve the soup garnished with the Crispy Onions and celery leaves.

Crispy Onions

½ medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon arrowroot starch or cornstarch

1 tablespoon neutral onion

1. Toss the onion and arrowroot. Season with salt and black pepper.

2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add the onions, stir with the oil and cook until crispy, stirring occasionally.

© 2014 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

I am linking to these recipe parties: Healthy Vegan Fridays, What I Ate Wednesday, Gluten-Free Fridays and Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck. 

 

    

grilled buffalo tofu po' boy

Ever since Buffalo, New York, introduced Buffalo Wings to the world, buffalo sauce has inserted itself into almost every genre of food. Now you can find all sorts of recipes with buffalo sauce, which is a mixture of butter and hot sauce, from Buffalo Cauliflower, Buffalo Seitan Wings, Buffalo Sandwiches, Buffalo Pizza, Buffalo Shrimp, to Buffalo Chicken Salad, and list goes on.

Traditionally, the item to be sauced is battered and deep fried until crispy and then tossed in the butter and hot sauce mixture. It is then served immediately, to keep the texture crisp, with bleu cheese dressing, which has a cooling effect, thus balancing the heat of the spice.

While I, too, love a great vegan buffalo-ed anything, most of the time the ingredient is deep fried. I wanted to have a buffalo sandwich without all the unnecessary side of fat that usually comes served with the spicy and tangy flavor.

I’ve lightened up the typical buffalo sandwich by eliminating the breading and the need for deep frying the protein. Instead, this sandwich features a grilled tofu and is made into a po’ boy by adding a creamy slaw. The cabbage and apples in the slaw add crunch, the vegan mayo adds creaminess and the vinegar gives it some needed acidity.

The tofu is marinated in the buffalo sauce and then grilled. Once you have the tofu pressed overnight, using a Tofu Xpress or my towel method, this sandwich will come together in about 30 minutes, including marinating. Use a gluten free bread or a gluten-free wrap to make this sandwich completely gluten free.  

GRILLED BUFFALO TOFU PO' BOY PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Cookbook Update: While my upcoming cookbook, Everyday Vegan Eats, has been available for pre-order for a few weeks, Amazon has updated the information on the book. Look-inside is not available, yet, but a few recipes have been published. Check it out! 

And here is another picture from the book, Fried Vegan Omelet.

I am also linking to these recipe parties! The blogs hosting Healthy Vegan Fridays are Suzanne at Hello Veggie, Anna at Herbivore Triathlete, and Kimmy at Rock My Vegan Socks.  

The blog hosting Gluten-Free Fridays is Vegetarian Mamma.

I’ve also decided to submit this dish to What I Ate Wednesday hosted by Peas and Crayons since, well, it will be Wednesday soon enough!

grilled artichoke and quinoa lettuce wraps

It must be spring because I am getting a ton of artichokes in my produce box.

There are many ways to prepare artichokes including steaming, boiling, braising, roasting and grilling. The simplest is to cook them and peel off the leaves, dipping them in warm vegan Hollandaise sauce, the method preferred over all others by the Dever clan. I don't really argue with them since this requires the least prep work on my part.

For better or worse, my box has been so laden with fresh artichokes that we have finally reached the limit of the simple way to eat them; no longer will dipping the leaves and the artichoke hearts in a sauce suffice. The family needed something different.

Here is a good tutorial on how to clean artichokes. After you clean them of the choke, boil them and grill them, as directed in the recipe. If you don't have an abundance of fresh artichokes, don't have the time or the patience to clean them yourself, but you'd still like to make this otherwise fast recipe, use jarred artichoke hearts. I won't tell.

This wrap is made with quinoa, spring onions (or scallions) and lemons, all within the spring theme. If you want to know how to cook quinoa perfectly (and not have to use a microwave ;), it is all spelled out in my upcoming cookbook, Everyday Vegan Eats.

Happy Spring everyone!

GRILLED ARTICHOKE AND QUINOA LETTUCE WRAPS PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

And if you haven't entered the giveaway for Robin Robertson's revised edition of Vegan Planet, do so right HERE. Unless you already have the book, why not? It's an amazing volume that has stood the test of time, now with revised recipes as well as 50 new ones. Contest ends April 11.

