Coconut Ginger Vegetable Soup

Early last year I had the chance to go to Vegfest in Seattle. It is a food festival for vegans and vegetarians, and they are held all over the country. Chances are, if you live in the United States, there’s one not too far from you. It’s fun because you get to sample a lot of food products from well-known brand names, buy cookbooks, get freebies, and attend cooking demos.

While there, I attended a handful of cooking demos presented by PCC, a local co-op with locations in and around Seattle (very similar to Whole Foods, but smaller and member-focused – although anyone can shop there). I learned some interesting new techniques for cooking, as well as some inspiration for what to make next in my kitchen.

One of the demos showed us how to make a Thai coconut ginger vegetable soup, or Tom Kha Ja. It’s a lovely soup with some really interesting flavors and textures intermingling – lemony, spicy and creamy. The nice thing is that you don’t have to use the vegetables listed in this recipe if you don’t want – you can use whatever is on hand or others that you might prefer. The only things that I would recommend not skimping out on are the lime leaves (or lime peel), lemongrass (if you have it available in your grocery store), ginger, and of course, coconut milk. There are a few other key ingredients, but those really set the tone for supporting flavors.

Coconut Ginger Vegetable Soup
This recipe is based on the one created by Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen, who also happens to be the person who demoed it, and who is a PCC Cooks instructor.

• 5 tablespoons canola oil
• 8 ounces or one package firm tofu, diced
• 1/2 carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 8 button mushrooms, stems removed and diced
• 3 cups water
• 3 Thai or serrano chile peppers, smashed
• 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and smashed
• 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, cut into 8 pieces and smashed
• 8 Kaffir lime leaves, or peel of 1 lime
• 4 shallots, trimmed, peeled and smashed
• 1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 jalapeño pepper, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 4 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, optional but highly recommended
• 2 tablespoons coconut cream (the top layer on canned coconut milk), optional

Drain and prepare your tofu.

Cutting up tofu to fry

Heat a wok or skillet, then add three tablespoons of canola oil. Fry the tofu until all sides have a golden crust.

Frying the tofu

Remove the tofu from the pan, and set aside.

Dice your carrot, onion and mushrooms.

Diced carrot, onion and mushrooms

In the same pan you used to fry the tofu, sauté your carrot, onion and mushrooms with the remaining two tablespoons of oil for three to five minutes until translucent and fragrant.

Sautéing carrots, onions and mushrooms

Place the vegetable mixture in a large pot with water and bring to a boil.

Adding the water

Prepare your chile peppers, lemongrass and ginger by smashing them all. Just use the flat side of your knife and give each of them a few good whacks. You don’t have to do it too hard or too many times. The key is to allow the soup to extract the flavors of these ingredients.

Trim the top, then smash with the flat side of your knife

Trim, then using the flat side of your knife hit the lemongrass a few times to smash it

Do the same with the ginger - using the flat side of the knife hit the ginger until it is smashed

If using lime peel, trim and roughly peel a lime with a knife.

Trimming a lime for its peel

Prepare your shallots by peeling and dicing them. I recommend that you use one full shallot or two to four shallot cloves (they look like very large garlic cloves).

Chopping up shallots

When your water comes to a boil, stir in the chile peppers, lemongrass, ginger, lime leaves or peel and shallots. Let boil for five minutes.

Nearly there - just a few more steps!

Prepare your zucchini.

Dicing zucchini

Remove the stem and seeds from your jalapeño, then dice. Grab your corn (I used a whole package of frozen corn).

Diced jalapeño and frozen corn

Add zucchini, corn and jalapeño to your pot and cook for two minutes.

Adding the rest of the vegetables to the soup

Stir in salt, coconut milk and lime juice.

Add some coconut milk to make it creamy

To serve the soup, remove the large pieces of lemongrass, ginger and chile peppers, as well as the lime peel and lime leaves, then ladle into soup bowls. Add your fried tofu and garnish with cilantro and one teaspoon of coconut cream.

Delish!

This is such a yummy soup – and so versatile and forgiving if you don’t have everything you need. I think potatoes would go nicely in this, as well as snow peas, and other kinds of mushrooms, too. To reduce the fat, use a low fat coconut milk, sauté your vegetables in water, and bake your tofu (without oil) instead of frying it.

What soups are you enjoying right now?

