Chickpea Noodle Soup (AKA-My Best Soup Ever)

Remember back to your childhood (if you weren't a vegan), and recall that whenever you were freezing cold from playing in the snow all day, or feeling sick, someone made you chicken noodle soup. HAHA! I was the picky kid that only at the broth and the noodles, but still, that soup was comfort for my belly. Today, I needed the equivalent of a warm hug for my tummy, so, I set to work making what just so happened to be the "Best Soup Ever." And I am not using that term lightly. It fucking rocks my life.

This chickpea noodle soup has a bit of everything: carrots, onion, garlic, edamame, chickpeas, mushrooms, chopped snow peapods, noodles and lots of tasty spices. You can't go wrong. Or, well, I should say that I can't go wrong. Or didn't go wrong. Whatever. Leave me alone! Just add a bit of whatever you have, and it should be fine. I know, I know, it seems like a lot of spices, but it tastes excellent.

This recipe makes enough for 4 large bowls of vegan comfort. Even better is that it takes no time at all. 30 minutes or thereabouts!

Ingredients:

• 1 TB olive oil
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 large onion diced
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 10-15 snow pea pods, ends removed, and shopped into bite-sized pieces
• 4oz fresh mushrooms, sliced thinly (I used white buttons)
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas (I used soaked/cooked, but you could use 1 can drained)
• 1 cup frozen edamame
• 3-4oz lo-mein noodles, broken into 1/3rds (about 1/3 of a 12oz package)
• 2-4 tsp Braggs liquid aminos
• 2-3 TB mellow white miso (optional, but recommended)
• 1/2 tsp (or more) black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp parsley flakes
• 1/8 tsp rubbed sage
• 1/2 tsp ground thyme
• 1/4 tsp crushed rosemary (crushed between your fingers as you sprinkle it in)
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil

 Method:

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Let heat 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the carrot, peapods and onion, and stir occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 6-7 minutes. 
3. Now add the garlic, mushroom, red pepper flakes and 1 TB of braggs along with 1 TB of the broth. Mix and let simmer about 2 minutes.
4. Now add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the miso and noodles. Stir well and turn heat to medium-high for about 15 minutes to bring soup to a boil. Taste the broth and adjust seasonings, though I don't recommend adding any salt because the miso you add at the end is quite salty.
5. Gently stir in the lo-mein noodles. Cover the pot and reduce heat to medium. Let gently boil for about 5 minutes. Now stir in your miso 1 TB at a time and taste as you go. You may want to add more or further adjust your other seasonings. Cook another 1 minute to absorb the miso and you're done.

How easy was that? Too easy. And if you think that was hard, then bugger off. 

Chickpea Ballz!

Chickpeas. Ballz. Pasta. You literally cannot go wrong. Or, I should say, I couldn't go wrong since I'm the lovely lady who made it all. Okay, okay, I didn't make the pasta from scratch, but I did make the marinara. Yes, I was a marinara virgin. And, get this, I didn't use any recipe. I'm full of awesomeness!

I got the idea for the chickpea balls from Veganomicon, which has a recipe for beanballs and spaghetti (pg189) using kidney beans, which I don't really love. So, being the thinker that I am, I decided that chickpeas would be about 100 times better along with some extra spices. So, I set to work making a most tasty ball. But, what to serve with chickpea ballz? Pasta! What else? Haha. I had 2 jars of marinara in my cupboard, but I really wanted to test my kitchen skills and make my own. So I did. And, I could not believe how easy it was. And, get this: I actually used whole wheat penne...and liked it. I never used to like whole wheat pastas! Maybe I am growing up after all? NAH.

Chickpea Ballz Ingredients: (mine made 19 ballz)

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 2 TB olive oil
• 2 TB Braggs liquid aminos 
• 1 1/3 TB steak sauce
• 1 TB or more minced garlic (I ran out of fresh and so used jarred)
• 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/8 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 10 leaves fresh basil, minced-ish
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/4 slightly heaping cup vital wheat gluten

Chickpea Ballz Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet and then set aside.
   
2. I threw my chickpeas into a food processor and pulsed a few times until there were no whole chickpeas, but a they were also not pureed, either.
   
3. Remove from the processor into a large bowl. Add in oil, Braggs, steak sauce, garlic, lemon juice, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, dried and fresh basil. Mix/mash together with a fork.
    

4. Now use your hands to mash in the bread crumbs and gluten until well combined. Let set a minute or two for the gluten to start bonding a bit. I mashed mined down in the bowl. I don't know why, I'm just giving the facts!
   
5. Now, use your paws to scoop out enough to make the size of a walnut in its shell. Maybe 1 1/2 TB? I don't know. Then squeeze the chickpea mix into a ball and set on the oiled baking sheet. Be sure to make them all roughly the same size so they cook about the same amount of time.
   
6. Once all the ballz are made, you'll bake them for about 15 minutes. Then use tongs to flip them over and cook another 8-10 minutes. You want them lightly browned. 

