Vegetarian Pho

 

INGREDIENTS

Soup

Two 3-inch cinnamon sticks

3 Frontier whole cloves

2 star anise

1 large white onion*, peeled and quartered

4-inch piece of fresh ginger*, peeled and halved lengthwise

4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable stock or broth

4 cups water usually it uses 8 cups stock/broth... since combining with water make sure to use salt!

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce

6 ounces (one large handful) rice noodles

1 tablespoon avocado oil, mild extra-virgin olive oil or your neutral-flavored oil of choice

5 ounces thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms

Salt

Garnishes

Mung bean sprouts

Sprigs of fresh basil (use Thai basil if you can find it) or cilantro

Sprigs of fresh mint

Thinly sliced green onions (mostly green parts)

Very thinly sliced fresh jalapeño (omit if sensitive to spice)

Small wedges of lime

INSTRUCTIONS

• Pot 1 "30 MINUTES" Warm a medium soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. 
• Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise and toast until fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes. 
• Add the onion, ginger, vegetable stock, water and tamari. 
• Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. 
• Simmer for 30 minutes to give the flavors time to meld.
• Pot 2 In the meantime, prepare your rice noodles by cooking them according to package directions. Set them aside.
• Pot 3 To prepare the shiitake mushrooms, warm the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and a few dashes of salt. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and lightly browned, about 4 to 6 minutes, then set them aside.  Or maybe I can use Pot 2 for this part once the noodles have been strained and set aside.
• Back to Pot 1 Once the broth is done cooking, strain out the onions, ginger and spices (this is easiest with a small metal sieve, but you can also strain the mixture through a colander into another large bowl). Season it to taste with extra tamari and/or salt until the flavors of the spices really shine.
• Ladle the broth into bowls, add cooked noodles and mushrooms, and fresh garnishes to your heart’s content (don’t forget the lime!). Serve immediately, with chopsticks and soup spoons.

NOTES 

*FOR EVEN MORE FLAVOR: Char your onions and ginger before adding them to the pot. If you go this route, just slice the onion in half (instead of quarters), and don’t peel the ginger. You have a few options on how to char them—you can supposedly char them with metal tongs over a gas flame (I don’t have gas, so I couldn’t try this), or broil them, cut sides down, on a baking sheet, or—the most reliable method—roast them, cut sides down, on a baking sheet, on the upper rack in a 500 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

**Receipt from Cookie + Kate

Sriracha Chicken Pozole

Picture from original recipe posting. Find it here.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large beefsteak tomatoes (cored if desired)
• 4 large dried guajillo peppers
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 white onion cut into 1/2 inch rounds
• 5 whole cloves, 3 Tbs. sriracha sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 3 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 3 Tbs. distilled white vinegar
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 3 good pinches kosher salt
• 2 large fresh poblano peppers
• 2 pounds chicken (skinless boneless thighs and breasts)
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 sprig fresh mint
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
• 1 avocado finely diced
• 6 radishes finely sliced
• 1 lime

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENT OPTIONS

• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme (1/2 teaspoon dry)
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, optional
• Shredded lettuce or cabbage
• Diced tomatillos
• Diced green or red bell peppers

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 500. Score an X in the bottom of each tomato and place them on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Roast tomatoes for 25 minutes, until softened and slightly charred all over.
• Cut the stems off the guajillo chiles and slice them lengthwise. Shake out the seeds. Lightly toast them in a small cast iron until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of cold water and let sit for 30 minutes, or until soft and pliable.
• Back the skillet, toast the onions and garlic until you see good charred marks on all sides, and the onions have softened, about 10 minutes.
• To a blender, add the tomatoes (with the skins peeled), onions, garlic, chiles (drained from water), sriracha sauce, cloves and allspice. Puree for a good two minutes, until very smooth. Add a little water if needed.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large dutch oven over medium high. Add the puree (it will probably splatter) to the pan and and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add a cup of water, vinegar, sugar and a Tbs. of salt. Partially cover and simmer on a medium heat for 30 minutes, adding a little more water if needed, to keep it at the same consistency.
• In the meantime, flip your oven to broil. Place the poblano peppers on a baking sheet and broil until blackened and charred all over, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately transfer to a small plastic bag, and seal it. Let sit for 15 minutes, allowing the skin to loosen. Once cool enough, peel the skin away from the peppers and slice into small strips.
• After 30 minutes of simmering, add the chicken, cilantro, mint, Mexican oregano, hominy, chicken stock and another Tbs. salt. Stir to combine, and simmer on medium for another 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
• Ladle pozole into bowls and garnish with sliced radishes, dice avocado, fresh sprigs cilantro and a good spritz of lime juice.