Also, be sure to let your friends and family know that the great Meatout is March 20th (tomorrow!). Eat vegan for one day and help the animals and the planet. Pledge HERE.

roasted corn and lime tortilla soup

Ever had the feeling that your head is running in a thousand different directions and your body is needed in a thousand more? We all have! Especially in this day and age, we find ourselves being pulled hither and thither. When your kids are hungry and lunch or dinner needs to be on the table in less than half an hour, what can you do - besides literally phoning it in?

With the writing of my cookbook, Everyday Vegan Eats (available for pre-order ;) complete, life is just beginning to get back to normal at the Dever house. While writing I was able to foist off driving the kids to their activities and making snacks, quite comfortably onto the shoulders of my husband, but now I've no more excuses to get back to cooking. As my family would remind me, it is actually my job, since I am a cook and cookbook author.

Be that as it may, there are times when I can spend luxuriating in the kitchen, there are times when I can spend making comfort foods that everyone enjoys and then there are times that food just needs to be ready in a hurry!

This is a soup I came up with for lunch today, knowing that it had to be ready in under 30 minutes. It has roasted corn, black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, is thickened with baked tortilla chips and is enhanced with a splash of fresh lime juice. As fast as it came together, it was just as delightful.

ROASTED CORN AND LIME TORTILLA SOUP PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Remember how I said I 'd keep posting more pics from the cookbook? Here is a sandwich that would have been quite wonderful with the soup above, and just as quick to throw together.

CALIFORNIA CLUB SANDWICH

And if you haven't entered the giveaway for Robin Robertson's revised edition of Vegan Planet, do so right HERE. Unless you already have the book, why not? It's an amazing volume that has stood the test of time, now with revised recipes as well as 50 new ones. Contest ends April 11.

Also, be sure to let your friends and family know that the great Meatout is March 20th (tomorrow!). Eat vegan for one day and help the animals and the planet. Pledge HERE.


I am also linking to these recipe parties! The blogs hosting Healthy Vegan Fridays are Suzanne at Hello Veggie, Anna at Herbivore Triathlete, and Kimmy at Rock My Vegan Socks.  

The blog hosting Gluten-Free Fridays is Vegetarian Mamma.

I’ve also decided to submit this dish to What I Ate Wednesday hosted by Peas and Crayons since, well, it will be Wednesday soon enough!

indonesian stir-fried noodles + "one-dish vegan" winner

Use the Left and Right Arrow keys to navigate through this blog.

It was my youngest daughter’s birthday yesterday – she turned 14. She likes to think that now she is officially a teenager, as 13 was just too close to being a “tween.” She requested a strawberry-lemonade birthday cake for her party and a spaghetti bar, complete with vegan meatballs and homemade sauce. She got all three.

If you are interested in seeing just exactly what a “strawberry-lemonade” cake might look like, I have it posted on my facebook page here. Holler for the recipe – I’m happy to share.

Since her birthday week menu officially ended yesterday, having consisted of "healthful" fare such as vegan pups in a blanket, pizza, vegan broccoli cheese soup (this actually being the better of her choices!), vegan shamrock shake and other cookies and sweets, I decided to make something for lunch today that was full of veggies, as it was woefully lacking this past week.

For lunch today we had Indonesian Stir-Fried Noodles with baby kale, cabbage and broccoli. A very fast and easy dish to toss together in under 30 minutes even if you have to cook the pasta first; just chop the veggies while the water boils.

Indonesian Stir-Fried Noodles Recipe

On a separate note, I have recently discovered vegan recipe parties that a few blogs are hosting and since this was a delicious, easy and healthy meal, I have decided to enter this recipe. The blogs hosting Healthy Vegan Fridays are Suzanne at Hello Veggie, Anna at Herbivore Triathlete, and Kimmy at Rock My Vegan Socks.  

The blog hosting Gluten-Free Fridays is Vegetarian Mamma.

I’ve also decided to submit this dish to What I Ate Wednesday hosted by Peas and Crayons since, well, it is Wednesday and all!

Finally, to wrap things up and leave no string unattached, today is the day to announce the winner of One-Dish Vegan by Robin Robertson. Her new book features such completely amazing meals such as …., … and ….. If you weren’t lucky enough (and I am so so sorry about that!) to win my copy, I encourage you to get one anyway; it is a really great book, with creative and wonderfully tasty meals. Since I've made around 30 or so recipes from it, I know!

The winner of Robin’s book is comment number: 25 by Timi Caswell.

Please respond to zsu at zsusveganpantry dot com with your mailing address so I can get this to you asap!

And a big thank you to everyone for entering! I will be hosting more giveaways next month, so bookmark this site, or follow via those handy buttons on the top right of this blog.

