Rosy Turmeric Soup

Ingredients:

4-5 small to medium potatoes cut into about 2 inch pieces

2 large carrots

1 package of extra firm tofu

1 medium yellow onion

5-6 cloves of garlic minced

3 large leaves green cabbage

4-5 large leaves red (or yellow/white) chard

3 Vegetarian bouillon cubes or 3 cups vegetable broth

turmeric

cayenne pepper

rosemary

salt & pepper

Directions:

1) Cut the onion into fairly thin pieces;

Just put this here to ward off any arguments over what I mean (ahem Colie and her German).

Put into a large soup pot with coconut oil and turn heat on low and cook until soft and starting to caramelize.

2)While onions are cooking, cut the carrots in half then half again. Cut as thin as possible unless you want thicker carrot pieces.

3) Clean and mince the garlic cloves.

4) Clean the cabbage and chard. Remove the thick centers of the leaves and cut into small pieces. Chop the leaves into small pieces as well.

5) Put the carrots, garlic, chard stems (only), and all the cabbage in. Stir, raise the heat to medium. Stir occasionally.

6) While those are cooking, drain and dab dry the tofu. Cut into inch pieces then spice with a generous amount of turmeric, salt, and cayenne pepper. Try to get both sides but if not it's okay-- more spice will be added to the soup later.

7) Add in the tofu and let cook with what's in the pot for about 5 minutes.

8) Add water so that it covers everything with about an inch of water above. Bring the heat to high. Add a few dashes of turmeric and some cayenne pepper. You can also add more salt but if you're worried about it being too salty, wait until the end when you're ready to serve to taste and decide.

9) Roll three large pinches of rosemary between your fingers to break up the leaves (if fresh, do a quick chop, just to help release the oils more into the broth).

10) While waiting for the water to boil, peel and cut the potatoes (you can use any kind though I used just regular 'ol Idaho potatoes). The smaller the piece, the faster your soup will be done. I recommend 2 inch chunks.

11) When the water is boiling, add in the potatoes. Stir and lower the heat to medium/medium low and put the lid on. If you don't have a lid, no biggie, just keep the heat on a higher setting. It should take about 20-30 minutes to finish the potatoes. Do the fork test at 20 minutes and decide.

12) When your potatoes are done, remove the lid and lower the heat. Add in the chard leaves (you want to do this last because if you leave them in the whole time, they'll get bitter from being over cooked). Stir and allow to wilt.

13) Enjoy!

This May Be the Best Thing I've Ever Made

Ingredients:
About four cups dry black beans cooked and liquid kept
5 roma tomatoes (pureed, blended, or chopped as small as possible)
3/4 medium red onion (pureed, blended, or chopped as small as possible)
1/2 red bell pepper (pureed, or etc.)
1/2 hot red pepper of your choice (pureed, etc.)
4 big garlic cloves (pureed, etc.)

I got happy with my Kitchenaid tool that i got from my wonderful older brother for Christmas.

1/2 a package of MorningStar fake beef crumbles
1 Tbsp chili power
1 Tbsp cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper
tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp salt
canola oil
water

I'm going to let you know right now that this dish takes quite a while to make; it's one you'll be nursing for nearly the entire afternoon but, trust me, it'll be worth it. What chili dish that takes the afternoon isn't worth it?
To make this magnificent pot of deliciousness, you start with the very essence of the dish: the beans. Soak them over night for at least 8 hours (if you have noticed issues with excessive gas from chili before, try changing the soaking water at least once within the 8 hour soaking period).
Drain and rinse the beans, discarding any randoms that look abnormal.
Place in a large pot (that has a matching lid) with water-- enough to submerge all the beans beneath about an inch of water. Set the water to boil then lower to a hot simmer and mostly cover with the lid (I mean leave it cracked). Keep it at the simmer for at least 1 1/2 hours.
It's best to set a timer and forget about it for a while but if you're worried you didn't put enough water, check on it every twenty minutes or so to make sure you don't lose all your water.
Then, when that timer finishes, head back to the kitchen to work on your vegetable prep work. Do not turn off your beans, just lower the heat. If you don't have a fancy tool like me for the prep work, just choose one of the other options. The most important thing is to get everything small enough to create the thick texture of the final product.
Then when your prep work is done, cook on low heat with oil: your onions, peppers (hot and red), and garlic in a medium pot or pan. Add in the 1/2 to 3/4 bag of Morningstar crumbles (frozen or thawed) and let cook with the veggies for no more than five minutes. You may need to add more oil. Turn off heat after heated throughout.
Now, turn back to your beans. Drain out liquid ONLY IF the liquid exceeds a level more than 1/4 an inch above the beans.
Add the butchered tomatoes, your veggie-fake-crumble mix, and spices to the pot. Mix everything in, continue to cook for twenty minutes on low, with lid fully on.
Add a pinch of cinnamon when it's done if you like even more of a smokey flavor (I didn't add it though).
Let the pot sit for at least fifteen minutes so that way you'll actually be able to eat it in your bowl.
Pair with rice or just enjoy by itself.

Recipes for the Veggie-Savvy

Hey there! Just wanted to share this awesome vegetarian website. They have recipes for all sorts of special diets: dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, etc.

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/

Attack of the [Vegan] Hispanic Recipe!

Hello!
sorry I haven't been posting as much lately. School is becoming even more demanding and I'm working on getting a workout in every day-- alternating between strength training and cardio. I'm proud to say I'm doing good with my morning yoga; Now I have to work on making strength/cardio alternation a habit as well... and somehow keep up with my school work and sleep. Somehow.

I have a super tight budget this semester so my nutrition is going to come mainly from produce. Sometimes you just have to get creative and throw things together to have a different dish. Here's one I didn't think would turn out so great but ended up amazing! I've already made a few adjustments to make it just right.

This veggie-loaded recipe is packed with the potent spice of Sazon. [Sazon is a spice you get in the spanish foods isle at the grocery store. It comes in an orange box and you want the one with the light-orange top half, NOT the yellow]. With the large amount of squash, this dish does, indeed, have a distinct squash flavor but it does not over-power the sweetness of the carrots nor the robustness of the Sazon. Enjoy it on top of some brown rice and you can actually call yourself Happily Vegan.

(Note: There are no peas in the pictures because it was an adjustment I made after I took them. It really adds a nicer body to the dish)

Ingredients:
6 small yellow squash, halved then cut into 1/2 inch slices.
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 large handfuls of cauliflower, pieces no bigger than 1 inch
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 bag of frozen peas
cayenne pepper
1 packet sazon y achote
black pepper
olive oil

Directions:
1. Be sure to wash your veggies before working with them. With the carrot you may be peeling it but it's good to rinse it off to get any remaining dirt off.
2. Coat the bottom of a large pot with a generous amount of olive oil. Heat the pot on medium-high.
3. Once the pot is heated, add in your onions and carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on it and adjust the heat accordingly.
4. Add in the bell peppers and cauliflower and let cook for 2 minutes. Add in more olive oil if desired.
5. Last, add in the squash, garlic, and frozen peas. Stir it up, add in an entire packet of the sazon, about five shakes of black pepper, about three dashes of cayenne, and stir again. Add in about 1 1/2 cups of water and stir once more.
6. Once it comes to a boil, cover it. Cook for six minutes on medium heat.


Let me know what you think.