Kale Parsnip Potato Soup

Week 3 of my Organics to You Box! This soup was inspired by three of the start ingredients: Kale, Parsnips, and Potatoes (hence the post title!)

Also used: onion and leeks.

I love being inspired by fresh, local produce. Having beautiful local greens and veggies almost demand that you make something healthy with them. I just wouldn't feel right about frying or microwaving this food - it's just too clean and pretty!

Hence the soup! What a fabulously healthy recipe. I left my dad and step-mom a giant tupperware bowl full with very demanding instructions that they eat it because it "is good for you."

There is almost nothing more satisfying that a BIG bowl of homemade soup. It has to be one of my top favorite comfort foods (also making the list: creamy polenta and any kind of berry pie).

Kale Parsnip Potato Soup
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1.5-2 hrs (mostly inactive)
Serves 6 to 8

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 leek, diced (use all parts!)
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly (you can add more if you love garlic like me)
• 2 medium white potatoes, cut into chunks (I didn't remove the skin but feel free to)
• 1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks
• 2 large carrots, cut into chunks
• 2 large parsnips, cut into chunks
• 4 cups (one box) of your favorite veggie broth (I use Pacific or Trader Joes)
• 4 additional cups of water + 2 bouillon cubes
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp curry seasoning
• 1 tbsp hot sauce of your choice
• 1 LARGE head of kale, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large soup pan (very large - as large as you can muster) over medium/low heat. Add in onion and leek and allow to soften up for about 5-10 minutes. 

Add garlic, potatoes, carrots and parsnips and saute for another 10 minutes or so (add in veggie broth to keep veggies from sticking/help to soften as necessary.

Dump in veggie broth and water and bring everything to a boil.

Add in bouillon cubes and spices, cover pot, reduce heat to medium low and allow to simmer for anywhere from an hour to two hours depending on your time frame.

Ten minutes before the soup is ready, stir in your chopped kale and allow to reduce for the final ten minutes or so (you want it to be soft but not soggy).

Serve up a HUGE bowl (or two in my case) with freshly baked bread of your choice and enjoy a healthy and satisfying local meal :)

Live long and prosper!

Stuffed Acorn Squash and Kale-Broccoli-Carrot Slaw

  

Part of my Christmas present this year (so exciting) was a bi-weekly subscription to a local farm CSA-type food distributor called Organics to You.

This gift is so right up my alley and I was ecstatic when my first box arrived!

They literally dropped it off right on my door step! It was wonderful :)

Full of everything from parsnips to pears to carnival squash to garlic, onions, avocado, oranges, collard greens and more! 

I have been slowly working through the plethora of ingredients and trying to use each of them in a new way.

This recipe was inspired by the leeks and squash that came in the box and by the leftover kale that I have been trying to use up.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Leek Pilaf

Serves 2

• 1 full acorn squash, cut in half, seeds removed
• 1 cup rice/quinoa/rice and quinoa mixture - prepared as directed (if in bulk it's usually a 2:1 water to grain ratio)
• 1 full leek, diced (I try to use all parts of the leek)
• 2 tsp oil (I used coconut)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp italian or other seasoning blend
• 1 Tbsp veggie broth

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees farenheight

Place halves of squash face down on a pre-greased cookie sheet and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes (or until lightly browned)

While squash is roasting, prepare rice/quinoa

In a separate pan, saute diced leek in coconut oil over medium heat for about 6 minutes or until leek is translucent and beginning to caramelize

Toss rice, seasonings and veggie broth into the pan with the leek and cook everything together for an additional 5-6 minutes, adding more veggie broth if it gets too dry

When squash is done roasting, remove from oven, spoon pilaf into each half and place back in the oven for 5 minutes.

Remove and enjoy!

  

I paired by squash with a kale-broccoli-carrot slaw which is simple to make and is a great way to get greens on your plate without reverting to a traditional salad cliche'

Take 2 cups chopped kale and steam it lightly in a large pan (for no longer than a minute - you don't want to wilt it down too much but you still want to get rid of the bitter edge)

Combine with 1 cup shredded broccoli and carrot (I buy the pre-shredded combo from trade joes in a bag)

Then add 1/4 cup shredded Nori or seaweed (I use the wasabi seaweed snacks and cut them into the mixture with kitchen scissors)

Then add your favorite dressing or make a vegenaise base - this is where you can be creative!

My slaw dressing had the following ingredients in it:

• 1 Tbsp cilantro hummus
• One handful chiffonaded fresh basil
• 1 small jalapeno, minced
• 1 Tbsp cranberry sauce
• 2 tsp sriracha
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp maple syrup

But feel free to mix it up with citrus, agave, your favorite prepared sauce or any other dressing! And add some dried fruit or chopped nuts to give it an extra layer!