Vegetarian Udon Noodle Soup

I love many cuisines from Mexican to Italian to Spanish to good old fashioned American, but if I were really honest with myself I’d have to confess that my absolute favorite is Asian. I say “Asian” because I cannot commit to any particular aspect of the breadth of Asian foods. I’m in love with Indian breads, samosas, and papadum, I salivate over Korean kimchi and bibimbap, and I crave Japanese sushi rolls and inari for weeks at a time – and that’s just scratching the surface.

While I do prepare some Asian foods at home on occasion, I admit that I am still a little wary that I don’t understand how to cook it well enough. That said, I am really fortunate to live so close to multiple Asian markets, and I feel that I am slowly stretching my culinary wings. It’s easy to go into one of these stores, discover an ingredient remembered from a restaurant and have the impulse to buy it and try replicating the dish at home. This is what happened last week as I was wandering down the pasta aisle and came upon some Japanese style udon noodles. As soon as I saw them, I realized that I needed to learn how to make udon noodle soup.

After researching various recipes I have come to realize that udon noodle soup is less about recipe and more about what you have on hand. In many ways, it is very similar to how I am used to throwing together a hearty vegetable soup without wondering if I have added too many or not enough potatoes or carrots, or worrying if I have a specific ingredient on hand or not. It doesn’t really matter, because the end result will still be delicious. What I found is that most udon noodle recipes call for a broth, noodles, some vegetables and mushrooms, and a protein. It’s my opinion that the key is to get the broth down, and then experiment, experiment and experiment. Luckily my first try had me wanting to recreate it the next day, so this recipe I’m sharing with you is a winner in my book.

Vegetarian Udon Noodle Soup
Roughly based upon the Easy Udon Noodle Snack Recipe found on The Messy Vegetarian Cook
Makes 2 servings

• 3 cups water
• 1/2 to 1 cup mushrooms (you can use most any mushroom you like, but I used king oyster and the original recipe calls for shiitake)
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 2 teaspoons mirin or rice vinegar
• 4 teaspoons tamari, soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos (if you do not have any of these on hand, you may also substitute 2 heaping teaspoons miso)
• 1/2 teaspoon vegan sugar
• 1 sheet nori, cut into small pieces or strips
• 2 dry red chili peppers, optional
• 1/4 cup tofu or another vegetable or wheat protein, optional
• 1/4 cup carrots, julienned
• Dry udon noodles (enough for two servings – this is usually one or two individually separated bunches of noodles)
• Salt
• Sesame oil (optional, but so divine – I highly recommend not skipping this ingredient)
• Green onions or chives (optional)

First prepare your broth. I used about half of a king oyster mushroom, and diced it into bite-sized pieces.

King oyster mushrooms are said to taste similar to abalone

Mince your ginger by first cutting off a small amount from the main part of the root, then peeling away the outer skin. You can also crush it like garlic.

Dicing fresh ginger

Julienne your carrots. “Julienne” just means that you’re cutting your veggie into little strips.

Julienned carrots

Place the water, mushrooms, ginger, carrots, mirin, tamari (or soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos), sugar and nori into the broth. If you are using chili peppers, you can add those in now, too.

Tip: If you are going to use miso as a substitute for the tamari, you will need to add that at the end after the broth has finished cooking.

Dried red chili peppers

If you don’t want your carrots to overcook, add them after the broth has boiled.

Bring your pan of ingredients to boil, stirring occasionally, then turn the heat down to medium low or low.

Udon noodle soup broth

Add in your protein now so it will warm up.

Vegetarian Mock Abalone a.k.a. wheat gluten (and oops - this had MSG in it!)

Allow the broth to steep for about twenty minutes.

If you are using miso, you may add it after the broth has finished cooking and has been removed from the heat. Miso takes a few moments to dissolve, so be sure to stir the broth a few times.

Adding the miso to the broth

Cook the noodles as instructed with a little salt. These cook fast, so be sure you are giving these guys your full attention. Once they are done cooking, drain and rinse under cold water.

Japanese style udon noodles

Once the broth is done, add some noodles to a bowl, then ladle the broth over the noodles.

Almost ready!

Drizzle a small amount of sesame oil over the soup, add some sliced green onions as a garnish.

Tip: Be sure to rinse the green onions really well to get rid of any specks of dirt that may have gotten stuck inside the onion as it was growing.

Sliced green onion

Serve.

So so good!

