Chow Vegan

I’ve been making a lot of soup lately even with the flip floppy weather. Specifically chowder, chipotle chowder. It all started when I dug up Vegan Yum Yum. It’s one of those cookbooks purchased long ago but never really saw any action. It just sat languishing on the bookshelf. Then one day, I made the Chipotle Basil Corn Chowder.

I really liked the spicy taste the chipotle added so I kept making it. And making it. Little changes crept in each time. Basil got dropped as it was no longer summer. Then the lime went. It started to merge closer to the version that I used to make.

Next thing I knew, the chowder had evolved into something else entirely. It’s still a corn chowder but now it has cauliflower and sweet potato too (results of an everything but the kitchen sink moment).

My newest thing is topping the chowder with Kale Sprinkles. I found them at the Kaia Foods booth at the College of San Mateo farmers market. They’re basically the crumbled parts of their regular dehydrated kale chip product, Kale Krunch. Available in several flavors, Quite Cheesy, Southwest Ranch, Cheezy Chipotle and Tarragon Dijon. Highly addictive, I’ve been sprinkling them on everything.

I usually freeze at least part of the recipe after it’s cooled, portioned out into individual-sized servings. To reheat, just zap for 30 seconds on high to loosen from the plastic container and slide into a microwaveable bowl. Heat on high for 4 minutes. Take out and stir well, breaking up any icy chunks. Then hit the reheat soup setting. Make sure it’s piping hot throughout before eating. Your microwave time and settings may vary but you get the general idea.

Chipotle Cauliflower Corn Chowder
Makes about 6 servings

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 small white onion, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, small diced
1 medium carrot, small diced
2 stalks celery, small diced
1/2 medium cauliflower, cut into 1/2 inch florets
3 small red potatoes, small diced
1 whole Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce (canned), chopped
3 – 3 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon vegetable base bouillon
2 cups corn kernels fresh or frozen
1/2 cup soymilk
Crumbled kale chips for garnish (optional)

Dissolve the bouillon in one cup of boiling water, set aside.

In a soup pot, heat the oil until hot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the sweet potatoes, carrots and celery, sauté for a minute or so. Add the cauliflower, red potatoes and chipotle and sauté for another minute.

Add the bouillon broth and the rest of the water, stir to mix well. Cover and increase the heat to bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the soy milk and corn and simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Puree 2/3 or more of the soup in a blender and return to the pot, stir to mix well. For a smoother chowder, puree all of the soup.

To serve, top the individual bowls with the kale sprinkles if desired.

This post contains an Amazon link, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on the link and make a purchase of anything.

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With the extra ingredients from making Crispy Baked Spicy Pumpkin Wontons, I made more wontons but this time for a warming, comforting bowl of soup. In Cantonese, wonton means “swallowing clouds”. Floating around in the soup broth, they kinda do look like clouds.

In stark contrast to the crispiness of the baked version, wonton wrappers in soup turns all silky and slippery. They’re like soft little pillows. These in particular are also extra spicy, as I bumped up the amount of Sriracha (you can see how red the filling is in the below photo).

Never thought I would be making pumpkin wontons two ways out of one can of pureed pumpkin, but there you go.

Spicy Pumpkin Wonton Soup
Serves 2 or 4 as part of a meal

Soup Base
4 cups water
4 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in water until soft, discard the stems and slice the caps
2 slices fresh ginger
Salt
2 cups spinach

Start the soup base first so it can simmer while you make the wontons. In a pot, add the water, mushrooms, ginger and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer and leave until you’re ready to add the wontons. Just before the wontons are done, add the spinach.

Pumpkin wontons
24 wonton wrappers

Filling
1/2 of a 15 oz can pumpkin puree
3/4″ piece of fresh ginger, minced
1 green onion stalk, finely chopped
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha hot chili sauce (or to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a separate large pot, fill with water about halfway and bring to a boil.

In a bowl, combine the pumpkin, ginger, green onion, soy sauce and Sriracha. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix well.

Place 1 teaspoon of the filling off center towards a corner of a wonton wrapper. Wet the edges of two adjoining sides with your finger, and fold to form a triangle and seal the edges. Wet the tip of one of the side corners then bring the two corner tips together in an overlap and press to seal.

Gently lower the wontons into the separate pot of boiling water on medium heat. Stir gently to separate the wontons and to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Depending on the pot size, you may need to cook the wontons in batches, do not overcrowd the wontons.

When the wontons float to the surface, about 2-3 minutes, they’re done. Lift the wontons out with a slotted spoon and drop into the soup base.

