Vegan Week: Tortilla Soup

Yesterday, my husband said to me, very gently, "I'm a little souped out".  My thoughts? Too bad. Soups are for me among the tastiest and most satisfying ways to comply with a vegan diet. No apologies here.

Wednesday I ate:

• veggie burrito
• winter minestrone
• coconut cookie**
• salt & vinegar chips
• Gardein strips
• Chipotle casserole
• to drink: coffee, tea, coke, water

Veggie Tortilla Soup (serves 6-8)

• 1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 qt veggie broth
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 can pinto beans 
• 1 1/2 C corn kernels 
• juice of 3 limes
• zest of 1 lime
• 3 chipotles in adobo, chopped
• 1/3 C cilantro, chopped
• salt & pepper to taste
• chopped avocados
• tortilla chips 

1. Heat the oil in a heavy stock pot over med-high heat. Add the onions, and saute, stirring frequently til translucent and slightly browned, about 5-7 mins. Add the garlic and stir a couple more mins, ensuring the garlic doesn't burn.
2. Add the cumin, chili powder, oregano and garlic powder and stir constantly for 1 min. Add the veggie broth and tomatoes, and bring, covered, to a boil. 
3. Reduce heat to a simmer, add pinto beans, corn, lime juice, lime zest and chipotle. Simmer covered for 30-45 mins. 
4. Add the cilantro, salt and pepper to taste, cook for 5 more mins. 
5. Serve immediately, and add diced avocado and tortilla chips to the bowl. 

Kitchen Notes: I'd prefer this to be a heartier soup, so add additional fixin's as desired. I am a fiend for cumin, so that's why there is so much in this dish. I used Food Should Taste Good lime-flavored tortilla chips and I highly recommend using a chip with a lime flavor.

Verdict? As mentioned above, I'd love for this to be a bit heartier, maybe some rice and additional beans. This is a nicely seasoned soup and very warming on a cold day. I think the tortilla chips are fun. I'd also like to try this spooned over polenta rounds.

And, for your viewing pleasure, since I don't have any more pictures of soup, my cat Issa, doing her best impression of a 12-pack:

Tamale Casserole

Wow! I am way behind on my results from vegan week! Yesterday marked the end of vegan week. What was the first thing I ate? An apple cider donut from Curtis Orchard. A very good choice, no?

Since I am so behind I'm reporting on Thursday's menu, which was the following:

• shredded wheat with soy milk
• barbecued tofu
• chili-lime cashews**
• stuffed poblanos*
• quinoa salad**
• pickle
• broccoli-garlic pasta**
• potato chips
• popcorn
• drinks: coffee, water, seltzer 

Today's recipe is one of my favorites: Tamale Casserole. The recipe comes from my standby, Moosewood Restaurant New Classics. I've made some minor modifications. I love this recipe, because it's quick, healthy, and very satisfying. This recipe makes a double batch of the bean topping. Just a warning: this meal is not pretty to look at, but it sure tastes great.

Tamale Casserole (serves 6-8)

• 2 15-oz cans pinto beans, with juice
• 1 C corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
• 1 C prepared salsa
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 C cilantro, chopped
• 1 roll prepared polenta (about 16 oz)

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly oil a baking dish (at least 11 inch). Slice polenta into 1/2 inch rounds, and layer the bottom with a single layer of the polenta.
2. In a medium bowl, pour in the beans. Lightly mash with a potato masher. Add the corn, green onion, salsa, jalapeno, cumin, chili, oregano, salt, and cilantro. Mix til well combined.
3. Pour the bean mixture over the polenta. Place, covered in the oven for 15 mins. Remove cover, and bake for 15 additional mins. Allow to sit 10 mins before serving. Serve with guacamole, fresh salsa, or chunky tomatillo sauce (see below)

                                                       Polenta, ready for the oven

Chunky Tomatillo Sauce (makes 1 1/2 C)

• 1 C salsa verde
• 4-5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 avocado, diced

1. Combine above ingredients. Allow to sit a few minutes before serving. 

 Kitchen Notes: I used fresh salsa from my coop for this recipe.

Verdict: Yummy. I make this a lot. Great quick dinner. I intend to invert this next time I make it and place the polenta on top. Great comfort food!

Horchata Iced Latte

Have you ever had rice pudding and thought, I wonder what this would taste like liquefied? That to me is the Mexican drink horchata. Although liquefied rice pudding sounds strange, it has a delightful flavor.  This recipe comes with 3 warnings: 1) I've only tried horchata twice before attempting this recipe, both times at quick-service taquerias, so I cannot vouch for the authenticity of this recipe 2) It's probably not worth the blood, sweat, and tears to make 3) this recipe involves a lot of whining, but here we go.