I loved this soup. It was full of flavor, had tons of texture and really hit the spot. Plus it makes me want to come up more variations. Remember, if you don’t have a particular ingredient on hand, don’t fret – you can experiment and discover your own unique soup, too!

What is your favorite Asian cuisine or dish – or can you even decide?

Hubbard Squash Risotto

I don’t know about you, but I like it when I see dirt on my vegetables. It makes it feel as though they have spent some honest time in the ground and haven’t been sterilized and made shiny by a machine. I think of calloused hands, tending them as they grow from seeds to tender shoots to fruiting plants, then finally picking the vegetables with care and passing along the love to me.

Golden Hubbard Squash

It’s that dirt that probably made me cave for this golden hubbard squash when I was out shopping for a pumpkin. That and the fact that I had never heard of a hubbard squash, and was so curious by its shape and size. $12 later I had no clue what I’d do with it, but I’ve discovered several recipes that have potential, and it’s a good thing, too. Destructing it this weekend I discovered that just the amount of meat alone allows for you to get creative and try several different dishes.

The first is a creamy and rich risotto. The hubbard squash may be in the name, but shallots and chanterelles grace this dish adding delicate flavors. Because of its richness it is best served as a side dish, or along with a refreshing salad with a citrus or vinegar dressing. You may also want to consider serving this as a unique dish at your Thanksgiving meal.

Hubbard Squash Risotto
Based upon the Winter Squash Risotto recipe found at Eating Well

Tip: You can use other types of winter squash if the hubbard squash is not available or preferred.

• 5 cups vegetable broth or plain water
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 cups hubbard squash, peeled and chopped (1/2-inch pieces)
• 2 cups shiitake, chanterelle or white button mushroom caps, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads (optional)
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, or dry vermouth (optional)
• 1/2 cup finely shredded or crumbled vegan cheese like Teese Vegan Cheese or Daiya

Wash your hubbard squash, then cut off both ends.

Cutting off the stem end of the squash

You’ll notice pretty quickly that the exposed flesh sweats. Before you cut the squash open, put the towel under the squash to reduce the squash’s ability to slip, then carefully cut the squash in half.

Exposed hubbard squash

I found that my squash was too large to cut straight through, so I would cut down one side, turn it, then cut down the other side. Cut one side of the squash into smaller pieces that will be more manageable to handle for when you will be peeling it. You may need only one-third or one-half of the squash for this recipe, so keep this in mind as you are cutting the pieces.

Then using a potato peeler, peel the squash. The skin is bumpy, so you may find the peeling process to take longer than it would with a smoother-skinned squash.

Cut hubbard squash getting peeled

Once it is peeled, cut three cups of small half-inch chunks.

Tip: To make the chopping easier, pop the peeled pieces into the microwave for about a minute (you may need to do a tad bit more). They may be hot to the touch, so take care, but when they are cool enough to handle the chopping should be far easier. Be aware, though, that this is not meant to be cooked in the microwave, so do not allow it to be in there for more than five minutes at most.

Chopped hubbard squash

Place broth or water in a medium saucepan, then bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the broth remains steaming, but is not simmering.

Vegetable broth warming up

Slice the shallots, which are mild onions. If you need to, you may substitute white or yellow onions.

Slicing a shallot clove

Prepare the mushrooms. I used chanterelles, but you can use shiitake or I am sure that white button mushrooms would also work just fine.

Chanterelles

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, the add the shallots. Cook and stir them about one minute. Stir in squash and mushrooms, and cook and stir for five minutes until the mushrooms give off their liquid.

Shallots, hubbard squash and chanterelles cooking

Add thyme, salt, pepper and saffron (if using), then cook for 30 seconds.

I had some saffron on hand, so I decided to use a little. It’s a very expensive spice that has a bitter and tart odor, but is usually used in dishes to add a bit of color.

Saffron

Add rice, and stir until translucent, about one minute.

Adding the arborio rice

Add wine (or vermouth) and cook and stir for about one minute, until almost absorbed by the rice, about one minute.

Stir in one-half cup of the hot broth, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid has been absorbed.

Adding broth to the risotto

Continue adding the broth one-half cup at a time, stirring after each addition until all the liquid has been absorbed, and until the rice is tender and creamy. This will take at least 30 to 40 minutes total, and you may have some broth left.

The art of making risotto

Remove from the heat and stir in the vegan cheese. I used Teese that I mashed up with a fork.