All the best,

Zsu

back to basics - fast and easy brown rice

Brown rice is something we all know we should include in our diet in lieu of white rice. This is more challenging to do in the sense that when brown rice is traditionally cooked, in the proper ratio of water to rice, the rice takes almost an hour to cook and at times is not cooked properly. I've had brown rice that was overcooked, undercooked, mushy, hard as a rock, etc. 

Here is the perfect way to cook long grain brown rice every single time. It turns out fluffy, each grain separate, tender and, best of all, is ready in around 20 minutes.  

Long Grain Brown Rice - Fast and Easy

The Process:

Step 1. Bring a pot of water to boil, about 1.5 quarts of water per cup of rice. Season the water with salt and add the long grain brown rice. Continue to lightly boil the rice until it is tender. Start checking if the rice is tender after 15 minutes of cooking.  

Step 2. When the rice is tender drain it.

Step 3. Return the rice to the hot pot it was cooked in and cover with a kitchen towel and then with a lid.

Step 4. Allow the rice to steam (using its own residual heat) for 5 minutes. This step absorbs excess moisture and leaves each grain fluffy.

The Result. Perfectly cooked brown rice in about 20 minutes.

chickpeas and couscous with lemon-caper sauce

Chickpeas and Couscous with Lemon-Caper Sauce Recipe

Very simple and easy weeknight dish! This meal is ready almost as soon as your couscous is  done cooking. It is also very versatile - you can add whatever vegetables you'd like to - be they steamed, roasted or sauteed. The lemon is just enough to add a twang to the dish, but certainly another squeeze can be added by the diner at the table.

I used chickpeas in this because you need a firm enough legume to give some body to the dish. I also added kale as my choice of vegetable, because, well, how can you go wrong? 

And that's it.. couscous  kale, chickpeas, capers and lemon are the main components, with some white wine and vegan butter to round things out.

I had dinner on the table in 15 minutes. Nothing fancy, just a delicious, simple, easy to make meal when you are tired and hungry.

Cost Breakdown:

couscous: $.75
chickpeas: $2
kale, parsley, capers: $3
lemon, butter, stock, wine: $1.50

Total to make 4 servings:
$7.25

greek chopped salad + pickled onions and creamy dressing

GREEK CHOPPED SALAD PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Creamy Greek Dressing Recipe

The beauty of a chopped salad is that you get to have everything that is in the salad in every single bite. And the joy of a chopped salad is that you personally prepare every single of those bites as you dice all of the ingredients. 

A bowl of love. 

The roasted pepper here is freshly roasted. I love the aroma the house assumes as a fresh pepper is being charred. And really, it is so easy. This recipe calls for a roasted red pepper. You can use jarred, but the time it takes from stove-top burner to bowl is just enough time to cook the pepper yourself.

 Roast the pepper on your burner, turning it a few times until it is charred, throw it into a bowl, cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and allow it to steam for 15 minutes. Remove wrap, place pepper on wrap and, using your hands, peel and seed. Place pepper in the now empty bowl. Head to the sink to wash your hands (not the pepper!), return to the plastic wrap, fold it over a few times and toss. Chop pepper.

 See how simple? 

That gorgeous pink-ish red onion on top of the salad is quickly pickled, thereby removing the "bite" of a raw onion, and is ready by the time your salad and pepper is also done, around 30 minutes.

The dressing here is a cross between creamy-style and a vinaigrette --- really the best of both kinds of dressings.

The "feta" is homemade. It is turning out better and better each time I make it, so look for the recipe real soon. Incidentally, it is raw, using the same technique that rejuvelac-inspired raw cheeses are based on, so just use one of those raw cheeses (or any creamy cheese - diced Daiya Wedges would be great!) as your feta replacement.

The salad is packed with protein, including beans and kale, in addition to cucumbers, olives, tomatoes, romaine and carrots.

We loved this salad!

Cost Breakdown

lettuce, kale: $3

cuke, tomato, onion, carrot: $3

dressing: $1

beans: $2

olives: $.50

Total to make 6 servings:

$9.50

classic mushroom stroganoff

RECIPE UPDATE: this dish has been tested and revised and will be featured in the upcoming cookbook "Everyday Vegan Eats," by Zsu Dever.

I lied; this is not a "classic" stroganoff, since classic stroganoff contains no mushrooms. However, it has since (since classic times?) become so traditional to add 'shrooms to this dish, that it has come to be associated as a staple of it. Besides, who is to say that it is not part of the recipe, for that very reason. Sort of like new words in a dictionary. If  "e.v.o.o."  can be added by Webster, then you and I can subscribe mushrooms as part of a classic stroganoff . 

