Curried Parsnip Soup

When we lived in New York we were members of a local community supported agriculture group (CSA), Hellgate CSA. The setup was that we would pay for a season of vegetables and fruits, then each week our farm(s) would deliver freshly picked produce to a central location where we would then gather our bounty. It was because of that CSA and those farmers that I have such a passionate interest in food. Yet, I admit that it wasn’t always perfect. Because of the way it was structured (and many CSAs follow this model), we didn’t have a huge choice in the food that we would get from week to week, so it was either an opportunity to discover something new to love or, yes, something to never want to eat again (I still have yet to figure out if I ever want to try bitter melon of my own accord again).

Not too long ago we joined another CSA run by Full Circle Farm in Washington. It’s modeled in such a way that we have more choice, however they still will send you a predetermined box of produce if you do not make any changes. A couple of weeks ago I saw that we would be receiving parsnips and I can’t say I was thrilled about them. I had parsnips for the first time in New York, likely thanks to our first CSA, and I recall that I roasted them along with some other vegetables, but I didn’t quite like the combination of flavors and never was inspired to eat them again. (Parsnips, if you have never had them, are similar to carrots in sweetness, but otherwise the flavor is somewhat unusual and savory.) But I realized that I couldn’t let parsnips go by the wayside this time, and so I left them on the list.

I’m so glad I did, because I wound up making this very creamy and delicately-flavored parsnip soup. It’s perfect as a starter to a meal or on its own with some salad or bread. While the curry in this dish does add additional spiciness, it is not hot. To add some heat, sprinkle some red pepper flakes to each individual bowl for a little kick.

Curried Parsnip Soup
Recipe based upon Spiced Parsnip Soup from Allrecipes.com

• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pound parsnips, peeled and cubed
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 3 1/4 cups boiling vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup vegan milk, plain and unsweetened
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes or paprika for garnish

Chop your onions. Melt the vegan butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, and fry the onion in butter until soft, about five minutes.

Sautéing some onions in vegan butter

Peel and chop your parsnips, and chop your garlic.

Chopping parsnips

Add the parsnips, garlic and curry powder to the pan, and fry for a couple of minutes to release the flavors.

Frying parsnips, onion, garlic and curry

Boil the vegetable broth, and pour into the saucepan with the parsnips, onions, garlic and curry powder. Stir to remove any bits of vegetable from the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 15 minutes or until parsnips are soft and easy to break with a spoon.

Simmering parsnips and vegetable broth

Remove from the heat, and blend with a hand mixer, immersion blender or regular blender for a good 30 seconds to a minute.

About to blend parsnips into a creamy soup

Pour back into the large pan (if using a regular blender), then stir in the vegan milk, and heat through, but do not boil.

Stirring in the vegan milk

Taste test, then season with salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve in individual bowls, then garnish with red pepper flakes or paprika.

So smooth and creamy!

This is definitely a soup I’ll be making again, and I may try some variations with things like cauliflower or potatoes. Do you have any favorite parsnip recipes?

Just your basic hummus

This is another post in the Frugal Eats series, meant to help you save money in the kitchen.

First off, a confession – I am not a big fan of hummus. But more specifically, I am not a fan of bland hummus. It has to have flavor, preferably through the incorporation of lots of fresh garlic, and it has to be as smooth as possible, meaning it should spend some quality time in the food processor. Hummus overall, though, has grown on me over the last year or two. It used to be that I disliked it entirely, but my husband has made some good batches, and I’m learning how to improve it each time I make it, too.

Even though I still have to perfect hummus, I can tell you that if you’re looking for a good base recipe, this is it. It is also super cheap to make, which is a bonus for both hummus lovers and recession haters alike. The most expensive ingredient is tahini (if you use it – there are hummus recipes out there that do not use tahini), and olive oil which is optional.

Basic Hummus
This recipe makes about four cups of hummus. If thinned, it will yield a larger batch.