Teese vegan cheese in risotto

Serve immediately.

Hubbard squash risotto

If, like me, you have never made risotto before, you may want to take a moment to watch this video that I found after I made this. Watch the video, then try the recipe. You may save yourself some time, and your risotto will probably be just as creamy and perfect.

Have you made risotto before? What are the star ingredients?

Learn more about Vegan MoFo.

I’m not a big fan of winters here in the North East. Unless it snows, it seems kind of pointless to me to have it dip down well below freezing every day, and the process of bundling up is time-consuming. So you can well imagine that I’m so glad that Spring is here. We still get a few chilly days now and then, which means that hot soups are still in season.

One of my favorite soups to make is a hearty vegetable miso soup. Miso, as you may already know, is a fermented soybean paste and can be used in a variety of dishes.

However, it’s probably most well known as a base to Asian soups. I first started making my own miso soup a few years ago, and am probably not making it in an authentic Asian style, but the recipe that follows is delicious and is my own (although I’m sure I’m not the first to throw this particular set of ingredients together).

First things first, though. There are a few things to keep in mind when making this.

• Use whatever vegetables you want, but make sure that most or all are fresh.
• Don’t overcook the soup – you want the vegetables to have some life left to them.
• Don’t add salt if you don’t have to; miso has plenty of natural sodium already.

• Taste test the broth after you’ve added miso. If it’s not a strong enough flavor for your palate, add more.

Miso Soup

• 8 cups water
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 package white button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups bok choy or toy choi, chopped
• 2 cups spinach, fresh
• 1 cup snow peas, trimmed
• 1/2 cup scallions, chopped
• 1 package medium firm or extra firm tofu, cubed
• 3 to 5 tablespoons miso

Bring the water to boil in a large pan.

As you’re waiting for your water to boil, prepare all of your remaining ingredients.

You can add the carrots to the water before it boils or just after, and cook for about five minutes.

Add the mushrooms, bok choy, and snow peas and cook for about a minute more, then turn off the stove and take the pan off of the high heat. Add in the remaining ingredients except for the miso, and stir.

Now, add in the miso one tablespoon at a time and stir until it is completely dissolved.

Taste test the broth, and if you feel that the miso needs to be a stronger flavor add another tablespoon and taste test again.

Continue this process until you are satisfied with the taste. I added a total of about five tablespoons which I feel was plenty.

I admit that I overcooked the soup you’re seeing in these pictures, and I wish that I had held back. The snow peas were too tender, and the bok choy could have been more firm. It’s a lesson that I should practice what I preach – less is more. There are some soups that require a good stew – like vegetable soup with lots of root vegetables: potatoes, carrots, turnips, but the flavor is best in this soup if you go for undercooking rather than shooting for making sure everything is well done.

Do you use miso in your cooking? What’s your favorite way of using it?

Thanksgiving can be a problematic holiday for vegans, especially when they are invited over to non-vegan or non-vegetarian homes. The hosts usually mean well, but often there’s not much to be had for vegans at a typical Thanksgiving gathering. When I was young I was lucky that my whole family, aside from a few in the minority, were vegetarian. That included grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts and cousins. The minority didn’t seem to mind because they either had also been raised vegetarian or they chose to keep silent (maybe not – I can’t remember too many early Thanksgivings that revolved around talk of missed turkey).

These days, now that vegetarianism, and to a certain extent, veganism, is more widely understood and accepted, there is more sensitivity involved. Still, it’s challenging for vegans to have a meal sans milk and cheese. This is where I am going to give a minor confession.

I am not a strict vegan. I will eat dairy and eggs if my hosts haven’t considered that I may not eat those things. The only line I refuse to cross is the meat line, mainly because I have never had meat be a part of my diet (yes, never), so to be honest – meat kind of weirds me out as a food group.

With that said, not all vegans eat the same or follow the same set of unwritten rules. Even so, I am going to share one thing with vegans and one thing with meat-lovers.

Vegans: If you’re asked to bring something to a holiday meal, consider these two recipes. They’ve got creaminess and heartiness written all over them! Impress those meat-lovers with your culinary skills, and have them begging for you to come back next year. They might even ask you where you got the recipe. (Send ‘em on over – I don’t mind!)

