Soups & Stews
Vega’s Chef takes on Cream of Broccoli & Cauliflower Soup
We had the privilege of trying this decadent Cream of Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup at the Vega Headquarters last week courtesy of their in house chef, Morgan Shupe. It was the perfect accompaniment to our big salads from the salad bar: lettuce, spinach, kale, quinoa, sprouts, mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, chickpeas, and drizzled with Vega Antioxidant EFA Oil Blend - oh my!
Ultimate Baked Bean from [in the oven] bakery!
The secret ingredient in this Ultimate Baked Beans recipe is fermented [aka black] garlic. We’d never used it before. So when in doubt google it, right? We discovered that the black color is created when the sugar and amino acids in garlic are fermented as they create melanoidin.
Okra Stew
This is a recipe that was inspired by my (Erica) time spent in Greece. Last summer I spent a couple weeks island hopping and exploring local culture. This included eating A LOT of food.
Quinoa Black Bean Stew
I saw this delicious recipe for Quinoa Black Bean Stew in Alive Magazine, and knew it would be perfect for an easy weekday meal…and I was right! It was REALLY simple to throw together, so hearty, and high in protein and fibre, which satisfied my post workout appetite.
Roasted fennel and potato soup from [in the oven] bakery
The holidays are now over and we’re back to the daily grind. We hope you all had a great time with family and friends and took some time to enjoy their company while still getting some time for yourself! Now that we are back to work, the countdown to summer can begin! Nevertheless, days are still short, nights are still cold, and we’re all looking for a simple, hearty, healthy meal to make on evenings when we just want to put our feet up. This soup is just that, it’s so filling and is so simple to make.
Creamy Potato and Leek Soup
This Creamy Potato and Leek Soup is easy to make, rich and filling, BUT low in fat! Some recipes I found online added a ton of dairy which, of course was of no need in this vegan kitchen.
Quickie Curried Lentil Stew
Hungry + hurry = recipe for disaster.
Having food available that you can eat on the run will save you from eating quick processed food, junk food, or other less than awesome options. This quick curried lentil stew is very easy to prepare, uses simple ingredients, and you can keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days for ongoing sustenance through your busy days.
Roasted Pepper + Coconut Milk Soup
For the Fall/Winter seasons, one food item stands out above the rest for me – soup. I love, love soup. I think I could live on soup alone, if needed, and never grow tired of warm broth flowing down my throat and warming my belly…did that sound weird?
Curried Pumpkin
I love looking looking through the daily local newspapers, and I turn straight to recipe of the day when I do. For the most part, these recipes are not veg-friendly, however modifying is always an option. This past weekend’s edition of the Metro had a page dedicated to to Fall’s fragrant spices, and including this recipe for Curried Pumpkin, with the tagline ‘Transition pie staple to savoury dish’. Sounded good to me.
Potato Soup with Cashew Cream and Rosemary
I love, love, love, soup! And a rich and decadent cream based soup is high up there on the list. Cashew cream adds such an incredible texture to the broth, adding body without making a roux (keeping this soup gluten free), and the rosemary and thyme are earthy and fragrant.
How to Incorporate Beautiful (and Edible!) Flowers into your Meals
Edible flowers have long been used in cooking for decoration and flavoring. They make a beautiful garnish, but they can also be an integral part of any recipe. Different flowers bring unique flavors and colors to a dish. Some flavors are just the thing for sweet dishes, while other flowers are more suitable to savories. While some vegetable flowers and wild plant foods might require a foraging expedition or a visit to the local health food market, many edible flowers are available for convenient home delivery. Clever cooks can get flowers delivered in the evening so that they are fresh and in time for dinner.
Quickie Lunch! Creamy Coconut Yam Soup
I’m currently on a bit of a work-ation, having jumped at the opportunity to stay at a friend’s lakefront house for a week while they surf in Mexico. It’s fantastic. My days are consisting of writing, reading, canoeing on the lake, walking the pugs, and of course making yummy vegan food in their kitchen with a view.
Thai Sweet Potato Soup
I am really excited about this recipe! I have fallen in love with Pacific Natural Foods’ Thai Sweet Potato Soup, and wanted to recreated it at home, for you. I gathered a bunch of ingredients listed on the box, and this is what I came up with; a creamy, spicy and oh-so-good Thai Sweet Potato delight that is pretty dang close to the original.
