Vegan Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder

My friend, Katie Case, visited us last week and said that she had gone vegan.  I find the concept of a true vegan diet very difficult for me to follow, as I am a dairy lover.  But there is inspiration in everything.

So last night, when trying to decide what to have for dinner, corn chowder came to the top of the list.  While I am trying to limit my white potato intake, I decided to make the chowder with sweet potatoes instead of the standard white potato that is the mainstay in chowder recipes.  And while configuring this dinner into my pseudo-Paleo diet, I thought I'd make it more interesting by making the chowder vegan.  Why not.

After some thought, I decided to try making the chowder with a broth base (I usually make my chowders with more milk and less broth) and stir in dairy free Tofutti sour cream.  And it worked perfectly!  So Katie, here's a recipe that that will give you creamy flavor in a vegan platform.  Enjoy.

Vegan Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder

Cook time: 1 hour  Serves 6

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 dice
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 12 oz package of frozen corn
• 12 oz container of Tofutti non-dairy sour cream
• Chopped parsley as a garnish (optional)

Start by heating a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and then the onions.  Cook for a couple of minutes and add the carrots.  Cook for a couple of minutes and add the red and yellow peppers and the salt and pepper.

Cook the vegetables for a total of 15 minutes from the time you added the onions or until softened. Then add the thyme and bay leaves. I like to tie them together into a bouquet garni using kitchen twine as it is easier to fish them out at the end, but feel free to just toss them into the pot.

Now add the sweet potatoes and the broth. The broth should just cover the vegetables, so use less or more depending on your pot dimensions.  Stir to combine everything.  Now bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium low.  Cook for 20 minutes.

Next add the corn and return to a boil over medium high heat and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat (very important) and stir in the non-dairy sour cream and whisk it into the soup.  It will turn into a gorgeous creamy color in a minute. Check for final seasoning of salt and pepper as all vegetable stocks vary in this regard.

Ladle into bowls and garish with chopped fresh parsley and serve.

French Style Onion and Oven Roasted Tomato Soup

It is amazing that the farmer's market still has such gorgeous tomatoes.  All of the organic tomatoes today were small and beautiful in color.

With my goal of trying to make food using only produce from the farmer's market, I decided that today's bounty would make a wonderfully sweet and luscious soup.

Roasting the tomatoes and caramelizing the onions brings out the most intense flavors.  Adding some herbs and garlic just enhances the natural flavors of the produce.

Because it takes a little time to make, it is the perfect soup to make on a day where you are at home with a list of chores as it takes very little man power, just random checking in.

French Style Onion and Roasted Tomato Soup
serves 4

• 3 lbs tomatoes
• 3 medium onions (or 6 small onions as that's what was available at the farmer's market)
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
• Thyme sprigs
• Salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes
• Olive oil
•  4 c. vegetable broth (I prefer 2 tsp. of Better Than Bouillon and 4 cups water)
• 1 tbs. dry basil
• 1 tbs. balsamic vinegar 
• 12 slices mozzarella cheese
• 4 tbs parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
(cook time is 2 1/2 hours, but active time is only about 30 minutes)

Cover the bottom of a large baking sheet with olive oil.  Cut the larger tomatoes in half and core. Place all tomatoes on the baking sheet in a single layer.  Peel and slice the garlic and scatter over the tomatoes (note: don't crush the garlic here like everyone does on TV to peel it, simply roll the clove around on your cutting board a few times and the skin will come right off.  This allows you to slice the garlic cloves more easily).  Then lay a few branches of thyme over the tomatoes. Drizzle with more olive oil and season liberally with salt and black pepper. Place in the oven to roast for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, peel and slice the onions. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil to the pan and add the onions. Season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste. The red pepper flakes infuse into the sweetness of the onions and it is wonderful.  Saute for a minute or two until the onions are coated in oil and the pan is sizzling. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes, until the tomatoes are done. Cooking on such a low temperature takes much longer, but it also takes much less maintenance.  Stir the onions every 15 minutes or so.

Put the tomatoes and all their lovely juices into a soup pot along with the garlic, removing the thyme stems. Add 4 cups of stock.  Puree the soup with an immersion blender, blender or food processor. Be sure to keep the tomato skins that will get stuck in the immersion blends as they will add great texture to the soup.

Now add the onions, basil and balsamic vinegar.  Bring to a simmer and cook on low heat to meld all the flavors. This soup can sit on the stove on low for quite a while.

Preheat the broiler in your oven.

When you are ready to serve, ladle soup into ramekins. Cover with the slices of mozzarella cheese and then sprinkle 1 tbs of Parmesan on top of the mozzarella. Put on a sheet pan and place in the oven until the cheese is browned.  Serve with a green salad and/or bread.

Vegan Hearty Winter Stew

This is a full flavored winter stew that makes the most of the fresh produce available at our markets this time of year.

And it is only vegan because the flavors and textures are so rich, you don't need to add any dairy to complete the dish.

Vegan Hearty Winter Stew

• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 medium leeks, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced
• 2 tsp. black pepper
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
• 1 bunch watercress, chopped
• 1 bunch kale or other dark hearty green, chopped
• 2 large parsnips, peeled and diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 6 medium potatoes, diced
• 8 cups vegetable stock (see note at bottom of post)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 4 tbs. flour
• 6 tsp. Dijon mustard

In a large dutch oven or soup pot, saute the onions, leeks, salt and pepper in olive oil over medium heat for 7 or 8 minutes.

Add the parsnips, carrots and potatoes and saute for 5 minutes.

Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil over high heat.  As soon as the soup is at a boil, reduce the heat to  medium low and simmer until the root vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Then add the kale, parsley, watercress, peas and corn.  Continue to cook for 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove 1/2 cup of the broth and put it in a small bowl or glass jar along with the flour and mustard. Stir to combine. Then slowly stir into the soup. The flour will thicken the soup slightly and the mustard will add a wonderful burst of flavor.  Cook the soup for 5 more minutes and serve with crusty bread.

Check out the recipe for the Vegetarian Pot Pie with Chive Biscuit Top that uses the left overs of this soup.

*Whenever a recipe calls for vegetable broth or stock, I use Better-Than-Bouillon Vegetable Base. You can find this at Bloomingfoods and Marsh in the soup and bouillon section. I always have a jar in my pantry. Simple stir in one teaspoon for each two cups of water and you'll have instant broth that adds tremendous depth of flavor instantly.