Meat-lovers: If you have asked a vegan or vegetarian over for a holiday meal, but have no idea what to fix, consider trying to make something that they can eat, and make these two recipes. Just because these are vegan recipes doesn’t mean they are weird or hard. It doesn’t matter if they don’t wind up being the hit of the meal – the fact that you went to any trouble at all to make your veggie guests comfortable is a wonderful gesture and one to be appreciated. They might even ask you where you got the recipe. (Send ‘em on over – I don’t mind!)

I feel like I’m repeating myself…

Vegan Sausage Stuffing

• 1 package Tofurky Kielbasa (or another vegan meat alternative), diced or ground up
• 2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 – 6 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 teaspoons Italian season blend
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound of bread, cubed (I used an organic seven-grain bread, but you could use most any kind and have it turn out well)
• 16 ounces vegetable broth, or chicken broth substitute
• Cooking spray or olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dice or grind up the Tofurky, and then saute in a large non-stick frying pan for about five minutes in 2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Add the chopped onion and celery, and saute for another three minutes.

Stir in parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper. Transfer the vegan sausage mixture to a large bowl. Add the cubed bread and broth and stir together well.

Spoon stuffing into a large baking dish coated with cooking spray or olive oil.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Uncover, then bake an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Creamy Mushroom Gravy
This versatile recipe is known as Cashew Gravy on VegWeb.

Two quick notes:

1. If you make this gravy to go along with the above stuffing recipe, I would recommend doubling or tripling this gravy recipe to ensure you have enough – I’d lean more toward tripling… But you may want to experiment first to see if you even like this gravy (personally, we love it in our household).
2. If you don’t want to use a creamy gravy, I’d highly recommend the gravy I made last year which I thought turned out really well.

• 1 package mushrooms, sliced (I’ve used your standard mushrooms in this recipe here, but I’d also recommend baby bellas)
• 2 cups hot water
• 1/2 cup cashews, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos (a soy sauce substitute) or low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons nutritional food yeast (can usually be found in the supplements section of your grocery store)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Set aside one cup of hot water. Put everything else except for the mushrooms in a blender and blend very well, about five minutes.

Add second cup of water. Pour into a pan, and stir constantly (preferably with a whisk) on medium to high heat until desired thickness. It may take a few minutes to get it thick, but as soon as it starts to thicken up watch it closely to make sure it doesn’t over-thicken, then turn off the stove.

Saute sliced mushrooms in a couple of tablespoons of water.

Saute the mushrooms until tender.

Stir the mushrooms into the gravy, and serve with the stuffing.

The stuffing turned out well, and it tasted really hearty. I think that part of it had to do with the seven-grain bread I used. That kind of bread always has a little extra oomph, but I’m sure you can get away with basic bread and have it turn out just as well (meat-lovers: make sure you read the label for dairy or eggs if you’re buying bread).

I really liked pairing the stuffing with a creamy gravy. I actually experimented with a non-creamy recipe a few weeks ago, but I wound up really disliking it, so I chose to share this gravy instead. I think that this gravy recipe does a good job of balancing the spices and stronger flavors in the stuffing. I’ll repeat what I said above in the recipe, but if you make the stuffing recipe exactly as it’s listed above, I’d recommend doubling or tripling the mushroom gravy recipe to ensure that there’s enough.

P.S. These recipes were requested by a reader (Hi Rachel!) a few weeks ago. If there’s anything you’re interested in seeing me try (and hopefully not fail!) send me a message and I’ll see what I can do. I would have had this one to you guys sooner, but life’s become a zoo the last few weeks! Should calm down after the New Year, though!

P.P.S. Yes, I’m still working on the redesign. Because of the zoo, though, it’s taken a back seat for the moment.

I used to love pizza. When I was a kid I loved going to Pizza Hut, getting vegetable and cheese laden pizzas, and then later in high school ordering, with frequency, banana pepper pizza from Papa Johns. The last few years, though, not including my vegan lifestyle, I have grown to not really favor pizza that much. I’m not sure why, but I have a feeling it might have to do with my days in college where I’d get more gourmet versions of it: baby mozzarella, fresh garlic, tomatoes, and basil leaves.

Since being vegan, I have liked it even less because pizza usually equates a nice helping of melted cheese, and I’ll confess that cheeseless pizza can often (but not always) be disappointing.