To serve, ladle into bowls but let cool slightly before eating as the filling will be hot, temperature-wise (it’ll be spicy hot too).

Another Fork in the Trail Cookbook Giveaway
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway, it ends on Friday, October 21st.

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Another cookbook recently landed in my kitchen for review, Ani’s Raw Food Asia by Ani Phyo. While excited, I admit I also had doubts. I’m most familiar with Chinese food and it’s usually cooked (some dishes are even cooked a couple of different ways before it’s finally served), there’s not much that’s uncooked. But if anybody can pull off Asian raw food, it’s Ani.

The nicely designed cookbook is jam packed with Asian-American fusion raw food and drink recipes, along with cooking and lifestyle tips. The style of writing is light and conversational in tone, resulting in an easy and inspirational read.

As soon as I saw the recipe for vegetarian pho, I knew what I was going to try first. What a delight! The flavors are spot-on, satisfying savory – you don’t even notice it’s raw. Served at room temperature, it’s perfect for those super hot days.

The recipe calls for kelp noodles which I’ve never tried before. Made from a sea vegetable, kelp noodles are rich in minerals, fat-free, gluten-free, low in carbs and only 6 calories per serving. They’re clear and surprisingly crisp. Straight out of the fridge, the neutral-tasting noodles are crunchy. Left to warm to room temperature, the noodles become softer.

Vegetarian Pho with Vegetables and Hoisin Sauce
Makes 4 servings

Marinade
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms
1/4 cup Nama Shoyu or Bragg Liquid Aminos

Broth
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 bay leaf
4 cups filtered water

Noodles
4 cups kelp noodles (about 1 pound of noodles)

Vegetables
1/2 cup shredded napa cabbage
1/2 cup tender greens like mustard, Bibb, red leaf, mache, or spinach
1/3 cup basil leaves
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

Garnish
1 cup bean sprouts
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 fresh red or green chile pepper, sliced
1 batch Hoisin Sauce

Marinate onion and mushrooms by tossing in a bowl with Nama Shoyu. Set aside for 20 minutes to marinate and soften.

Make broth by placing ginger, garlic, bay leaf, and 1 cup water in blender. Blend smooth. Add remaining water and the onion marinade mixture. Pulse lightly to mix.

Place noodles into four serving bowls. Put vegetables on top of noodles in each bowl. Pour broth into each bowl.

Place vegetable garnish onto one plate. Serve as a side along with Hoisin Sauce.

Hoisin Sauce
Makes 1/2 cup

1/4 cup Nama Shoyu
2 tablespoons almond butter
2 to 3 tablespoons yacon syrup, to taste
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Pinch cayenne powder, to taste

Place all ingredients into a small bowl. Whisk until mixed well.

Will keep a week or longer in the fridge.

From the book Ani’s Raw Food Asia by Ani Phyo. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2011.

Disclosure: I received the book free of charge from the publisher to review. The opinions and experience with the book expressed herein are my own. There was no pay to say.

This post also contains an Amazon link, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on the link and make a purchase of anything.

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News flash! My make-believe food truck, Chow Vegan, has added a new item to its pretend Asian Mexican fusion menu – vegan menudo. Should go well with the veggie duck taco, don’t you think?

Menudo is a traditional Mexican stew whose main ingredients include tripe and hominy in a spicy broth. I subbed out the tripe for dried yuba (bean curd) sticks. The yuba doesn’t taste anything at all like tripe, instead it adds a chewy texture. Some Cantonese dishes are very big on texture, adding certain ingredients just to have the texture.

Having grown up on California’s Central Coast, where most cities have Spanish names, Asian Mexican fusion was inevitable. I can’t claim my version is authentic and I’m sure someone’s grandma somewhere is turning over in her grave.

But it’s so good. It’s flavorful and hardy. The flavor becomes more concentrated after a night in the fridge, perfect for a cold day standing outside of a food truck window.

Two bucks a cup; four bucks a bowl. Seating is curbside only. Thank you and please come again.

Vegan “Menudo”
Makes about 8 cups (4-6 servings)

3 ounces dried yuba (bean curd) sticks, soaked to rehydrate, cut into 1 1/2″ rectangular pieces
2 medium red potatoes, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1/2 small white onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
4 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped
14.5 oz. can fire roasted crushed tomatoes plus the juice
15 oz. can hominy, drained and rinsed
4 cups water
1 tablespoon vegan chicken base bouillon
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon olive oil
A few sprigs of cilantro for garnish, chopped

Dissolve the bouillon in one cup of boiling water, set aside.

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until translucent. Add the potatoes, carrots and celery, sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the can of tomatoes and its juices, hominy and spices. Stir to mix well.

