Broccoli Soup

After much discussion with Megan and Jessica about this broccoli soup, I just had to try it.  I've made recipes from Oh She Glows before, so I knew it would be good.  I also knew it would be heavy on the nutritional yeast, which is fine, but as much as I love nutritional yeast it can get to be a bit much sometimes.  I followed the recipe exactly, but maybe next time I would cut back on the nutritional yeast a bit.   Otherwise it was delicious and exactly what I wanted on this not-so-cold December day.  (It's 75 outside right now.)

Here is the recipe from ohsheglows.com:

Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:

• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 4-4.5 cups chopped broccoli florets (2 heads, stems removed)
• 1.5 cups peeled & chopped potatoes (about 3)
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or crushed red pepper flakes)
• Low-fat vegan cheeze sauce, divided (see below for recipe)
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
• herbamare & onion powder, to taste
• Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh minced parsley, plus more to garnish
• Daiya cheese, to garnish
• Smoked Paprika, to garnish (optional)

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil, onion, and garlic over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Cook for about 5-6 mins.
2. Add in the celery, broccoli, and potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Now, add the broth, nutritional yeast, and cayenne pepper and simmer for another 15 mins or so until the potatoes are just fork tender.
3. Meanwhile, prepare your cheeze sauce (see below) while the soup simmers.
4. Carefully transfer the soup (in two batches) into a blender. Blend until almost smooth (I left it a bit chunky, but you can blend as much as you wish) and place back into the pot. Stir in the cheeze sauce, reserving 1/3 cup for later.
5. Stir in optional lemon juice, salt, pepper, and optional herbamare all to taste. Finally, stir in the minced parsley and spoon into bowls.
6. Top the soup with croutons, Daiya cheese, remaining cheeze sauce, and smoked paprika.

Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/2011/12/20/broccoli-cheeze-soup/#ixzz2oPo8Z5Zv

Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta

This always happens when I see Mac and Cheese on a menu or have to make it for the kids I'm babysitting:  I instantly crave this classic comfort food and HAVE TO MAKE IT ASAP.

Not only did I see it on the menu at Sublime in San Marcos the other day, but Mac and Cheese was featured on a local news segment in the morning.  The nutritionist was talking about how to make "Kid Food" healthier and still delicious.  She threw a bunch of ingredients in a pot, including butternut squash, and talked about how this dish could be totally vegan by just leaving out the butter and not adding the parmesan sprinkled on at the end.  Bingo.  That was what I was making for dinner.

I tried to find her recipe on the news station's website, but it must not have been updated yet.  I found this one from Oh She Glows instead.  It looked to be about the same.  I didn't title this dish as a "Mac and Cheese" because it wasn't as cheesy-tasting as some of the other ones I've made.  It was more just deliciously creamy. 

It is a bit time-intensive with roasting the squash and everything, but it was worth it in the end.  The dish was really good and flavorful.  I'm always suspicious of how my omnivore husband is going to respond to substitution dishes like this, but he loved it and ate a huge plate piled high with the creamy pasta.  We discovered that sprinkling some Tapa Tio hot sauce on it was AMAZING.  The spicy sauce complemented the sweet, creaminess of the butternut squash perfectly.  I only added two garlic cloves, and it probably could have used one or two more.  I also added some chopped Kale and chunks of the roasted butternut squash.

Chili

I think this might be the best chili I've ever made, and my husband said the key is to let it sit for twenty-four hours.  Because that's exactly what I did and it was amazing.

I made this chili yesterday.  As in, ALL DAY yesterday.  First you have to soak and drain the beans, and then simmer the beans, and then add all the ingredients and cook it for two hours.  And then let it sit overnight.  I'm not joking when I say it's an all day project.

It was well worth it.

Here's the original recipe from Oh She Glows:

The only thing I did differently was not add the last six ingredients (just because I didn't have them.)
And I didn't make the cornbread.

Other than that, it turned out great.  This is a great recipe!

Yield: 5 cups
Ingredients:

• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
• 2.5 tbsp chili powder, or to taste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or crushed red pepper flakes)
• 1/2 cup dry/uncooked black eyed peas
• 3/4 cup dry/uncooked black beans
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes, liquid drained
• 2 tbsp tomato paste, to thicken
• 1 tbsp chia seeds (or ground flax), to thicken
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2 tbsp your fav BBQ sauce
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• couple handfuls of chopped spinach, or other greens like collard, kale, etc

1. Soak the beans in water overnight or for at least 3-4 hours. This part is optional, but it helps reduce cook time and makes the beans more digestible. Rinse and drain beans before using. In a large pot, add the oil and sauté the onion and garlic over medium-low heat for about 5-6 minutes, until translucent.
2. Add in the pepper and optional jalapeno and sauté for another 3-5 minutes.
3. Stir in the spices (chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne) and sauté on low another couple minutes. If you want, you can add just a bit for now and then add the rest to taste after it has cooked.
4. Add the dry black beans and black eyed peas, broth, and drained diced tomatoes. Stir well. Now stir in the tomato paste. Simmer on low with the lid ajar for about 2.5 hours, checking often to make sure it doesn’t dry out. If it does, add a bit more broth to thin out.
5. About 15 minutes before it’s done cooking, stir in the chia seeds, corn, and chopped greens. The chia helps thicken the chili. Also stir in the BBQ sauce, starting with 1 tbsp at a time and tasting as you go. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Can be made 2-3 days in advance and frozen if preferred.
Note: You can probably use canned beans, but you won’t need as much broth. I would add it slowly.