White Bean and Kale Stew
This stew is hearty, low in fat and full of nutritious winter veggies. The fresh herbs and lemon juice/zest add a lovely freshness that shouldn’t be omitted. This stew is also gluten free by using brown rice flour as a thickening agent. Simple one-pot dishes like these just get better over time, so doubling the recipe is recommended. AND, almost all the ingredients are organic, ringing up to around $10-$15 for the whole batch. Gotta love that!
Vegan Hamburger Soup
I got inspired to make a vegan version of hamburger soup by my friend Katherine who shared this recipe from allrecipes.com on her Facebook page. It sounded delicious and easy to make – she has two young children and they liked it too! So with a couple packages of veggie ground leftover from an event, this was the perfect one pot meal!
Vegan Cassoulet in the Slow Cooker
My first memory of cassoulet is watching the legendary Miss Julia Child prepare one on a Saturday morning. Cassoulet is french for casserole, usually comprised of white beans, ham or sausage, chicken and french herbs. This vegan, whole food version is very flavourful while being low in fat and cholesterol. It’s a win-win!
Pumpkin Soup
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting cold. These next few months have me looking forward to anything and everything that can combat a perpetual chill to the bone. And that means lots of soups, stews, hot beverages and warming spices.
Vegan Zuppa Toscana
This recipe is a veganized version of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana, courtesy of Dominic Geracia at NerdEats.net. Dominic has a great passion for food and is moving towards a vegan diet, so he thought he would use vegan alternatives and see if they passed the test. And according to him, they did! We were also big fans of this soup in our non-vegan days and cannot wait to try Dominic’s creation…it looks absolutely delicious!
Vegan Sausage and Peppers with Polenta
I am on huge soy chorizo kick lately! On a recent trip to Portland, I stocked up on vegan goods that I haven’t been able to find here in Vancouver, including a variety of vegan chorizo substitutes (you may remember my gnocchi with chorizo-style seitan). This dish I whipped up last night uses Trader Joe’s soy chorizo, although any vegan sausage or soy ground would be fine. If you’d like to avoid soy altogether, try a sturdy legume like chickpeas, black-eyed peas or adzuki beans. This soupy-stew is a tad spicy but is nicely balanced with the sweet potato and corn. It is deliciously paired with crispy pan-fried polenta, full of flavour and surprisingly light. Serve with a fresh green salad tossed in a light vinaigrette for a perfect summer meal.
Julie Beyer’s RedLentilDelicious Soup
Not long ago, we had the pleasure of doing Julie Beyer’s Whole Food Challenge, which included devouring some of her amazing (and amazingly good for you) recipes. Her RedLentilDelicious Soup was one of our favourites, and she’s letting us share the recipe with you!
Butternut Curry with Lentil Flatbread
Fortunately for me, my colon hydrotherapist was running 15 minutes behind last night, so I had to sit in the waiting room and flip through the old naturopathic magazines. I found a recipe for a lentil flatbread, and was inspired by its simplicity, especially since my belly has been giving me grief lately and I’ve found ease with less ingredients in my dishes. There is a ton of fiber in this meal, so if your tubes are a little plugged up, this is a delicious way to get things moving.
Lauren Mote’s Best Cauliflower Soup Recipe
Photo courtesy of FoodMedic.com
Although we’ve posted a cauliflower soup recipe in the past, we just couldn’t pass up our good friend Lauren Mote’s version sent to us the other day. Everything she makes is delicious and you can never have too many soup recipes, right?
Aromatic Curried-Chili Fusion
Chili cross-bred with curry…sounds kind of weird hey? This quirky fusion (a PPK remix) initially sounded a bit conflicting, but coconut milk, thai red curry paste and kidney beans in the same ingredient list piqued my playful curiosity. I’m glad I took the chance, because this dish has become a recurring hit, and it is deee-licious.
Bistro Broccoli Soup
Soup is such an easy, economical and digestible way to get your vitamins. This soup cooks up in less than 30 minutes with only a few key ingredients, and only has 3.5 grams of fat per serving. The nutritional yeast gives it that ‘cheesy’ flavour while adding extra protein and B-vitamins. Pretty well-rounded if you ask me…definitely a keeper!
