Tag Archives: corn

A creamy corn chowder to launch the harvest season

Posted in The vegan elephant by

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This chowder is one of those easy, “throw it all in a pot and let it do its thing” recipes I love. It takes an hour on the stovetop, but you could also make it in a slow cooker . Put everything in the slow cooker first thing in the morning and have hot, fresh chowder for dinner.

The finished soup is creamy, flavourful, fresh tasting and satisfying. I enjoyed a bowl with a sliced beefsteak tomato on the side. Now those are foods that say “Good bye August and hello September!”

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Ingredients

3 ¼ cup corn niblets (if you want to use fresh corn, that’s about 5 corn cobs). I used frozen corn.

½ cup dried yellow split peas or red lentils

½ of a medium-sized red onion finely diced

1-2 cloves garlic minced

1 jalapeno pepper deseeded, deveined and finely diced

3 cups vegetable stock

400ml coconut milk

½ tsp coriander

¼ tsp cumin

The juice of one lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

But all your ingredients in a large pot and stir together. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let the soup simmer covered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. At the end of the hour, use an immersion blender or regular blender to roughly blend the soup.

If you make the soup in a slow cooker, put everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 hours. Stir and blend before serving.

And that’s it! This recipe will make 3-4 servings and will freeze well.

Enjoy!

Savoury, flavour-y, classic chili – with a cocoa twist

Posted in The vegan elephant by

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As I said in my previous post, I’ve recently discovered TVP (textured vegetable protein) and now soy curls (more on those to come!) and I’m intrigued by these inexpensive, easy-to-use, versatile products.

I recently revamped an old recipe of mine to include a batch of my soyrizo, and the transformation was fabulous.

Do not be daunted by the seemingly long list of ingredients in this recipe; most of them are spices that you probably already have in your cupboard.

Cocoa is the magic ingredient here. It gives depth and richness to the chili and I swear by it!

Ingredients

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion diced

1-2 cloves garlic minced

1 red or green pepper diced

1 rib celery diced

1 cup mushrooms sliced

1 15 oz can (400ml or 1 ½ cups) mixed beans or kidney beans drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp red lentils (optional)

1 batch of soyrizo

14 oz can diced tomatoes (or 3 fresh tomatoes diced)

½ cup bottled salsa (any heat level you like)

1 cup fresh, canned or frozen corn (optional- but so yummy and pretty in the chili)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp dried basil

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp cocoa powder

1 Tbsp chili powder

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Directions

Measure out all the herbs, spices and seasonings into a small bowl or mug. I like to have these prepared so I can toss them into the pot all at once.

Heat the oil in a large pot. Sauté the onion, garlic, peppers and celery until onion is starting to wilt. Add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms start to release their liquid. Add all the spices, herbs and seasonings and stir into the vegetables. Let the seasonings heat through, then add all the other ingredients except the corn.

Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer the contents for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the corn and simmer for another 5 minutes.

You can serve immediately, but I find that this chili is even better the next day. It’ll last 3-4 days in the fridge and freezes well.

This chili is loaded with vitamins C and K, many B vitamins, potassium, fibre, protein and iron. What’s missing? Fat, calories and cholesterol.

Hola! It’s Aztec soup – spices, veggies and lentils sing in a bowl.

Posted in The vegan elephant by

AztecSoup

Here’s a hearty, flavourful soup that’s easy to make and satisfying. I love it with side of toast and sliced avocado sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Alas, this delicious soup that’s loaded with great flavours and textures photographs badly. You’ll just have to trust me that this ugly duckling is beautiful on the inside (of your tummy).

This recipe makes four dinner-sized bowls. Mmmm.

Ingredients

1 medium onion chopped

1 cup (250 ml) red lentils

1 red or green pepper diced

2 carrots sliced into half-moon coins.

1 stalk celery sliced

½ cup fresh or frozen corn

1 large jalapeno pepper minced

2 cloves garlic minced

½ Tbsp olive or coconut oil

4 cups vegetable broth

1 Tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the carrot, celery, onion, jalapeno and garlic and sauté on medium heat until the onion softens about 5 minutes. Add the diced pepper and sauté a few more minutes. Add all the other ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

This soup will keep covered in the fridge for about 3-4 days and freezes well. It will last for 3 months in the freezer, but even better share with neighbours and friends.