Pasta, Pancetta and Kidney Bean Soup (Pasta e Fagioli)

YIELD: Makes 2 quarts, serving 5  ACTIVE TIME: 25 minutes  TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes


IINGREDIENTS:
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes packed in juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon butter
3 ounces pancetta or bacon, finely chopped (optional)
1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
2 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans
2 bay leaves
1 cup small pasta such as shells, ditali, or elbows
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:
Pour the tomatoes into a medium bowl and using hands, squeeze each tomato through your fingers to break it up into small pieces (be careful, they can squirt). Set aside.

Heat olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until butter is melted. If using pancetta, add to pan and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly until fragrant and softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juice, chicken broth, kidney beans, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to a bare simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, adding pasta to soup for the last 5 to 10 minutes (depending on the package directions). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaves, stir in parsley and serve, drizzling each serving with extra-virgin olive oil at the table.

Original recipe from Serious Eats

Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients
1 large head cauliflower (the one I used was at least 7″ in diameter
olive oil for drizzling
Few dashes garam masala (optional)
3 medium to large sized peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1″ pieces
1 sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
7 cups filtered water

Directions
First, preheat your oven to 400 °F and cut up your cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Sprinkle cauliflower lightly with garam masala. Place cauliflower on un-greased cookie sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Place in oven and let roast until golden brown on the tops and tender, but not mushy, about 20-30 minutes. There’s no need to flip ‘em. Just remove from oven and let cool while you cook the rest of the soup.

In large stockpot, bring peeled & cut sweet potatoes, onion, garlic and water to a boil. Salt (abt 3/4 tsp) and stir. Reduce heat and allow to remain at a constant simmer until sweet potatoes are tender. Add in cooked cauliflower and divide soup into 2 parts.

Let soup cool and then blend one part soup in blender until very smooth. Combine with second part soup and stir. Salt to taste and warm up over stovetop if needed.

Recipe from Manifest Vegan
Cook/Bake Time: 30, Prep Time 10, Ready in: 40

Beef Chili

Beef chili with a perfect medium to hot spice level.

Serves 4 -5 hungry men. NOTE FROM HUNGRY MEN: Try putting less beef and more veggies next time. 

Ingredients:
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, chopped
* 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
* 1 carrot, sliced I put in a lot more than just one. Also, Jonathan likes it when they're softer. I recommend boiling the carrot before putting in the pot for it to come out softer. 
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 stalks celery, chopped
* 1 dried red pepper, crushed
* 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (or 1 whole green pepper)
* 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper (or 1 whole red pepper)
* 1/3 jalapeno pepper, minced
* 1/3 cup bottled steak sauce
* 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
* 1 (1.25 ounce) package chili seasoning mix
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
* In a large pot over medium-low heat, combine tomatoes, tomato paste, carrot, onion, celery, pepper flakes, bell peppers, jalapeno pepper and steak sauce.

* While tomato mixture is simmering, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef until brown; drain. Stir chili seasoning into ground beef.

* Stir seasoned beef into tomato mixture. Mix in cumin and continue to simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors are well blended.

* Stir in beans, cilantro and parsley. Total cook time approx 1.5 hours throughout all directions. Heat through and serve.

Used ingredients and quantities based on Award Winning Chili recipe posted on allrecipes.com. This recipe also calls for 1/4 cup white wine and 5 slices bacon which I omitted.

Fresh Asparagus Soup

Prep Time: 10 Minutes     ♦     Cook Time: 20 Minutes     ♦     Ready In: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

Thank you Amir for the
wonderful hand blender

    * 1 pound fresh asparagus (I buy close to 2 pounds fresh asparagus / 2 bundles and cut off the edges so it ends up being about 1 pound of usable asparagus)
    * 3/4 cup chopped onion
    * 1/2 cup vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
    * 1 tablespoon butter
    * 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    * 1 teaspoon salt
    * 1 pinch ground black pepper
    * 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
    * 1 cup soy milk
    * 1/2 cup yogurt
    * 1 teaspoon lemon juice
    * 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Place asparagus and onion in a saucepan with 1/2 cup vegetable broth. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until the vegetables are tender.
2. Reserve a few asparagus tips for garnish. Place remaining vegetable mixture in an electric blender and puree until smooth.
3. Melt butter in the pan that was used for simmering the asparagus and onions. Stir while sprinkling flour, salt, and pepper into the butter. Do not let the flour brown. Allow the mixture to cook only 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth and increase the heat. Continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.
4. Stir the vegetable puree and milk into the saucepan. Whisk yogurt into the mixture, followed by lemon juice. Stir until heated through, then ladle into bowls. Garnish with reserved asparagus tips. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Comments: 

    *  Original recipe posted by Nanook on AllRecipes.Com lists this to make 4 servings. I find that I am left with between 2 and 3 servings.
    * Very delicious.

Winter Squash Soup

 *Notes: I did not use celery. For White Wine, I bought a small bottle for $2.50 of Chardonnay at the wine store. 1 Squash = about 1lb = 1/4 of recipe which only serves 1.

Recipe from Food & Wine Magazine's November 2010 edition.