This is a great and totally approachable way to prepare kale - Colin said it was one of his favorite things I've ever made and he doesn't even like kale!

Yay for greens!

What a power meal!

Live long and prosper! And get inspired by local fruits and veggies! They exist, even in the winter :)

"Shrimp" Stirfry and The Fubonn Experience

 

I know, I know. These faux shrimp also strike me as incredibly strange. But lets be honest: shrimp are kind of weird to begin with so making a meatless, similarly fetus-shaped alternative, isn't really that weird.

Plus they taste pretty darn good. I was concerned that they would be chewy and have that fake seafood/fishfood flavor, but really they were pretty mild and had a nice texture. And being that they have 4 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein and only 112 calories in a serving, I am generally pleased with this meatless stir fry alternative.

A close up of the Faux Shrimpy

So what inspired this shrimpless shrimp stirfry?

The Willamette Week.

I absolutely love Portland's local papers and try to pick up the Willamette Week on a regular basis now that I am back in Portland for good.

This week, an ad caught my eye. Looked like this:

I had never ever heard of this Fubonn place! How could that be?? I immediately googled it and discovered why.

It's out on SE 82nd (a road that I have been on maybe 3-4 times in my life and that I virtually have no reason to go to).

I was kind of bummed because I didn't really feel like driving all the way out there just to go shopping so I made a mental note to stop by the next time I was even remotely in that area.

And then, what do you know! Not three days later Colin convinced me to drop him off at a bachelor party in the classy neck of the woods that is SE 82nd st and I found myself at Fubonn's front door!

This place is insanity. It's by far the largest Asian market I have EVER been to. They have the BIG bottles of Sriracha for $2.18 and a produce section that beats Whole Foods in size and variety.

If my heaven were Asian, it would look like Fubonn.

I sniffed out the "meatless" section and was shocked and awed by what I found.

Ummm...excuse me?

All this stuff is VEGAN?!

I really didn't even know where to begin. It took  me a while to pick out the products I wanted to try because even though Fubonn has the single largest collection of meat-resembling non-meat products, the whole "trying to be meat" and "overly processed soy/gluten faux meats" are not really my thing.

But it was still interesting nonetheless and I left with a couple really cool things to try.

Namely, the shrimp, some black rice pasta (looks like licorice), some spicy sunflower seeds and some veggie stuffed dim sum buns.

I didn't buy these:

Dehydrated "Vege Duck" (Imitation Poultry).

Again, not really my thing. But still amazing that so many alternatives exist! The store was also so clean, bright and well laid out. I spent close to an hour just wandering, reading ingredients and exploring aisle after aisle of products I couldn't have dreamed up if I tried.

Upon checking out I naturally also had to buy some rice paper candy.

Needless to say I was very satisfied with my Fubonn experience and even more satisfied with the inspiration for my resulting "Shrimp" Stirfy! Making a guest appearance in this stir fry are kelp noodles which I have been wanting to try for a while and which you should definitely check out if you haven't already!

They are gluten free, fat free, vegan and only 6 calories per serving. Yes, that is not a typo. I said 6 calories. 3 servings per bag.

Shrimpless Shrimp Stirfry

• 1 package faux shrimp (in the freezer aisle)
• 1 package kelp noodles
• 1/2 sweet walla walla onion
• 1 tsp grapeseed or other veggie oil
• 1 large head broccoli, chopped
• 1 large bunch of chard (or bok choy or other green), chopped
• 1 large handful of basil, chiffonaded 
• 1 tsp Trader Joe's all purpose seasoning (or a mixture of salt, pepper, onion, garlic, paprika, chili pepper etc...)

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 2 tbsp veggie broth
• 2 tbsp Braggs or soy sauce
• 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 1 tbsp sriracha

Heat your oil over medium heat and add onion. Saute for about 3-4 minutes (or until beginning to brown) and then add the shrimpies, broccoli and kelp noodles. Saute for another 3-4 minutes and then add the remainder of the ingredients, including spices.

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, whisk together your sauce ingredients until smooth and evenly combined (the heat will help with this).

Add the sauce to your stir fry and toss until all veggies are evenly covered.

Put the lid on your pan, reduce heat to medium low and allow ingredients to steam for about 6-7 additional miutes.

Transfer stir fry to a bowl and enjoy this flavorful, unique and healthy vegan meal!



Live long and prosper! Asain mega-store style.

Protein Power Bowl!