Stroganoff is typically thin beef slices in a creamy, beefy sauce. It is also usually served over pasta, but it certainly does not have to be. I do not see the importance that beef (or substitutes thereof) can add to this dish; it is perfection all in its glorious mushroom-self. In fact, that broth that precludes the sauce, owes part of its glory to the mushrooms. 

I call this "classic" not only because of the aforementioned pseudo-crisis, but because I used vegan commercial sour cream (replacing dairy sour cream). I have a recipe, Eggplant and Zucchini Stroganoff, that makes use of homemade cashew cream, so take a gander over yonder if that's what floats your boat. 

The sauce is creamy and "beefy" without the unnecessary addition of meat.
 A great Meatless Monday Meal for the newly initiated!

Cost Breakdown

mushrooms: $5
vegan sour cream, broth: $1.50
dijon, tomato paste, spices: $.75
pasta: $3

Total to make 4 servings:
$10.25

loaded nachos

Back in Texas, before we were vegan, or even vegetarian for that matter, David was supremely fond of Chili con Queso, cheese sauce with chilies. Having grown up near the border, he tends to be particularly fussy regarding Mexican-style food - especially this cheese sauce. 

I have been working on making a cheese sauce that does not utilize commercial brands of cheese such as Follow Your Heart and Daiya and still tastes like cheese; this is just what I have come up with. David was extremely happy and satisfied with this recipe, and if you have fond memories of creamy, velvety, cheese sauce, I encourage you to give this a try. 

The sauce is great as is, but because he was a dedicated fan of the Chile con Queso, I made this version with diced tomatoes and diced chilies. 

 The recipe uses roasted red peppers, which have a tendency to mold before being used all up, so after giving this recipe a try and deciding that it will be a regular meal ingredient, measure out your three tablespoons portions into ice cube containers or just mounded on a cookie sheet. Freeze and move the frozen mounds of red pepper into a freezer bag. Thaw a portion a bit before making a batch of the sauce and you won't again be reaching into your fridge only to find ruined red peppers.

We wound up licking the bowl clean and making it a requirement that the kids learn how to make this in order to ensure them a more delicious future. The sauce is easy enough to make and truly worth the effort.

Cost Breakdown

beans: $2

chips: $3

olives, onions, jalapeno, lettuce, avocado: $2.50

sauce: $2

tomato and chili: $2

Total to make 5 servings:

$11.50

spicy tomato and asparagus with linguine

 Pasta dishes have a tendency to be quick, easy and tasty - as long as you have a good recipe. This recipe fits the bill on all counts. I have been noticing that I have this intense need for quick meals that at least three-fifth of the household at least likes. See.. I don't have unrealistic expectations. 

This meal, Spicy Tomato and Asparagus with Linguine, takes around 30 minutes to make .. for real. The sauce is made using some olive oil, onion, garlic, grape or cherry tomatoes, red pepper and a bit of sherry or broth. Some chili flakes add a spicy touch and the additional vegetable creates variety. I used asparagus as the addition, but other vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, green beans or zucchini, would all be ideal choices. 

I love using linguine in this, but again, the shape is up to the cook. Spaghetti would be great or any pasta with little nooks and crannies, where the sauce can cling to, work well. 

Basil or fresh parsley finishes the dish. 

Delicious and very versatile. Four of us loved it and found ourselves getting another and another bowl of the pasta. Luckily, we use small bowls.

Cost Breakdown

pasta: $2
tomatoes: $4
parsley: $.50
asparagus: $4
pepper: $1
onion, garlic, olive oil, spices: $1
Total to make 6 servings:
$12.50

Spicy Tomato and Asparagus with Linguine Recipe

  

PPK american vegan kitchen apps

Post Punk Kitchen continued with American Vegan Kitchen.

Tonight we enjoyed a trio of appetizers from AVK, by Tamasin Noyes.  We have a Halloween Party coming up and I figured since Tami has some great apps in AVK I would use my family as humane test-subjects. The kids asked if indeed this was dinner, but, my all-powerful-and-knowing-self knew they wouldn't need more food after these.

Baked Poppers with Lime Cream, Deli Reubenettes and Stick-to-Your-Ribs Pot-Sticker.

Quite a line up!