• 2 cups dried chickpeas or garbanzos (this is the same thing)
• Lemon juice from 1 or 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
• Paprika (optional)
• Olive oil (optional)

Sort and rinse the dried chickpeas, and place in a large pan and cover with water about an inch or inch and a half above the chickpeas.

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzos

Boil on the stove for approximately two minutes, then turn off the heat and let it sit for two hours. (Alternatively, you can soak the chickpeas overnight. Boiling just speeds up the process if you want to make a batch the same day that you use them in a recipe or meal.)

Boiling chickpeas for two minutes

After the two hours is up, drain and rinse the chickpeas, then put them back on the stove and cover with about an inch of water and let simmer for two or two and a half hours on low to medium heat. You will want to check it periodically to see if you need to add more water, but if you keep a lid on your pan your water should not boil away as fast. Alternatively, if you have a slow cooker, you can put the chickpeas in there and let them simmer for two and a half hours on high.

Cooking the chickpeas or garbanzos in a slow cooker

Once the chickpeas are finished cooking they should be tender. Drain and rinse them and put them into a food processor and start to blend.

Starting to blend the chickpeas

You’ll want to blend for a couple of minutes, but it will be difficult to get everything well blended at this point. Add in the juice of one or two lemons, and blend again.

Adding in lemon juice

Add the tahini and salt, and blend some more.

In case you have never used sesame tahini before, it resembles peanut butter, but I’ll warn you – it is very bitter, so I wouldn’t recommend using it on its own outside of recipes. Unless you like bitter. A lot.

Sesame tahini

Add in the fresh garlic and blend until smooth.

Adding some garlic to the food processor

You’ll find that the hummus is quite thick at this point, so I would advise taste testing and determining if you should add more lemon juice. You may also want to add just ordinary water to thin it out, but I wouldn’t do more than a few tablespoons at a time. You don’t want the hummus to be runny, but neither do you want it to be too thick.

I would also recommend dividing this into a couple of batches and playing around with adding spices and other flavors. Of course, if you like just plain hummus then you can serve with a little paprika and olive oil on top, and provide raw vegetables, chips or pita to dip. You can also use hummus as an alternative to vegan mayonnaise on sandwiches.

Fresh hummus served with paprika and olive oil

Like I said in the beginning of this post, this is very inexpensive to make. If you find that you rely on store-bought hummus you will discover that you will save yourself a lot of money if you make your own. Not convinced? Let’s price it out. (Note that I am using grocery store prices from stores which list their prices online. You won’t necessarily pay the same price for the hummus you purchase, so this should be used as a general guide for how much money you may be able to save if you were to make your own hummus. My apologies if my math is wrong. I was the kid who cried in math class because it just didn’t make sense to me.)

So let’s say that you typically purchase either an 8-ounce container of plain or classic hummus or a larger 16-ounce container. You could be spending anywhere from $3.99 for the small to $8.99 for the large, and if you buy some of the other flavors, the price could fluctuate. But instead, you decide to purchase a 16-ounce bag of dried chickpeas for $1.65, and a 16-ounce jar of tahini for $11.15. You also choose to purchase lemons which can run for about $0.33 a piece. We’ll assume that you already have olive oil, salt and paprika on hand, and I won’t include the price of garlic since it is typically inexpensive. How much could you save if you made it instead of purchasing it at the store?

In this particular price breakdown you are spending 495% more for 16 ounces and 418% more for 8 ounces if you purchase it at the store vs. making it at home. Add up how frequently you purchase hummus and you’ll see how beneficial making it at home could be for your budget. I admit that we still purchase hummus from time to time, so we still pay more than we ought to, but if we have the time and the ingredients we almost always prefer to make it ourselves.

Do you make your own hummus? Do you have a favorite way of making it?

Tofu Salad

July 4th wound up being a very lovely day for us here in New York City. We have been getting an unusual amount of rain lately, so much so that many have joked around that we’re actually in Seattle. Somehow we managed to have the perfect day for barbecuing and picnicking, and took full advantage of the weather to enjoy ourselves and good food.