Black Bean Soup
Black Bean Soup has always been one of my favourite one-pot-meals. There are so many variations of this global staple, but my number one flavour combo is when black beans are combined with exotic spices and a little heat, creating a sumptuous union. Now, this soup does take a while to complete, though the prep is minimal. It’s perfect for making on a Saturday morning while you do some things around your house and when you’re done, the soup is done. You will see pumpkin pie spice blend on the ingredients list (kinda weird, I know) as it happened to have all the sweet, fragrant spicing I was looking for in one package. And lastly, this soup is cheap! It couldn’t have cost more than $6 to make with the beans ringing in at $2.16.
Creamy Cauliflower and Rosemary Soup
On February 19th, The Vegan Project participated in the first ever all-vegan Social Bites. The event was a huge success with Michael Robertson (ironically the only non-vegan) taking home the gold for his delicious and creative vegan dishes, Vegan Mischief coming in second and Julie Beyer and ourselves tying for third.
Tomato and Sweet Pepper Bisque and Grilled Daiya Sandwich
I’ve been going through a lot of changes over the past couple of weeks and am finding these last few months of winter exhausting. While I was working over at Jessica’s place this morning, I felt myself in dire need of some comfort – a warm hug from mom at just the right moment. Unfortunately, my mom didn’t happen to be standing outside the door with open arms (but wouldn’t that have been cosmic if she had?) so I jumped in the kitchen and started to prepare the next best thing: tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.
Creamy Leek + Shiitake Soup
This is a subtle blended soup that serves well as an appy or an accompaniment to a stronger dish. It also makes a hearty lunch with a freshly toasted baguette for dipping. It’s packed with nutrients, and tastes really good with a yummy Gomasio topping.
Tomato, Corn and Black Bean Soup
This soup is REALLY easy to make and so flavourful! Try and use organic canned goods whenever possible. It’s high in fibre, low in fat, a complete protein and yields a ton. A great soup to make on a Sunday night and eat all week long.
Hot Miso Pho
This soup is full of cleansing and cold-fighting ingredients like garlic, ginger and cilantro. By keeping some of the garlic (nature’s antibiotic), and the ginger raw in the bottom of the bowl, you preserve their immunity boosting properties (and get more intense flavour, too!) By adding lots of fresh cilantro at the very end, you can ward off throat and lung infections, since cilantro helps remove metals from the body. The Thai chili will definitely get your nose running (in a good way), and the shiitake mushrooms (B6) and miso (B12) will keep your mood elevated through these dreary winter days. It’s delicious, affordable and quick…What a soup!
Roasted Squash Soup
This soup will warm up your house and your belly. I used delicata squash here but I’m sure any kind would do. If you use a squash with a thicker skin, you might have to scrape the insides out after roasting and leave the tough outside behind. Delicata is super soft, though, so throw it all in!
Beef-less Tip Stew
A family favourite while I was growing up, classic beef stew gets a modern veggie twist using soy-based beef-less tips from Gardein!
Potato & Pea Yellow Curry
This is a super basic curry recipe. I cheated and used curry powder instead of the traditional custom blend of fragrant seeds that makes a true Indian curry. Don’t worry, I will soon enough post a traditional Indian curry recipe, but until then, this version is tasty, just a little bit spicy and simple to make.
Baba’s Borscht
This recipe is a mesh between a couple of different baba recipes. In reality, Babas make borscht with what they have on hand, or what is available thus, no two batches are ever the same, so feel free to improvise with your vegetables. The constant is beets…
Basil & Asparagus Soup…Bliss!
Bunch of organic asparagus $4.66
Large white onion (not organic) $1.81
Organic fresh basil $2.29
Knorr* Vegetable broth 900 ml $2.24
Total: $11
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Bay leaf
Fresh cracked pepper
No salt needed
*I used this brand because it was on sale at IGA and I’m on a budget and it’s 2 dollars cheaper than an organic alternative. It does have a fairly high sodium content (30% per cup) & Lycopene? Obviously if you want to use homemade it’ll be even better!
Sautee chopped onion and asparagus for about 25 minutes or until soft with a bit of colour. Add carton of vegetable stock, bay leaf and cracked pepper and bring to boil.Then reduce and simmer 10 more minutes. Take off the heat, remove the bay leaf and ladle into your blender. Toss in 5 large torn basil leaves and blend the sh*% out of it…seriously a long time. Comes out blissfully green and smooth…so decadent and it only cost me $11! I really hope everyone makes this soup 
Love,
The Vegan Project