 

As much as I've never been one to buy into the whole "high protein" diet phenomenon, there is something to be said for the occasional over the top, protein packed meal (as long as it is accompanied by the appropriate amounts of fiber, vitamins and nutrients to actually help your body utilize those wonderful amino acids of course!) Being a workout enthusiast, I know how important it is to take care of your muscles, and that means giving them the building blocks to repair and grow. This meal is evidence of how easy it is to get essential aminos and proteins if you love to run, lift and just generally be an active person like myself and you also want to be vegan (also like myself). SO next time someone asks you how that crazy vegan friend of yours gets her protein, JUST SHOW THEM THIS BLOGPOST.

Let me break the protein-ified components it down for you:

• Spelt Berries (AKA MY NEW FAVORITE GRAIN - MOVE OVER QUINOA) 6g
• Tempeh 22g
• Nutritional Yeast (in the sauce) 8g
• Silken Tofu (in the sauce) 5g
• Maitake Mushrooms (aka Grifola frondosa - I love scientific fungi names) 2g
• Kale 2g

All in all, one serving of this dish has approximately 45 grams of protein. In other words, one modest serving of this delicious and nutrient packed little dish has more protein than an 8 oz steak (according to my research which says an 8 oz steak has about 38.8 grams of protein in it)

Protein is easy peasy when you're vegan! And it comes without all the added fats, calories and cholesterol! Neat!

Not to mention this dish is absolutely jam packed with brain and immune system boosting nutrients such as vitamins A, C, D (did you know Maitakes are the only fresh veggie to contain significant amounts of Vitamin D?) and B (complex) AS WELL AS niacin, manganese, riboflavin, iron, copper, selenium, and choline. And OF COURSE lots of fiber-y goodness to help your digestive tract along. That is more than any ol' steak can say for itself.

Plus, most importantly, it is cruelty free. Duh. ;)

Alright, so I have clearly espoused all of the wonderful and amazing benefits of this dish, but the most important thing is how it tastes, right?

Lemme tell you, if you follow this recipe it will taste AMAZING. In fact, this is one of the better dishes I have made in a long time.

Based loosely on Oh She Glow's version :)

PROTEIN BOWLS

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked spelt berries (you can also use brown rice, lentils, quinoa or another grain of choice OR you can buy spelt berries in your local bulk foods section and fall in love with them the same way I have!)
• 2 tsp oil (for sauteing)
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced or pushed through a microplane grater
• 1-2 cups fresh/frozen veggies of choice (I used fire roasted bell peppers from trader joes!)
• 2 cups maitake mushrooms, cut however you like them (I just cut mine into strips)
• 1 package tempeh (I just used plain, unflavored but use whatever kind floats your boat!)
• 1 tomato, diced
• 3 cups greens (spinach or kale is best!), chopped
• 1 recipe "cream sauce" (below)
• 1/2 cup (or to taste) fresh parsley, chopped

FOR THE "CREAM" SAUCE

• 1 package silken tofu, soft 
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice (I used lime and it was VERY limey so take it easy, kids)
• 2 Tbs tomato paste
• 2 Tbs soy sauce
• 2 Tbs white wine (you can also use 1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar if you prefer)
• 1 Tbs Sriracha
• 1 tsp agave or sugar
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp curry spice blend (or other seasoning blend of choice)

First start by cooking your spelt berries. It is approximately a 1:3 spelt berries to liquid (water/stock) ratio and they take about an hour and a half to cook. So get on it!  Bring 1 1/2 cups berries and approx 4 1/2 cups water to a boil and then let simmer for about 90 minutes.

Blend all ingredients of your "cream sauce" in a food processor and set aside!

Bring the oil up to temperature over medium heat and then toss in your yellow and red onions. Let caramelize for about 6-7 minutes and then throw in your garlic. Brown garlic for another 2 minutes or so and then toss in your veggies, mushrooms and tempeh. Saute veggies for about 8 minutes or until beginning to brown nicely. Throw in your tomato and greens and allow them to cook down for about a minute (or until you have room in your pan!)

Add in your spelt berries and sauce and allow the whole thing to simmer for another 6-8 minutes! Toss in your chopped parsley, stir it in for another minute and your bowls are ready!

Note: All the cooking times here (with the exception of the spelt berries) are approximate. Use your best judgment to tell when things look like they are cooked to your liking and if something is starting to brown/burn, please feel free to NOT adhere to the entirety of the cooking time listed.

Spoon your protein concoction into a bowl, top with any additional parsley and munch munch munch!

 

Yummy!

Live long and prosper! And dispel the vegan-protein myth!