Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Rosemary Potato Soup


The weather is gradually cooling down, which means it's soup season!

I think this rosemary potato soup is particularly satisfying. It has a rich, hearty flavor that kind of reminds me of chicken noodle soup. And it just begs to be accompanied by fresh dipping bread. Yum.

Heidi's Rosemary Potato Soup
2 TBSP grape seed oil (or other oil)
1 medium onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
4–6 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
10 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes (I like to leave the skins on, but you can peel them if you want)
2 15-oz. cans of vegetable broth
2 cups unflavored almond milk
3–4 cups water
1/2 cup nutritional yeast (probably optional)
1 TBSP dried rosemary
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
salt to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for five minutes. Add garlic and sauté for two more minutes. Add celery and carrot and sauté for another ten minutes, stirring frequently. Add potatoes, vegetable broth, almond milk, and enough water to cover the vegetables. Add nutritional yeast, rosemary, onion powder, and pepper. Stir thoroughly, cover, and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Salt to taste and serve warm! (I ended up adding 1 tsp of salt.)

Note: If you want the broth to be a little thicker, you can blend part of the soup in a blender and then mix it back in. I've also used a simple roux before to thicken the soup (2 TBSP oil, 2 TBSP whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup almond milk; heat oil in a sauce pan, add flour and mix, gradually incorporate milk and let thicken, then add the roux to the soup).

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Roasted Ginger Garlic Asparagus


This asparagus recipe is so easy. You can prepare it in 60 seconds flat and just throw it in the oven while you're making the rest of your meal. Can't beat that!

Oh, and it's yummy, too :)

Roasted Ginger Garlic Asparagus
1 bunch of thin asparagus, rinsed and trimmed
1 TBSP grapeseed oil (or other oil)
about 1/2 tsp ginger powder
about 1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt

Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the washed and trimmed asparagus on the baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with ginger, garlic, and salt. Mix the asparagus around with your clean hands until it is evenly coated. Spread asparagus into a single layer.

Bake at 400° F for 20–25 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender.

That's all!

(If you were really ambitious, you could chop fresh ginger and garlic and use that instead of the powdered stuff, but I'm just not that motivated.)

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Vegetable Lasagna


This recipe, from Oh She Glows!, is fantastic! I've made it several times, and it's not difficult. The cashew "cheese" is so flavorful and delicious that you can't even tell it isn't real ricotta. I've posted the link to the recipe below, and I would only make two suggestions: you don't need to use crumbled veggie burgers, and you don't need the Daiya cheese on top. It will still taste delicious! And it freezes really well, too.

Click to view recipe.