Creamy Spinach Soup

My mom came into town this week to hang out with the boys and I and celebrate her Birthday a few days late. I got some good "Mom therapy" (much needed I might add), enjoyed a delightful winter lunch, and allowed her to do our Spanish lesson for the day (since she is fluent and I am very rusty at best!). I love to try new things when my mom is around because she not only shares (well actually she's the one who instilled a love for cooking in me...at a very young age I might add) my love of cooking but she also is always up for trying new things (we were the family growing up with the mom that tried dishes from all over the world on a regular basis - boring was not in her cooking vocabulary!) and is encouraging and supportive whether the dish is fabulous or not! During this particular visit, I had 2 recipes pulled out and she voted for the spinach soup which I really wanted to try but just wasn't sure if I could veganize it successfully. Thankfully, she made an excellent choice and this soup was killer!! Wow on the yum factor. I served it with crusty rolls and salad for a complete and filling cold day delight!

Creamy Spinach Soup

4 cups no-chicken broth
1 T oil 1 onion, peeled and diced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 t salt
1 t cracked fresh pepper
1/4 t ground nutmeg

White sauce:
6 T vegan butter
6 T flour
1 cup unsweetened soy milk

8 cups fresh spinach, washed and chopped
1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped

Heat oil in large stockpot. Add onion and carrot and cook about 5 minutes or until starting to brown. Add broth, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Simmer on low-medium. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan and whisk in the flour. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly to avoid clumping until smooth and thick. Cook about 3-5 minutes until bubbly and thick. Whisk thickened white sauce into soup pot until mixed well. Add spinach and cook additional 3-4 minutes or until spinach is just starting to wilt. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each bowl with a few toasted almonds.

 I am working on trying to fix it! I found a recipe in an old cooking magazine the other day and it looked quite tasty but it was definitely not vegan...just vegetarian. I am always on the lookout for a good vegan meatball recipe and once I veganized this one, it claimed a place in my "keep and use again" recipe folder!

Walnut Meetballs
Egg replacer for 3 eggs (I used 4 1/2 t EnerG egg replacer and 6 T water mixed together)
 1 T dried minced onion
3 T fresh parsley, minced
1 1/2 t poultry seasoning
3/4 t garlic powder
 1/2 t salt
1 1/4 cups finely crushed saltine crackers (make sure they are free of hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup!)
3/4 cup ground walnuts (I gave them a good whirl in my food processor until they were finely ground)
1/2 cup shredded vegan cheese (I used Trader Joes' new vegan cheese)

In a bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients (egg replacer through salt). Add crackers, walnuts and vegan cheese. Use your hands to mix well. Shape mixture into 1 inch balls and place in a 9x13 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 min or until lightly browned on the outside. Serve with barbeque sauce, atop spaghetti and marinara, inside a sandwich...the possibilities are endless!! See below recipe :-) I love Chinese food! One of my favorite Chinese dishes is low mein but I find it a very difficult meal to replicate and end up with a result resembling a good restaurant version. I managed to come up with a pretty delicious replica this week and served it with the leftover Walnut Meetballs dunked in a sweet and tangy sauce!

Vegan Lo Mein
8 oz thin spaghetti (I used half white pasta and half whole wheat pasta), cooked to al dente
2 T soy sauce
4 T oil, divided
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 T ume plum vinegar or rice vinegar
1 T black bean paste
1/2 cup no-chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 t sugar
1 T cornstarch
5 green onion stalks, washed and chopped
1 cup sliced carrots
1 1/2 cups sliced cabbage
1 cup cut green beans

Heat 2 T oil in large skillet. Add onions, green beans and carrots and cook 4-5 minutes. Add cabbage and cook additional 1-2 minutes. In a small dish, combine 2 T oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vinegar, black bean paste, broth, sugar, and cornstarch. Pour into pan and cook until just thickened. Remove from heat and toss with pasta.

Tangy Asian Sauce (drizzled over Walnut Meetballs in the picture)
1/2-1 t crushed red peppers (depending on spice preference)
3 cloves minced garlic
1 T chopped cilantro
2 T soy sauce
1 T finely chopped ginger
1/2 cup barbeque sauce
1/4 cup terriyaki sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup no-chicken broth or vegetable broth

 Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until thick, bubbly and heated through - about 10 minutes. Serve over rice, veggies, or Walnut Meetballs!

Since I have been out of the mode of taking pictures of my culinary adventures in recent months, I thought I would start my re-entrance into the blogging world with the introduction of some delightful new cookbooks I've been enjoying!

Thought the Happy Herbivore is not exactly new and I have owned it for several months now, I don't think I have ever highlighted it in my blog, nor posted any recipes from it. It is a fabulous book filled with very healthy recipes, containing very little or no fat. Though in my opinion no fat usually means no flavor, Lindsay Nixon has crafted some delicious recipes that fit into the "little fat, lots of flavor category". My absolute favorite recipe from her cookbook is for No Chicken Broth Powder (pictured below)...kinda funny to be my favorite recipe in the whole book but I have to admit it is! This broth powder is sooooo yummy, totally healthy and very versatile. I use it in everything from soups to sauces to gravies...everything! As my mom would say, "Yummola!"

Chloe's Kitchen is one of those books that you check out at the library and instantly decide you must buy it for your own bookshelf! I love this cookbook and have tried so many fabulous recipes out of it. Chloe has created the best Broccoli Soup recipe known to the vegan world (the whole world for that matter...in my opinion!), a delicious vegan Whipped Cream made from coconut cream (truly amazing), and the perfect Mac and Cheese recipe I have ever made (a favorite for our entire family!)! I have only tried one recipe I didn't like and really, it was my own fault. I like eggplant on occasion, cooked in only a couple ways...I tried her Miso Eggplant and unfortunately it was not one of those ways I like it! Otherwise, I haven't met a Chloe recipe I haven't enjoyed wholeheartedly!

I'm almost embarassed to post something after my 8 month hiatus! As much as I hated to, I had to put my blogging fun aside for a while since it just didn't fit into my busy schedule of homeschooling 2 energetic boys and keeping up with the rest of my mom/wife responsibilities. I am longing for enough time to get my blog up and running once again...we will see if I can manage! Here's to hoping I can hop back into the blogosphere and provide you all with some delicious new vegan delights in the coming weeks!!