Creamy Garlic Potato Soup

Its winter here, sort of.  Well, it doesn't feel like a Minnesota winter, at least.  Its been a "not so frigid" winter here in Northern Minnesota, and I am very thankful!  But, of course, it has still been chilly outside.  (We may never see a "California winter" on this side of the country, although, I wouldn't mind it at all one bit.)  So, what have I been making throughout the coarse of this winter?  Soup!  Soups are easy to throw together, and that is probably why I have been making them for most of our meals lately.  I'm 4 weeks away from meeting our little girl, so anything and everything simple and easy to make in the kitchen I have been preparing.

This Creamy Garlic Potato Soup is amazing.  You will enjoy every last spoonful!  I usually double or quadrupedal this recipe, especially when you have company for dinner.  Serve it with some homemade bread, and you're speaking my language.



Creamy Garlic Potato Soup


2 TB olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
8-10 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups water (or vegetable broth)
8 Tsp vegetable broth powder or chicken-like seasoning (if you use water instead of broth)
6 cups potatoes, diced
1 cup low-fat sour cream (or Tofutti Sour Cream)
4 TB fresh dill, chopped (or 4 Tsp dried dill)
Salt to taste (optional)


1.  In large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute until translucent; add garlic to onions and saute an additional 2-3 minutes.
2.  Add water (and broth or seasoning mix) and bring to a boil.  Add potatoes and return to boil.  Reduce heat to medium and boil gently for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
3.  Take off heat, let cool down a little.  Working with half the mixture at a time, transfer to food processor or blender.  Process until pureed and smooth.  Return to pot.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Stir over low heat until heated through.  Serve warm.  Garnish with fresh dill if desired.   

Note:  If serving the next day, you can add the dill and salt at the end and refrigerate.  Then, when you are serving the soup, you can add the sour cream right before you serve it, or you may put it on the table and people may use a dollop as a garnish on top, if desired.  That way when you heat the soup up again it does not go sour-tasting because the sour cream had already been added to it, and it tastes much better in the end.  This is the way I serve it, unless I am bringing it for a main-coarse dish for potluck.  Bon Appetite!

Broccoli Un-Cheese Soup

This is the soup I have been craving for a while.  But, to find time in the kitchen to actually make it, that's another story.  During my pregnancy so far, I have been so busy with work, keeping the house maintained, and food on the table.  My only project right now (when I have time) is getting the baby's room ready.  So, needless to say, I was excited when today I actually have the time- and extra energy- to make this yummy soup! 

Okay.  You know that really delicious, comforting, Broccoli and Cheese "restaurant-style soup" we eat in the winter time?  The one that coats your belly as well as your palate?  Well, this is that soup that does all that and more- but without the side of guilt.  You can feel good about serving this to your family, because it is gluten-free, dairy-free, but certainly NOT taste-free! 


Broccoli Un-Cheese Soup


2 cups potatoes, cubed
2 cups carrots, cubed
1 med-large onion, chopped
3/4 cup raw cashews (or blanched-slivered almonds)
1 pound (4 cups) fresh or frozen broccoli, cut into 2 inch pieces
3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2-3 TB McKay's Chicken Seasoning (or alternative)
2-3 TB Celtic grey sea salt (to taste)


1.  Place potatoes in small pot, cover with water.  Bring to boil, cook until tender.
2.  Place carrots and onion in another small pot, cover with water.  Bring to boil, cook until carrots are tender.
3.  Once potatoes are tender, place in Vitamix or blender with cashews & 2-3 cups of cooking water.  Blend until very smooth.  Add to big soup pot.
4.  Place broccoli in potato pot, cover with water, bring to a boil.  Blanch a few minutes, until tender.  (You may also steam the broccoli if you'd prefer.)
5.  Once carrots are tender, put the mix into blender with some of the cooking water.  Blend until very smooth.  Add to big soup pot.
6.  Put broccoli and its water into blender.  Pulse, or blend for several seconds until everything is broken up small.  strain out broccoli, and add to big soup pot.
7.  To soup pot mixture, add yeast flakes, chicken seasoning, and salt.  Whisk everything until incorporated fully.  Add more salt to taste.  Voila!  Bon appetite!

