Saturday Night Dinner: Peanut & “Chicken” Soup

Saturday nights were usually reserved for our traditional beer and pizza night, but with our usual go-to pizza place changing up their recipe to something that barely resembles what we fell in love with we’re currently cooking dinner ourselves.  This recipe came from The Flat Belly Diet Cookbook, something I was glancing through while we were relaxing at Borders this afternoon.  From my quick read through, the book looked to have several interesting recipe ideas, even if the author was obsessed with repeating the word MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids) as often as Rachel Ray needs to use EVOO, yummo, or sammi in every sentence.  Needless to say it got grating pretty quickly.  If you can look past that you can probably find some tasty recipes.  They’re not all vegetarian, but most are easily adaptable.

The original recipe didn’t call for the “chicken”, but we had some extra laying around and decided to toss it in for a little extra protein. The result is a simple, filling vegetable soup with a mild peanut taste; a great creamy recipe for the cold of winter.

Peanut & “Chicken” Soup

• 1 Tbsp Canola Oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups vegetable broth, divided
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 12 oz vegetarian “chicken” strips, chopped
• 2 Tbsp chopped nuts (optional)

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, celery, and carrots.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the onion softens. Add the garlic and 2 cups of the broth.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.

Transfer the soup to a food processor fitted with a metal blade or a blender.  Process until smooth

Return the soup to the pot and stir in the peanut butter, lemon juice, and remaining 1 cup broth.  Cook for 5 minutes or until the peanut melts and flavors blend.  Add the “chicken” and continue to cook until heated through.

Ladle into 4 bowls and sprinkle with the chopped nuts.

4 servings (1 ¼ cup each.)

“Chicken” Noodle Soup For The Winter-Crushed Soul

At this point I wish that either the Skinny Bitches would come out with a new cookbook, or hire me for their PR team.  I think every vegan/vegetarian I talk cookbooks with is surprised to hear that the Skinny Bitches are both: vegan AND full of good recipes.  If they only they weren’t so obnoxious when they start talking.  Crap, there goes my PR job.

In case you haven’t heard, America is currently blanketed under a cold snap slash snow storm that many people are referring to as “Utter Bullshit!” I’m one of those people.  It should never be so cold that it both makes your eyes water and freezes those tear drops within the same 2 seconds.

And with the cold, comes the colds, the flus and the sinus infections.  I’m dealing with the later, while Katie is dealing with the former.  The past two weekends have consisted of grilled cheese, soup, and buying stock on Kleenex and Afrin.  Needless to say, winter in Chicago is just amazing…ly horrible.

But there are some bright spots, and this vegetarian chicken noodle soup is one of them.  The curry gives it just a bit of a kick and the flavor is probably the closest I’ve had to actual chicken soup in years.  Plus it’s a recipe that’s easily doubled, giving you enough soup to make a couple meals.

“Chicken” Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 carrot cut into 1/4″ slices
• 1 celery stalk cut into 1/4″ slices
• 1/2 onion, cut into 1/2″ dice
• 4 oz white or brown mushrooms, cut into 1/4″ slices
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp curry
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 cups vegetable stock (or vegan chicken stock if available)
• 1 1/4 tsp soy sauce
• 8 oz vegan chicken strips (either Trader Joes or Smart Strips)
• 4 oz wheat pasta

Heat the oil in a 6-quart stockpot over medium heat.  Add the carrot, celery and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally until crisp and tender (about 2 minutes).  Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper and curry powder and cook until the mushrooms release their juices (about 2 minutes).  Stir in the stock, soy sauce and bay leaf.  Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Add the chicken and pasta.  When the soup returns to a boil, reduce to simmer.  Cook until the pasta is done (time will depend on type of pasta used).  Remove the bay leaf and serve!

Makes about 9 cups.

Vegetarian Cream of “Chicken” & Mushroom Soup

As is usually the case, summer has disappeared a little too quickly here in Chicago.  Normally I don’t mind the lack of 90 degree temperatures, but they were in even shorter supply than normal this year, leaving it feeling more like a prolonged spring easing its way into a, hopefully, prolonged fall.

Needless to say, I do not like winter.  It is the devil’s season.  By the time February rolls around, there’s a vague sense that everyone is looking forward to punching everyone else in the face.  But perhaps being trapped inside looking at the same 4 walls all winter will do that to a person.  Or in this case, an entire city.

Luckily, it’s not here yet, but fall has most definitely set in which makes it the perfect weather some soup.  This cream of chicken and mushroom recipe was adapted from the Swank Multiple Sclerosis Diet Cookbook.  It’s a great book for people dealing with Multiple Sclerosis and are looking for other ways beside medicine to boost their health.  Just be forewarned that it’s not an easy diet.  It’s a strict low-fat regime that I wasn’t even able to stick to.  But that could be love of carbs talking.

You can easily replace the veggie chicken with real chicken to give yourself that meat fill you’re craving.