Add the bouillon broth, the rest of the water and the yuba sticks. Increase the heat to bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. To serve, garnish with the cilantro.

Simple Treats Cookbook Giveaway
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway, it ends mañana (Friday, October 29th).

With the return of cold and rainy weather this week, I made an old-fashioned “chicken” noodle soup using the newfangled meatless wonder, Gardein. As a youngster, I slurped the kind of chicken noodle soup that came out of a can. For some inexplicable reason, it’s a fond memory.

Re-made vegan style, it has the same comfort food feel as the original. I used Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base for a chicken broth taste. I really like this stuff, it adds a savory flavor but it’s not overwhelmingly chicken-like. All of their vegetarian bases are vegan certified. They also have regular meat bases, so make sure to read the labels carefully.

Like most soups, it’s even better when allowed to sit after cooking so the flavors develop a bit more and the noodles get really soft. Once cooled, the soup can also be frozen into individual serving portions for a future rainy day.

Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup
Makes about 7 cups

6 cups water
1 tablespoon vegan chicken base bouillon
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 medium leek, white and a little of the green part, sliced into 1/8″ rounds
2 medium carrots, sliced into 1/8″ rounds
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 7-ounce package Gardein chick’n filets, diced
2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
4 ounces dried whole wheat linguine noodles

Dissolve the bouillon in one cup of boiling water, set aside.

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and leeks, sauté until translucent. Add the carrots and celery and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the bouillon broth and the rest of the water, bay leaves, granulated onion and salt and pepper to taste. Increase the heat to bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the veggie chicken pieces, parsley and the noodles broken into thirds. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves before serving.

Even though I love my spicy Butternut Squash Soup, I’m still curious about other versions, especially the ones that have fruit in them.

Seeing the Butternut Squash-Bartlett Pear Soup from Vegan Soul Kitchen in the latest issue of Vegetarian Times pushed me over the edge and into the kitchen to give it a try.

It’s a much milder, sweeter soup than what I’m used to, but still very good. Preparation and cooking were similar in both recipes. I made a couple of changes as I always seem to do; I didn’t have any coconut milk handy so I used soy milk instead.

I also didn’t have any pumpkin seeds for the garnish and so I cut up an extra piece of pear to sprinkle on top. It worked out well – adding a bit more of the pear taste and a crunch to the soup.

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Since there’s still a lot of tomatoes hanging around on this warm Autumn day, I decided to try the Live Mango Gazpacho from The 30-Minute Vegan. An interesting twist to the chilled raw vegetable soup, the mango adds a refreshing sweetness to the spiciness of the gazpacho.

As for the time, it took me 50 minutes to cut and chop up everything and I only made half of the recipe (ok, so I’m a slow cutter). And then 30 more minutes for the soup to chill.

But hey, after all that chopping, I got to kick back and enjoy a light, healthy meal without heating up the kitchen. I like how the cookbook includes a selection of live recipes. Of course, gazpacho by its nature is already raw but I’m looking forward to trying some of the other raw recipes.

Live Mango Gazpacho
Serves 4

3 cups mango, cut into small cubes (about 3 medium-size mangoes)
2 cups tomato, chopped small (about 3 medium-size tomatoes)
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped small
1 teaspoon seeded and minced jalapeño (optional)
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon chile powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley

1. Mix all of the ingredients together well in a large bowl.
2. Transfer 2 cups of the mixture to a blender and blend on high speed for 20 seconds and return to the bowl. Mix, and if desired, chill for 30 minutes, otherwise serve immediately.

Excerpted from the book The 30-Minute Vegan by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray, published by Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2009. www.dacapopresscookbooks.com

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In reviewing The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, I was immediately struck by the amount of photos in the book. I have quite a few vegan cookbooks without any pictures at all. I love looking at pictures of food, especially if I’m attempting to make said food.

Having said that, I of course, decided to make the Roasted Asparagus Soup with Thyme which had no picture. I just had to do something with all that asparagus in the fridge. It was delicious, creamy and very easy to make.

Although I was a little surprised that the recipe called for only the asparagus tips to be roasted. Then again, I’m biased towards roasting lots of veggies and had to refrain myself from eating all of the tips while the soup was cooking.

The Vegan Table is organized around various entertaining menus, from cozy romantic dinners to casual dining, holidays and special occasions. Besides the wide range of recipes, there’s also helpful tips and interesting tidbits. A fine addition to any kitchen library, whether for a single recipe or a complete menu plan.

Related Links
Check out The Vegan Table for yourself at your local bookstore or at The Vegan Table. To learn more about Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, check out her blog here.