Home-style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Any vegans missing that classic homemade chocolate chip cookie indulgence?  Well, now you can indulge without need for the dairy, eggs, white sugar, or even refined flour if you choose.  These cookies can even be made wheat-free substituting spelt flour for wheat flour.  One other bonus: these are super-easy to make!

Home-style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 18-24 regular sized cookies

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (see note)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unrefined sugar
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon Black strap molasses
1 TB pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips


Instructions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
2.  In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
3.  Add the sugar and salt, and stir until well combined.
4.  In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup with the molasses and vanilla, then stir in the oil until well combined.
5.  Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just well combined (do not over-mix).
6.  Place large spoonfuls of the batter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten a little. 7.  Bake for 11 minutes, until just golden (if you bake for much longer, they will dry out).
8.  Let cool on the sheet for no more than 1 minute (again, to prevent drying), then transfer to a cooling rack.


Note:  These cookies freeze well after they are baked.  What I like to do is make extra cookie batter, place on cookie sheets, and freeze instead of baking.  Then take them out of the freezer, and put into a plastic freezer bag.  Then, whenever you crave a fresh-baked cookie, you don't have to worry about making the dough! 

Note: Unbleached all-purpose flour or spelt flour produces a more classic cookie taste and texture, but you can use whole-wheat pastry flour and still get a delicious cookie. For a wheat-free version, use spelt flour, but add an extra 2-4 tablespoons of the spelt flour to the dry mix (the amount needed varies with brand of spelt flour and whether you are using a refined spelt flour versus a less processed spelt flour).

Note: If, as you are mixing together your batter it appears quite floury and thick, simply mix together a couple of teaspoons more canola and maple syrup and incorporate it into the batter. Sometimes humidity, type of flour used, and other factors can affect the density of the batter and so a touch more liquid may be needed.

Roasted Garlic Pesto

I make a bunch of this and freeze it so I can have good pesto whenever I want!!!  YAY!

Roasted Garlic Pesto
Yield: 4 servings

15 peeled cloves of garlic (1 head)

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 2-oz package basil, chopped (1 bunch)

2 tbsp + 1/4 cup olive oil, divided

Salt to taste (about 1/2 to 1 tsp)

Preheat oven to 375°F

1.  In a small baking dish, toss garlic with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
2.  Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
3.  In a food processor, combine roasted garlic, pine nuts, basil, remaining olive oil, and salt, processing until smooth.  Also, you can add salt to taste.

Easy Homemade Granola

Easy Homemade Granola
yields: a huge cereal container full


13 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 cup water
1 to 1 1/4 cup maple syrup
1 TB Celtic grey sea salt
1 TB vanilla
1/2 cup light oil


1.  In a very large mixing bowl, toss together oats, pecans, and coconut.
2.  In Vitamix or other blender, add water, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla.  Blend until very smooth (about 2 minutes).
3.  Then add in the oil.  Blend for 20-30 seconds.
4.  Pour wet mixture on the dry oats, and toss with hands until oats are coated with mixture.
5.  Place granola on 2 large cookie sheets.  Bake at 170 or 175 degrees for 8 hours to dry out.
6.  The next morning, you may mix in dried fruit, small dates, raisins, etc.  Then place in storage container. 
7.  Enjoy!

Variation:  Use almonds in place of pecans, and honey in place of maple syrup. 

Rich Chocolate Pudding

Rich Chocolate Pudding


1 pkg 14 oz. silken tofu
1/3 cup agave
1/8-1/4 cup cocoa powder (depends on how rich you want it)
1 TB vanilla
1 big pinch of salt

1.  Blend everything in a food processor until very, very smooth.
2.  Chill, serve.