I stumbled upon the idea of an horchata latte on another blog, unfortunately, I didn't bookmark it. The appeal of it surprised me, as I like my coffee to taste like coffee. I found a horchata recipe on the Food Network site. I followed the recipe close to the instructions, but I recommend some changes so that you don't tear your hair out.

Horchata Latte (makes 8 servings horchata, also recipe below for 1 serving latte)

• 1 C rice, rinsed and drained;
• 2 C skinless almonds;
• 1-2 cinnamon sticks;
• 8 C water
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Grind the rice. The original author recommends grinding in a coffee grinder or spice grinder. If the rice is not completely dry, this is a fine way to royally mess up your grinder. After gunking up my coffee grinder, I used a mortar and pestle.  This worked pretty well, and it helped me get some frustration out from messing up my grinder:

2. In a large bowl, add the pulverised rice to the almonds and cinnamon sticks. The original author doesn't mention grinding the almonds, but to me this makes sense. I didn't, but if I make this again, I'll be sure to do this.
3. Pour 3 1/2 C water on the rice/almond mixture and let sit overnight. It'll look as appetizing as dishwater at this point:

4.Add to the mixture 1/2 C sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. I mixed up the order of the recipe here, it may become clear why in a moment.
5.Blend the rice mixture in a BLENDER. In SMALL BATCHES. Don't use a food processor. I did. I flooded my counter. Usually, my food processor does well with liquids, this time it leaked everywhere. I wound up adding fresh water back into the mixture, and keeping it overnight again. I had to unearth my blender, the first go around, the liquid spewed out of the top. Small batches worked fine, and I finally got this situation under control.
6. Put cheese cloth, a double layer, over a large pitcher. Carefully pour the mixture through the cheesecloth. I used clothespins to secure the cheesecloth, see below:

7. Once the liquid is poured through, carefully collect the edges of the cheesecloth and wring out the contents of the cheesecloth. If serving plain, serve over ice.
8. To Make an Iced Latte: Brew 1 C double strength coffee. Toss some ice in a glass, pour about 2 parts horchata to  1 part coffee. Use a cinnamon stick garnish if desired.

Verdict? Well, this was a lot of work. Truthfully, it would probably be better if I could have used it at original strength, not the strength after the whole food processor debacle. However, it is oddly refreshing. The horchata makes a fine dairy-free and soy-free coffee creamer. I also think it would work as an alternative to Irish cream or kaluha if combined with a bit of rum. If you have more success with this recipe, let me know!

Edit 08/28/2011: Now that I've cooled off from my original frustration from making horchata, as well as cooled off with a yummy glass of horchata, my perspective has changed. The horchata is tastier the next day, just make sure it's well mixed.

Baked Goat Cheese & Veggie Quesadillas

So I was a bit over zealous prepping my goat cheese mixture when I made my Zucchini and Goat Cheese Tart. No worries though! The leftover made a tasty filling for quesadillas.

Served with sour cream, salsa, and my hot sauce of choice, Goya jalapeno, which we oh-so-cleverly call Green Goya.

Would these taste better fried? Absolutely! But they do crisp up deliciously in the oven, and I don't have to contend with pesky oil that creates greasy spin art on my shirt. Sometimes I make these with roasted veggies, which are delicious, but require the oven to be heated up hotter than hell in a heatwave. This time I sauteed the veggies. Here we go:

Baked Goat Cheese & Veggie Quesadillas (serves about 4)

• 4 oz of goat cheese, prepared as written here 
• 2 heaping Tbs sour cream
• 1 onion, sliced thin
• 1 small sliced zucchini
• 1 small sliced summer squash
• 1 small green pepper
• 1 small red pepper 
• Seasonings: salt, pepper, adobo seasoning, oregano, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin in any combination as desired
• Vegetable oil
• 8 medium flour tortillas (I used fajita size)

1. Preheat oven to 375. In a blender or food processor, mix goat cheese mixture and sour cream until it's spreadable, but not runny. Set aside.
2. Heat a bit of oil in a skillet. Cook the onions for about 5 mins over medium high heat. Add the other vegetables and seasonings to taste. Stir frequently. Cook for a few minutes. Vegetables should still be very firm, they'll continue to cook when baked.
3. Divide the goat cheese mixture over each tortilla. Place a thin layer of vegetables on 4 of the tortillas, place the remaining four tortillas on top of the veggies, cheese side down.
4. Place the quesadillas on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Brush the top side of the quesadilla with a bit of oil. Place in the oven for about 15 mins, or until toasty brown, turning halfway through. 
5. Eat, enjoy, don't burn your tongue on the vegetables!