This last month’s Daring Bakers challenge, however, reminded me that I need to try making it more often, experimenting with toppings, ingredients and flavors. The truth is – and I’ll contradict what I just said in the last paragraph (I’m so good at contradicting myself) – that the cheese that comes on a lot of average pizzas is low in flavor and mainly adds an interesting texture and unnecessary oil. I’m not knocking cheese entirely, but what really makes a good pizza is the other ingredients – the sauce, the toppings and last, but not least, the foundation of pizza – the crust.

Note that I’m pasting the recipe below as it was given to us on The Daring Bakers website – the pictures are mine, though.

Basic Pizza Dough
Original recipe taken from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.

Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter).

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 Cups (20 1/4 ounces/607.5 g) Unbleached high-gluten (%14) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled – FOR GF: 4 ½ cups GF Flour Blend with xanthan gum or 1 cup brown rice flour, 1 cup corn flour, 1 cup oat flour, 1 ½ cup arrowroot, potato or tapioca starch + 2 tsp xanthan or guar gum
• 1 3/4 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp Instant yeast – FOR GF use 2 tsp
• 1/4 Cup (2 ounces/60g) Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
• 1 3/4 Cups (14 ounces/420g or 420ml) Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
• 1 Tb sugar – FOR GF use agave syrup
• Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

DAY ONE

Method:
1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time.The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.

The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

Or

2. FOR GF: Add the oil, sugar or agave syrup and cold water, then mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.

NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few tablespooons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO

8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour.

Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

Or

8. FOR GF: On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the number of desired dough balls from the refrigerator. Place on a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle with a gluten free flour. Delicately press the dough into disks about ½ inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist it again with spray oil. Lightly cover the dough round with a sheet of parchment paper and allow to rest for 2 hours.

9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C).

NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

Quick note from Samantha – good grief, this did not go as planned. What I wound up doing was rolling the dough out with a rolling pin which worked fine in the end.

Or

10. FOR GF: Press the dough into the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter – for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough).

NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time.
During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping.
In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again.
You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter – for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

Or

11. FOR GF: Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

Note from Samantha – I sauteed some mushrooms and onions, and topped as well with fresh basil and sliced black olives. The sauce was spaghetti sauce from a can.

Or

12. FOR GF: Place the garnished pizza on the parchment paper onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

NOTE: Remember that the best pizzas are topped not too generously. No more than 3 or 4 toppings (including sauce and cheese) are sufficient.

13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for abour 5-8 minutes.

Or

13. FOR GF: Follow the notes for this step.

NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.

If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

I think that this turned out well. The pizzas were fairly small (think individual size), but they still had a lot of taste. The crust was good, but I wouldn’t say it is the best I’ve had – but it’s a good basic standby. If I get into making pizzas more frequently, I’ll be sure to try other recipes.

I made a couple more pizzas yesterday from the leftover dough that I had in the freezer, and the dough still seemed fine even after three or four weeks. As an additional topping this time around I added fresh garlic, and it was really nice. I also made “cheese” which I promise I’ll share at some point soon.

One of my absolute favorite vegetables to eat is potatoes. I love them fried, mashed, and baked. I love it when they are a little crunchy and salty, and I admit I love them when there’s enough for at least two or three servings for me. The thing about potatoes, though, is that they are filled to overflowing with calories. I have to be careful because otherwise my hips will reveal my fondness for them, so lately I’ve been trying to eat them in moderation.

Recently, however, I decided to resurrect a recipe I haven’t made for a while: scalloped potatoes. Being vegan, you’d think that a creamy recipe like this would not really be, well, creamy or good, but this recipe is both very creamy and very tasty.

Scalloped Potatoes

• 3 tablespoons vegan butter or margarine
• 1 onion, chopped
• 8 ounces fresh button mushrooms, sliced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper or other spicy seasoning
• 2 1/2 cups soy milk or other vegan milk
• 6 potatoes, peeled (or not) and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter or margarine

Heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a two-quart or 8″x11″ baking dish.

Next work on your sauce. If the potatoes are the body of the dish, then these are its soul.

Melt three tablespoons vegan butter in a medium to large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and mushrooms in the butter for a few minutes, until tender but still slightly firm (if that makes sense). Stir in the flour, salt and pepper or spices, and continue to stir until the mixture is smooth. This will happen very fast, so be sure to watch it closely so it does not burn to the bottom of the pan.

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vegan milk, then put it back on the heat again. Bring it to a boil, all the while stirring. After it has come to a boil, continue to stir and boil for one minute then turn the stove off.

Put your sliced potatoes into the greased baking dish.