The Poppers are supposed to be jalapenos, but I wanted the kids to try them, so I used small sweet peppers. David and I really liked these and even some of the non-pepper-hating-kids (Cat) liked them. They turned out crispy and crunchy from the oven - just make sure to broil them a bit at the end if the panko seems to be too light. 

AVK Correction: The oil in the 7-in-1 Seasoning Recipe (p. 53) is not supposed to be in there, so omit it. 
(This has been confirmed with Tami.)

Next, the Pot-sticker. The filling was a breeze to assemble! That is when the wind was knocked out of me ... those little wrappers take a village to assemble, forget raising any kids... unless you raise them to help assemble their dinner. No wonder people who are in the know gather in groups to assemble these diminutive packages of food...tamales, stuffed cabbage, pot-stickers, raviolis, egg-rolls, steamed buns, etc. Good thinking, folks! Nevertheless, they are worth it! Stuff and seal..stuff and seal..stuff and...

Last, the Deli Reubenettes stole the dinner by a long shot. NONE of these were left over and I even made about 1/2 a recipe more than the book allocated. Call it a mother's intuition. I changed up the presentation (and therefore the assembly) of these since I was so tired of encasing food in small packages. Instead of stuffing the filling into a triangular package of puff pastry, I cut the pastry into rectangles, baked them, separated each square into two parts, topped each part with a tablespoon of filling and a dollop of the dipping sauce. The puff pastry goes a long way with this method, and my back is saved from a proportional amount of packing-pain. Win-win. And totally a do-again. Nice job, Tami. This is on the Halloween Party platter, but Cat suggested we add green food-coloring to the dipping sauce to make it festive. Ye-ah!

From left: Jalapeno Poppers, Reubennettes, Potstickers

chiocciole with vodka sauce

Butter and Cream. Two highly difficult, if not impossible, flavors to veganize well.

Vodka Sauce is a basic tomato sauce, with vodka added, and at the end, cream stirred in. There are many 'creamer' substitutes on the market, Silk, So Delicious Coconut, and Mimic are a few that come to mind. Any of these would be appropriate to use as a creamer substitute (make sure they are unsweetened). For this recipe I used readily available vegan sour cream (I am not sure about this claim globally) and non-dairy milk instead of dairy cream. I normally use homemade almond or cashew cream, but I have noticed that these 'break' when heated, so if using nut creamers made at home (without the laboratory-induced stabilizers), do not heat the sauce after adding the 'cream.'

Since this is a Vodka Sauce, use a vegan vodka (Absolut, Skyy, Stoli are vegan friendly according to Barnivore.com.), but you won't need much, so unless you are also throwing a vegan dinner party, buy small or have an after dinner cocktail.

The pasta I tossed this with is called Chiocciole. Simple sauce on unique macaroni.

I tend not to cook a whole pound of pasta for our family of five as we tend to have too much leftover, but I did this time. Creamy sauces are a favorite at our house and the lack of other vegetables to round out the dish made me sure that the family was going to pile on the starch. As predicted, there was very little leftover, and what remained was secretly eaten by a lucky breakfast-er. If it was solely up to me, this would have been Pasta Primavera with Vodka Sauce - with the addition of lots of sauteed vegetables. I gave in this time and let the majority's voice rule. Just every once in a while. 

Cost Breakdown

pasta: $3
tomatoes: $2
vodka: $.50
vegan sour cream and milk: $1.50
onion, garlic, herbs: $1.50
Total to make 5 servings:
$8.50

  

tamale pie

Continental Night

Tamales are a beautiful thing!

But, they are not quick and easy to make!

You need to make the batter and spread it onto some kind of cooking pouch: corn husks, banana leaves or even just parchment paper. Then each one has to have a filling, each needs to be wrapped and cooked. This takes time. And while the whole endeavour is worth all the work - especially for a special occasion - for everyday eating a Tamale Pie makes more practical sense.

The dough is masa harina with seasoning and non-dairy milk. It is then spread into a pie plate and baked until it is a little dry. Do not over bake it, since it won't have that wonderful tender texture - it'll be dry and crispy. Add some filling - in this case a black bean and tomato mixture - and a bit of Daiya or other vegan cheese, bake for a few more minutes and enjoy with guacamole, vegan sour cream or salsa.

Cost Breakdown

masa harina, spices: $1.50

milk, Daiya: $4

black beans, tomatoes: $3

onion, garlic, pepper: $1

Total to make 8 servings (2 pie plates):

$9.50

Tamale Pie Recipe