Vegetarian Cream of “Chicken” & Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 lb sliced mushrooms
• 1/3 cup AP flour
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 2 packages Trader Joe’s Chickenless Strips, diced
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• chopped parsley
• paprika

Pour oil into a large saucepan and saute onion over medium heat until tender.  Add mushrooms and cook 10 minutes.  Blend in flour.  Gradually stir in chicken broth, skim milk that has been mixed with the nonfat dry milk powder, and the wine.  Stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and comes to a boil.  Add remaining ingredients except parsley and paprika.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.  Garnish with parsley and paprika.  Serves 6.

Simple Taco Soup

Who doesn’t love easy?  Ten hour work days and hours of comicon recovery time has left me with little initiative to get any food prepped for the week.  But alas, the leftovers are gone, and I’m forced to throw something together.  And now we have taco soup.  To give it a heartier vibe I added some spices, veggie chicken and orzo to great effect.

Simple Taco Soup

• 8 oz uncooked orzo
• 7 cups vegetable broth
• 2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 1/2 cups chunky mild or medium salsa
• 2 1/4 cups frozen corn kernels
• 12 ounces veggie chicken strips
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne (or to taste)

Boil water in a medium sauce pan.  Cook the orzo according to package directions.

In a large soup pot add the broth, beans, salsa, chicken strips, and spices.  Cook over medium heat until simmering.  Adjust to low heat and let flavors blend.  Add the cooked orzo, stir and serve.

Serves at least 8 people.

Bacon-y Cheese-y Potato & Cauliflower Chowder

I subscribe to a lot of e-mail recipe lists.  A LOT.  And of all the recipes I receive everyday, only a few actually make me want to go out, buy the ingredients and cook it up.  Most of them sound either too bizarre, or too time consuming.  The recipe that Eat Better America had for a Cheesy Potato Chowder, though, sounded simple AND tasty.  I replaced the broccoli in the dish with cauliflower though, because broccoli is a tool of Satan and I’ll have none of that in my dishes.

I also added some Bacon Salt to give it a hint of bacon to go along with all that cheese.  ‘Cuz seriously?  Everything tastes better with Bacon Salt.  And just for kicks, I added a pinch of cayenne pepper.

The result?  Absolutely delicious.

Bacon-y Cheese-y Potato & Cauliflower Chowder

Ingredients

• 6 medium red potatoes (2 lb), unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tsp Hickory Bacon Salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 12 oz cauliflower cuts
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 8 oz shredded 2% milk reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

1. Add potatoes to a 5-quart pot adding just enough water to cover. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain. Reserve 1 cup potatoes, returning remaining potatoes to saucepan. In a small bowl, mash reserved potatoes with fork. Return to saucepan.
2. Stir in broth, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and Bacon Salt. Heat to boiling. Add cauliflower. Return to boiling and cook uncovered for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium.
3. In small bowl with wire whisk, stir flour into milk until well mixed. Add milk mixture to potato mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until mixture thickens and boils. Stir in cheese until melted and smooth. Stir in sour cream. Cook until thoroughly heated.

Makes 8 servings (1 1/4 cups each)

Whole Wheat Drop Dumpling Soup

It’s apparently “Comfort Food Week” in the kitchen of Mike and Katie.  It could be due to the weather getting colder, or it could be because I think I’m coming down with a cold.  Either way, between the cookies, the sweet potato pie, and now some easy vegetable broth soup, I feel like I’m 8 years old again.

Drop dumplings hold a special place in my heart.  I remember as a kid helping my grandmother drop the dough into boiling water, making enough dumplings to last a week.  The tradition was passed down to my mother once my grandmother could no longer handle standing over the stove.  And while my sister took it over for my mom now that my mom suffers from severe knee pain, I’m proud to take up the mantle with a bit of my own personality thrown into the mix.

I adapted this recipe from How To Cook Everything Vegetarian, quite the compendium of deliciousness. They refer to it as spaetzle, but I feel that unless you have a spaetzle maker, you’re crossing the line into dumpling category size-wise.  I swapped out a cup of the all-purpose flour with a cup of wheat flour to make the dumplings slightly healthier.  I think for the next pot, though, I’ll add some seitan or fake chik’n to really go for the chicken and dumplings soup feel.

Whole Wheat Drop Dumpling Soup
Makes 4 servings

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 2 quarts + 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk, plus more if needed

1. Put the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, a minute or two.  Add the stock and bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, combine the flour with a large pinch of salt and several pinches of pepper in a bowl.  Lightly beat the eggs and milk together in another bowl and add to the flour, stirring.  If necessary, add a little more milk until the mixture has the consistency of thick pancake batter.
3. Keep the stock at a steady but not violent boil. Scoop a teaspoon or so of batter and drop it into the stock.  Small pieces may break off, but the batter should remain largely intact.  Repeat with all of the dough.  When the spaetzle rise to the top they will be done.
4. Serve!