Then pour the onion and mushroom sauce over the potatoes.

You may have to take a spatula and spread the mixture out a little bit, but once it is ready to go into the oven it looks like this.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil, then bake for 30 minutes. Take the foil off, then bake for one hour more. Let it cool for a few minutes after you take it out of the oven.

The thing that makes this dish really over the top for me is the mushrooms. They add a complementary, yet contrasting flavor and texture that can’t be beat and is reminiscent of when your mom or grandma made casseroles with a can of Campbell’s Mushroom Soup.

If you don’t like mushrooms, I’d suggest try adding wheat gluten or marinated tofu, or you could try something completely different like spinach or broccoli.

How do you like your scalloped potatoes? I’m always on the lookout for a good variation, so I’m open to new ideas!

Ah, summer. It seems that we’ve finally gotten there. With 100+ degree days in spring, it kind of makes wonder what to expect for the next few months. If it’s anything hotter than what we’ve had so far, I am not sure that I want to be turning on the stove – or at least for very long.

One of my favorite things to have during the summer is pasta salad. It’s both flavorful and filling, plus if you stick it in the freezer for a few minutes it can be really refreshing. We used to make it all the time, but somehow got out of the habit. I knew I had to revisit it, and now we’re both saying that we have to have some more.

Summer Pasta Salad

• 1 pkg. of pasta (I used tricolore farfalle, or three color bow-tie pasta)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 – 3 large cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 – 2 pickles, diced
• 1 can black olives, chopped or sliced
• 1 small jar artichoke hearts, chopped
• 5 pieces sundried tomatoes, diced
• 1 small can mushrooms, diced
• 3 – 5 Tbsp. Vegenaise
• 1 Tbsp. mustard (I used horseradish mustard)
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. dill
• 1 tsp. salt

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking revert back to your childhood and throw some olives on your fingers.

Unfortunately, now that I am slightly bigger than a small child it doesn’t work so well. I probably should have put this one on my pinky.

Go back to being an adult, and prepare your other ingredients.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse it with cold water, and put it back into the pan you cooked it in or a large bowl. I personally like to not dirty extra dishes so I usually just put it back in the pan.

Dump the rest of the ingredients on top of the pasta and mix. Taste test it and adjust the seasonings and other ingredients like Vegenaise.

Once it is at a good combination of flavors, put it in the refrigerator for at least a half hour or more and then serve.

The nice thing about this recipe is that you can pretty much dump whatever you want into it. We like ours with these ingredients, but we also like to play around a bit. Sometimes it is nice to add an extra kick with diced banana peppers (or pepperoncini), add green olives, or try other spices.

Happy summer…gotta go come up with some other recipe ideas now that it looks like it might start heating up again.

The weather in New York is being a bit cranky. A couple of weeks ago we had early summer weather, but this past week was more like mid-spring. Today it’s warm again, and only time will tell if it stays. Since we’re in this in-between stage, it only seems appropriate to have a few last bowls of soup to warm ourselves up.

It has been a while since I have made barley soup, and after realizing I had the makings of it in my cupboards I decided that would be today’s project. The nice thing about this soup is that it is so easy to make that it takes hardly any effort. Chop up a few vegetables, toss in some barley, water and spices and you’re pretty much done. The result is a filling, yet mild soup.

Barley Soup

• 1 8-oz pkg. button or white mushrooms, chopped
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. Chicken-style seasoning or vegetable-based seasoning (to make the water more broth-like)
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cup dry barley

Chop up all of your vegetables. I like to chop my mushrooms into quarters if they are small enough. This makes them a little more meaty, but you can slice your mushrooms however you like.

Heat up your oil in a large pot and throw all of your vegetables in with your spices. Sauté for a few minutes (about 7-10 minutes).

Add the water and barley, and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it is at the boiling point lower the heat and let it simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Stir the soup occasionally. Taste test the soup once you are close to the end to make sure the barley is as tender as you like. It all depends on how chewy you like it. Serve.

I like this soup because it is really so simple – mainly because it does not have too many spices or vegetables. I like it as well because the barley lends a little bit of creaminess to the soup. For a vegan it’s nice to have a bit of creamy every now and then without the guilt of extra calories that soy milk (or almond or hazelnut or…or…or) brings.

Perhaps next week I’ll be begging the weather for mercy and wishing for cold weather. Until then, though, I’ll be cozying up to my barley soup.