Tag Archives: jalapeno

A creamy corn chowder to launch the harvest season

Posted in The vegan elephant by

corn chowder2.jpg

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!”

corn chowder1.jpg

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!

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.

Indian chili – no fail, tasty and a bit different

Posted in The vegan elephant by

IndianChili

This is one of the easiest and fastest recipes ever and pretty much no-fail. The taste is familiar but with an eastern twist that’s flavourful and fun. As with most chilis and tomato-based dishes, this dish is even better the next day and freezes well. Serve it over rice or naan bread.

Ingredients

3 cups of beans (that’s two 15-ounce cans). DO NOT DRAIN. If you’re using freshly cooked beans, then you’ll want to add about ½ cup water to the chili pot.

I used red kidney beans and great northern beans, because that’s what was in the pantry. You could go all white kidney bean, navy bean, black bean, all red kidney bean or even a mixed bean. Whatever suits you.

398 ml (10 ounces) can tomato sauce

1 tomato diced. I used one red and one yellow “cocktail” tomato – they are sized somewhere between a regular tomato and a cherry tomato. You want about ½ cup of diced tomato.

1 onion diced

1 jalapeno pepper minced

2-3 cloves garlic

1 thumb size piece of ginger root, peeled and grated. You’ll have a heaping tablespoon of grated ginger

1 Tbsp olive or coconut oil

1 cup of chopped spinach or kale – optional but nice for greenery

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground turmeric

¼ tsp cayenne

Directions

Put the oil, onion, garlic, jalapeno and ginger in a pot and sauté the ingredients over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add the chopped tomato, tomato sauce, salt and spices and cook for about another 3 minutes or so. Add the beans (and water if using). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and let simmer for about 10 minutes uncovered. Stir in the kale or spinach, if using.

Serve with rice or naan. Enjoy!