One thing that I decided to make this year was this tofu salad. It’s easy to make, and if you used to eat eggs, you may be surprised at how very much this tastes like egg salad. True, eggs have a distinct flavor and a starring role in egg salad, but you’ll realize that just by switching out the eggs with tofu and any other non-vegan ingredients for vegan ones that the supporting ingredients have a far bigger impact on the resulting flavor of the spread.

Tofu Salad

• 1 block firm or extra firm tofu, drained
• 2 or 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 or 2 dill pickles, chopped
• 2 sprigs dill, chopped or 1 teaspoon dill, dried
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise, like Vegenaise
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a medium sized mixing bowl, mash the tofu with a fork or potato masher.

Mashing tofu

Chop up your onions, celery and pickles.

Chopped onions, celery and pickles

If you have fresh dill, chop up a couple of sprigs. We have some growing on our back porch this year, so I used some of that (be sure to clean well).

Fresh dill growing in the garden

Chopped dill

Add in all remaining ingredients and stir. Taste test to see if you need to increase any ingredients or add in others not listed.

Finishing up the tofu salad

Once you’re satisfied with the flavor, chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Tofu Salad

This is a great salad to put on toast at home, dip crackers or chips in, or just to have as a side dish. We have made this for road trips, although it can be messy if you’re eating and driving at the same time (a lesson we learned for ourselves).

Do you make tofu salad spread? What other ingredients do you typically use?

This post is a few weeks after the fact, but it was really so nice to be home for the Fourth of July. I started a new job a few months ago, so I am still at the beginning of accruing vacation and sick days. When I left my last job I was very sorry to see all the days I earned go (although I did get my vacation days in the form of a nice check). So now, I have to be careful how many days of anything I take, and when there is a holiday that the company gives, I find myself appreciating it so much more.

Anyway, we didn’t do anything lavish or go see fireworks, although if you look out the window in the right direction you’ll see some fireworks through some trees off in the distance (yes – we have trees in NYC!). But I did make the usual big meal, which translates to – too big of a meal for two people, but a lovely amount of leftovers for a couple or three days. We had corn on the cob (a requirement of the holiday if you ask me), homemade bread, chocolate pie, and potato salad.

I have a strong belief that summer holidays (or picnics or any meal having to do with summer) require a nice helping of potato salad. And above all else, the one ingredient that makes this dish taste pretty much perfect is paprika. The other ingredients make it great, but in my mind paprika is what helps make potato salad complete.

Potato Salad

• 2 lbs. new potatoes, cubed (I used red, but you can use the white if you like)
• 3-4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2-3 Tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 3-5 tablespoons Vegenaise, or another vegan mayonnaise

Boil the potatoes until they are tender, although still firm enough that they will not fall apart.

After they have boiled rinse and drain them under cold water to stop the cooking, then put them into a large bowl.

Add your chopped celery.

Then add your chopped onion.

Then add your freshly chopped dill.

Add the rest of your ingredients (spices and vegan mayonnaise).

Now stir. And you MUST taste test to determine what’s missing, or what needs to be balanced out.

I LOVED this potato salad. It was creamy, it was crunchy, it was spicy, it was fresh, and it was a medley of perfection and over-the-top calories.

I have to make a confession, though. I typically use fresh flat-leaf parsley instead of fresh dill, but I somehow forgot this when I was in the grocery store. I had dill on the brain and it found its way into this salad. What a happy mistake, because it was just as good as, but I won’t say better than, parsley. I’d most certainly be willing to do a taste test between the two to see which is better, but if my memory serves me correct, either is pretty much a good idea for this recipe (not sure about both at the same time, though).

And another thing – this doesn’t taste vegan (i.e. soy or other types of fakeness) to me, so go make this right now while you’re still on the fence about veganism or serving vegan dishes to your carnivorous friends.

**Redesign Update**
I’m still working on the redesign, but hopefully we’ll be there in the next week or two, but don’t hold me to it. I’m excited, though, and I think we’ll be there soon.