Corn Chowder

I have two corn chowder recipes -- a thick and hearty winter stew and a lighter summer soup. This is the summer version, made with herbs and veggies from my garden and vegetables from this week's Door to Door Organics box. It's a little sweet, a little spicy, and surprisingly filling.

The onions were originally one onion that sprouted in my pantry. I planted it and it grew into three small onions. I trimmed the greens occasionally to use in recipes and just let the onion grow. Since the greens were starting to wilt, signalling the coming end of growth, I harvested the onions today so I could use both the bulbs and the remaining greens. The soup had a slight citrus kick from the lime basil I added from my garden, but you can use another variety of basil if you choose. I also grew the jalapeno, the first of my peppers to be ready this season.

Corn Chowder

3 ears of corn
1 jalapeno, minced
1 large (or 3 small) onion, diced
1 tsp olive oil
small bunch of onion greens or 4 scallions, sliced thin
1 lb yellow potatoes, diced (include peels)
4-6 ribs celery, sliced thin (include the leaves)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
3 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh sweet or lime basil, chopped
pinch allspice
pinch ground cayenne
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
2 cups soy milk

Shuck the corn, then use a sharp knife to strip the kernels from the cobs.

In a large saucepan or a stock pot, saute the onion and jalapeno in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes, until onion becomes translucent. Add the potatoes and celery and saute for several more minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients except the soy milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until potatoes are soft.

Remove from heat and stir in the soy milk before serving.

French Lentil and Kale Soup

This recipe uses French (green) lentils instead of the more common brown variety, but you can use red or brown lentils if you don't have green available. The taste of each is a little different, but all make for good soup. French lentils hold their form much better than other varieties. I keep a bag of frozen sliced leeks on hand for dishes like this, which saves both money and leek cleaning time. I like to add leafy greens to as many dishes as possible, so this one utilizes kale.

French Lentil and Kale Soup

2 cups sliced leeks
2 carrots, sliced into rounds, then quartered
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
6 cups vegetable broth (or 2 low-sodium bouillon cubes in 6 cups water)
2 cups green lentils
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp Herbes de Provence
1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
sea salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste.

In a stock pot, saute the leeks, carrots, and garlic in the olive oil until the leeks are translucent. Add the broth, lentils, bay leaves, and Herbes de Provence. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

Add kale and cook until kale is wilted. Remove bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste.

Onion Soup

Turbokid and I are both sick, so I brought out my favorite sick day recipe. I made this soup on a regular basis when I had hyperemesis gravidarum because it was one of the two things I could keep down at all (the other was Gatorade ice chips). It is gentle on the stomach, and good even when not sick. This is my simple comfort food and a vegan alternative to the omnivore's trusty chicken noodle soup.

Onion soup with Daiya grilled cheese.

Onion Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 onions, sliced thin

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

4 cups water

3 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce

1 tsp dried thyme

Heat oil in a large sauce pan. Saute onions and garlic in the oil until translucent. Add flour and nutritional yeast and stir until the onions are evenly coated. Add water, tamari, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes, until broth is slightly thickened.

Garnish with vegan cheese, scallions, and/or fresh herbs.

I usually make this soup with plain yellow onions, but it is especially good with sweet onions like Vidalias or Mauis.

Miso Soup with Avocado and Scallion

I started making this easy soup when I had work done on my mouth and couldn't chew well for a while. I didn't have time to make dashi so I used regular vegetable broth. The avocado turns a basic broth into a surprisingly filling comfort food.

Miso Soup with Avocado and Scallion

(one serving)
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or 1/2 of a low-sodium vegetable bouillon cube in 1 1/2 cups water)
1 Tbsp white miso
1/2 avocado, diced
1 scallion, sliced thin

Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in miso until dissolved. Pour the miso and broth into a soup bowl and stir in avocado and scallion.

That's it! Slurp it from the bowl Japanese-style or go Western and use a spoon.

Feeding the Finicky Toddler

This was originally published on my main blog, Evergreen and Indigo. Turbotot is now three years old so has been upgraded to Turbokid.

Oy, toddlers!

All toddlers go through phases of loving and hating foods and my vegan toddler is no exception. We made an effort to introduce him to a wide variety of foods as soon as he started solids at six months. He loved even stranger things like kale and tempeh until he was over a year old, when he decided all he wanted was crackers, rice, and fruit. It can be a struggle to get him to eat anything but carbs some days, so I've had to be sneaky to get him eating veggies and beans. Here are some things that work for us.  But, be warned... what works today might not work tomorrow, and what a toddler won't touch today he might devour the next time it's offered. Keep offering, it might take a while but my son decided he loved snap peas after I put them in front of him at least two dozen times without him ever trying them.

1. Soups 

This is a big one for us. As soon as Turbotot discovered the mechanics of a spoon, he only wanted to eat spoon foods. There was a catch, though. The foods had to be smooth. He refused chunky soups and yogurts, but would eat any flavor if they were pureed smooth. I made him cream of broccoli soup and he devoured three bowls in one sitting. I experimented with other veggies and came up with an all-purpose cream soup recipe that has been a hit with my texture-picky toddler.