Recipe – Vegetarian Fiesta Con Queso Soup

Photo courtesy of Biggest Menu

Fans of Panera soup may recognize this soup. Every other year or so, around the fall season/Chrismas time, Panera unleashes what is easily their best soup ever. You heard me right. EVER. Ask around. Ask the people I spent 6 months working with, enslaved inside the Christmas Around The Mall store, where it was ALWAYS Christmas. Even well into the middle of January, there we were wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

And if you think the bargain hunting BEFORE Christmas was bad, you never saw the people wondering if the 5 dollar ornament that was already 75% off was going to drop even further in price.

Although, to be fair, some of my best memories come from that store, and it’s also where Katie and I ultimately ended up becoming a couple. Even if it was much to the chagrin of the other employees.

But Panera’s Fiesta Con Queso soup was our addiction. We were there every day it was offered, sometimes buying 2 or 3 extra bowls to have at home during the week. It was like heroin for cheese junkies. The next winter, they didn’t release the seasonal soup and I made it my goal to find a suitable recipe replacement. Searching around the internet, I finally found a recipe that comes pretty damn close to the original, if not slightly spicier.

This dish may be high in vitamins, but be forewarned; it’s all butter and cheese. This is your daily saturated fat. It may be your weekly saturated fat. But that’s what winter soups are for right?

Fiesta con Queso
8-10 servings/5 quarts

1/8-1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup onions, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3-1/2 cup diced roasted Anaheim chilies (I use 1 medium sized pepper)
4 vegetarian vegetable bouillon cubes (extra lg. cubes)
4 cups hot water
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 lb sliced good quality American cheese
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4-1/3 cup roasted red peppers, julienne then roughly chop
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1/4 cup hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1. Over medium heat melt butter or margarine in a 6 quart stock pot, add onions carrot and celery and saute until onions are transparent and carrots have softened, add garlic toward the end and allow to soften (about 2 minutes), remove from heat.
2. In a blender combine sauted onions, carrots, celery and garlic with roasted anaheim chili, 4 cubes of bouillon and 4 cups of hot water– puree.
3. Return vegetable puree to stock pot and place over medium heat, add both packages of cream cheese stirring until completely blended with vegetable puree.
4. In seperate bowl blend 4 tablespoons of flour with 1/2 cup of the warm cream cheese and vegetable puree mixture to get out lumps then stir in 1/2 cup boiling water, combine with contents of stock pot.
5. While stirring the pot bring contents to a boil.
6. Allow contents to boil while stirring for about 2 minutes then simmer.
7. Add the 1/2 lb of American Cheese a couple of slices at a time until melted.
8. Once cheese is melted incorporate the can of tomoatos (with juice), roasted red pepper, corn, hot sauce, cayenne pepper and cumin.
9. Allow to simmer for at least 1 hour stirring occassionally to prevent burning.
10. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe – Clear Soup with Spinach and Tofu

I was asked by a friend to post this recipe for a soup that she still talks about nearly a decade after I first made it. It’s a simple Thai soup that’s both hearty yet light (Is that possible?). It’s also from one of my very first vegetarian cookbooks, Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott. At the time, I was intimidated by the occasionally large list of ingredients, but with some experience under the proverbial belt, I’m ready to try my hand at more of these recipes.

For those of you who want to start experimenting with the tastes of vegetarian Thai food, this is a good starting place. The recipe calls for readily available ingredients. And I’ve adapted it a bit, replacing the need for crispy garlic in oil with some regular minced garlic. I’ll include the recipe for the crispy garlic in oil in case you want to give the original recipe for this gaeng jeute soup a try.

So, here you go Sabrina, this one’s for you.

Clear Soup with Spinach and Tofu

• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 8 oz. firm tofu, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• A handful of baby spinach leaves, stemmed and left whole
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced crosswise
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced or 2 Tbsp Crispy Garlic in Oil
• salt to taste

In a saucepan, bring the stock to a gentle boil over medium heat. Add the tofu, pepper, soy sauce, and sugar. Simmer until the tofu is heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the spinach, green onions and garlic. Remove from the heat. Add salt to taste.

If using the crispy garlic, do not add it directly to the soup. Instead transfer to serving bowls and top each bowl of soup with a bit of the crispy garlic.

Serves 4-6

Crispy Garlic in Oil

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp coarsely chopped garlic

Heat a small skillet briefly over low heat. Add the oil and heat until a bit of garlic added to the pan sizzles at once, 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to separate any clumps. As the garlic begins to turn golden and release its perfume, stir gently; as soon as half of the garlic is a soft, wheaty color, after 3 to 4 minutes, remove from the heat and set aside to complete the cooking as the mixture cools to room temperature.

Transfer the garlic and fragrant oil to a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator.

Makes about 1/4 cup.

(Tofu button comes from the always fun MushyCat.)