Kitchen notes: I was skeptical of my idea of adding the sour cream to the goat cheese, but it's necessary to prevent the goat cheese from drying out. If you don't want to go through the steps of making the seasoned goat cheese, a flavored goat cheese from the market is probably a fine substitute.

Verdict? So happy that this incarnation of the flavored goat cheese worked so well. This meal is a bit of a fajita/quesadilla hybrid, but you know what? It works.

Ingredient Elimination: Kitchen Sink Sangria

...Because "Kitchen Sink Sangria" sounds nicer than "Garbage Disposal Sangria".
Sangria has to be one of my favorite adult beverages. It masquerades as something fun, fruity without being declasse,and vaguely exotic. In reality, it's the ultimate drink for a skinflint. Why?
1. You're practically required to use cheap wine;
2. ...that you water down with soda or seltzer;
3. It tastes better with overripe fruit (e.g. fruit that otherwise would be destined for the garbage)

So, that said, what's in ingredient elimination this round? Blackberries that were looking a bit wilted. About 4 oz of them. Runners-up in the ingredient elimination category include an orange that was zested and not used, and 1/2 lemon that was in my fridge.

Kitchen Sink Sangria (serves 4)

• 1 bottle cheap red (if you're not sure what kind, ask the kind folks at your local liquor store)
• 4 oz blackberries, slightly mashed
• 1 orange, cut into slices and halved
• 1/2 lemon, cut into slices and halved
• 1 nectarine, cut into small chunks
• 1-2 shots creme de cassis
• lemon-lime seltzer or lemon-lime soda
• grenadine (optional)

1. In a pitcher, mix fruit, wine and creme de cassis. Let sit in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
2. In glasses with ice, pour 2 parts wine mixture to 1 part soda or seltzer. Taste, adjust the ratio as needed. If you prefer a sweeter sangria, add a bit of grenadine, or be sure to use soda, rather than seltzer. 

 A local winery produces "Plonk" specifically to make sangria for 8 bucks a bottle. Here's a closer look: 

Note: I prefer a drier sangria, so this one is not particularly sweet. Feel free to add grenadine or sugar if you like it a bit sweeter.

Verdict? Is this the most delightful sangria you've ever leisurely sipped on while dining al fresco? Nope. But it's a tasty way to use stray pieces of fruit in your fridge.

Ensalada de Porotos Verdes/Green Bean & Tomato Salad

I become a lazy cook in the summer. While my favorite things to make are soups, stews, and sauces, they require a lot of attention to be made properly. What's missing from this stock? Sh*t, I added too many bay leaves. I can't believe my shopping list could be published into a small book are all common thoughts for me come winter.

Not so with summer. My trajectory looks more like this. Go to Farmer's Market. Buy perfectly fresh, nutritious, and often inexpensive produce. Go home. Chop veggies. Add salt, pepper, and oil as needed. Bask in my misguided culinary cleverness. This recipe embraces the farmstand with just a few, very fresh ingredients. This recipe is adapted from a different Moosewood cookbook, Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant. The recipe comes from a chapter on the food of Chile (porotos is the Chilean word for beans), although I am sure the modifications I've made are completely un-Chilean.

                                   All presented in a very classy Tupperware container!

Green Bean & Tomato Salad (serves 2-4 as a generous side)

• 1/2 lb fresh green beans, washed and trimmed*
• 1 tomato, sliced into small wedges  (I used Buffalo)
• 1/4 C pinenuts (can be omitted, or else replace with pepitas, sliced almonds, or walnut pieces)
• juice and zest of 1 lemon (I like to get a little pulp in there, too)
• 1/4 C red onion, finely chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1-2 Tbs olive oil
• salt
• pepper

1. In a small sauce pan, toast the pinenuts til fragrant. Shake the pan frequently while cooking. Set pinenuts aside.
2. Mix together the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste.
3. In the same pan used for the pinenuts, boil the water for the beans. Once boiling, add beans and cook til bright green. One cooked, shock the beans in a bowl of cold water and ice. Drain.
4. Mix the tomato, green beans, onion & pinenuts. Add lemon/oil mixture, mix together, and enjoy.

*I didn't weigh the beans, and it seemed to be silly to measure them with a measuring cup. I eyeballed the beans I had to be 1/4 the original 2 lb haul. I took a picture so you can see how many beans I used. If you want ultimate precision, feel free to count them:

                                                            1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6....I give up


Verdict? Fresh, summery, and guaranteed to give you dragon breath from the raw garlic. Make while the tomatoes and beans are just perfect. My husband suggested that this would be an ideal side for baked/broiled fish.