Cream of Whatever Soup

1 pound vegetable of choice (broccoli, carrot, asparagus, kale, cauliflower, squash, etc.)

1 onion, chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic

2 cups vegetable broth or water

1/4 cup flour Or cornstarch

2 1/2 cups fortified plain non-dairy milk

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons basil, oregano, ginger, or other herb or spice of choice

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Cut the vegetable of choice into chunks. Put the broth or water in a large saucepan and add vegetable, onion, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Put the contents of the pot and the flour in a food processor or blender (probably needs to be done in two batches) and process until smooth. Return to stove and stir in remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the soup thickens.

This recipe is very forgiving and you can use more than one pound of vegetables or a combination of vegetables. Cream of carrot soup with ginger is very soothing on upset stomachs.

2. Dips

Toddlers love dips. Hummus, guacamole, bean dip, and spinach dip are a huge hits in our house. I serve them with homemade or store-bought pita bread, crackers, or vegetables.  

Simple Bean Dip

1 can of beans, any variety, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup of salsa

Process in blender or food processor. That's it, super easy and my toddler loves it on toast. It yields about two cups for far cheaper than the store-bought bean dips, and the texture and taste can be adjusted through using more or less of different kinds of salsa.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

3 1/2 cups flour (a combination of 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat works well. You can use all whole-wheat, but may need to add more water since whole wheat flour is more absorbent than white)

3 tsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup lukewarm water

oil

Stir the yeast and sugar into water and let sit until the yeast bubbles. Combine the flour and salt, then add the yeast mixture and knead. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, knead the dough. Divide into 12 portions. Roll each one out to make a thin bread.

Heat and lightly oil a skillet. Cook the breads one at a time for 1-2 minutes on a side on medium-high heat. The breads should fluff up and create center pockets if the heat is adjusted correctly (this can take some trial and error).

3. Smoothies

Add ground flax seed, chia seed, a quarter of an avocado, and/or a handful of spinach to fruit smoothies for a health boost. Coconut oil can be added for skinny toddlers who need more calories.

4. Pudding
Head to the nearest Asian market for a healthy, toddler-friendly pudding! Blend the jelly-like meat of a young coconut with strawberries, cocoa, carob, or banana until smooth. Reserve the coconut water for a quick electrolyte drink or an add-in for smoothies. My toddler goes nuts over this "pudding" and calls it "pie". Young coconuts can be found in some regular supermarkets, but I've found them to be cheaper and fresher in Asian markets.

5. Pasta Sauce

Stir pureed vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, or squash into homemade or commercial pasta sauce. My toddler is a huge fan of pasta, so this is an easy way to get him to eat veggies. I also like pureeing beans to make cream sauces as instructed in The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook.

I know I have more ideas hiding in my cluttered head, so I'll add to this list if I remember them. My guy loves whole edamame, mushrooms, snap peas, carrots, baked sweet potato fries, and bean sprouts, but we are still trying to convince him to eat other vegetables without having to disguise them. Do you have any more suggestions on how to get toddlers to eat more beans, vegetables, and other healthy foods?

Fennel and Kale and Tofu, Oh My!

Here I go, starting something new. My main blog is Evergreen and Indigo, but since I'd rather focus that blog on writing than food, I've created this new one as a place to put my recipes. I'll start with tonight's dinner...

Creamy Fennel-Celery Soup, Balsamic Kale, and Breaded and Baked Italian-Herbed Tofu.

Creamy Fennel-Celery Soup

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
1 fennel bulb (stems trimmed off and bulb thinly sliced. Keep some of the fronds for garnish)
6 celery stalks, sliced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 cups water or vegetable stock
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used soymilk)
2 tsp minced fresh basil

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until it just begins to brown. Add the fennel and celery to the saucepan and saute along with the onion until the vegetables are slightly translucent and tender.

Season with salt and pepper and add the water or stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes.

Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the non-dairy milk. In batches, place soup in a food processor or blender and puree. Return soup to pot and stir in the minced basil.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with fennel greens and minced basil.

Serves about 6.


Balsamic Kale

1 bunch green kale
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 scallions, sliced thin
1 Tbsp olive or coconut oil
1-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Heat the oil in a saute pan. Rinse the kale, then remove the stems and chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Add the scallion and garlic to the pan and saute for 1-2 minutes until the garlic begins to brown. Add the kale and saute with the garlic and scallion. As soon as the kale begins to soften, add the balsamic vinegar. Stir for 1 minute, then remove from heat and serve.


Breaded and Baked Italian-Herbed Tofu

1 lb sprouted tofu
1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp Italian herbs (or a combination of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and sage)
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp hummus
1/2 cup non-dairy milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In one small bowl, mix the panko, herbs, and salt. In a second small bowl, whisk together the non-dairy milk and hummus.

Slice the tofu into 1/4 inch thick squares. One at a time, dip the tofu squares into the hummus mixture and then into the panko mixture. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned, flipping once halfway through the cooking time. Serve with condiment of choice (my kids prefer barbecue sauce).