The ballz are great solo, but they are also great either dipped in a little steak sauce or into some marinara, like so: 

Marinara Ingredients:

• 1 - 14oz can diced tomatoes, partially drained
• 1- 8oz can plain tomato sauce
• 1/2 of a 4-oz can tomato paste
• 1 TB oregano
• 1/2 TB basil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• lots of pepper
• some garlic salt
• 1 TB garlic powder
• 2 TB Braggs liquid aminos
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 TB sugar

Marinara Method:

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the diced tomatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. This cooks your tomatoes down a bit to make them more sauce-friendly.
2. Reduce heat to medium, then stir in the tomato sauce.  I also added all of my spices except the salt and the Braggs. Stir again to make sure the spices are incorporated.
3. After about 5 minutes, I whisked in the tomato paste and Braggs. Let simmer away for another 5 minutes. Then taste test! I needed to add sugar to mine as it seemed too acidic. So, I added 1 TB at a time and a bit of salt to the mix. You can add any other spices or herbs you'd like. See!!! It is so easy a child could do it. Well, not really that easy, but you get the picture.

Pizza: It's not just takeout anymore

Pizza!!! Who doesn't love it? If you don't, then I can't be your friend. Easy as that. A person who dislikes pizza is probably a terrible human being with no sense of taste. That being said, you should know that I am a pizza junky. I could probably eat it every day and never tire of it. Really. Especially since I have come to love Daiya so much. I've tried different brands of vegan cheese and none can compare, at least in my humble (or not so humble) opinion. The trick, for me, is to combine both of the Daiya flavors: cheddar and mozzarella. Together, they make an unbeatable combo. And if you don't think so, then you can suck an egg. This is my blog, so I can say whatever I want. 

I cooked pizza on a piece of parchment on a rectangular baking stone, so my crust was perfectly crispy and chewy, which is how I like it. If you use a baking stone, heat it in the oven for at least 30 minutes prior to putting your pizza on it. That ensures it is heated through and super hot.

Here's the evolution of my dinner in the making:

Homemade sauce and some fresh basil:

Black olives and some onions:

Added the cheeses:

 

Melted cheese -- YUM:

 Perfectly crispy crust:

Cooked and ready to eeeaaatttttt:

Mac & Cheese with Daiya - WOW

Today was one "one of those days." You know the type. The kind of day where you just want to stay in your jammies and watch mindless teevee all day long because it's too damn cold to do anything else? This day was the impetus for making this mac and cheese. I had some Daiya calling my name from the fridge and I couldn't resist; I had to make mac and cheese.

I didn't even bother attempting to find any recipes online. I had a pretty good idea of how I would make it based on my previous experiences as a vegetarian,who happened to have about 20 different mac and cheese recipes. This is why I was a pudge in my previous life.

So, without further ado, here is my spectacular vegan Daiya Mac and Cheese recipe!
Makes 2-3 large bowls of mac, at least if you use fusili, like I did. The best part of all, though, is that it takes only about 10-15 minutes from when you start boiling the pasta to when you're pigging out.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound of fusili (or your preferred pasta)
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tsp almond milk
• 2-3 TB Earth Balance
• 1/2 tsp flour
• 2/3 cup Daiya cheddar
• 1/2 cup Daiya mozzarella
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 TB nutritional yeast (nooch)
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper (I like a lot of pepper, so you may want to taste as you go)
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Method:

1. Boil salted water in a medium size pot. Add your pasta and cook according to package directions. Then drain and set aside. 
2. While the pasta is cooking, get another pot. Heat over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup milk and Earth Balance. Whisk in the flour and spices. Bring to a gentle boil, until the sauce starts to thicken. Be sure to stir often, scraping the bottom or else it will burn to your pan.
3. Turn heat to med-low and use a whisk to mix in the cheese. Keep whisking until cheese is almost entirely melted. I had to add that last TB of milk and whisk more to really make the cheese practically velvety smooth. It will get smoother when you add the pasta.
4. Fold in your pasta. I let mine cook on low for another minute, just for good measure. 
5. Adjust any seasonings and serve it up!

Your tastebuds will thank you. Or not. Whatever.

Pasta Fagioli: The pasta no one can pronounce

I was ecstatic a few days ago when a trip to WholeFoods resulted in a bulk purchase of dried cannellini beans. I've been looking for these buggers for months, and no local stores ever had them. So, when I found them at WF, I squealed with delight. No, really, I did. I was just so excited to finally find what I started to think of as "The Holy Bean Grail." I began to think they didn't even actually exist, but were some mythical bean people spotted like the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot. Anywhoooo

I soaked the beans over Saturday night and cooked them up last night to go into one of the easiest, most tasty pasta dishes I've had at home (or anywhere, for that matter) in a while. And it's mega cheap since most people who cook regularly have the ingredients on hand already. Except, I ran out of tomatoes and sauce a few days ago, so I had to buy those. So, whatever. You can really use any pasta you want, but I had penne rigate, which is my personal favorite. I should add now, before I forget, that this is partly someone else's recipe, but, of course, I added my own changes to fit my own tastes. I borrow recipes sometimes from LiberalPortions as we seem to have very similar tastes and his recipes are rockin. I was stumped about what I wanted to make with my beans, and he helpfully suggested this dish. So, thank you, or whatever.

This is my version, which is plenty for 2-3 massive servings. Goes really well with a nice garlicky bread, too.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb of your fave pasta, mine is penne
• 1- 14oz. can of diced tomatoes and the juices
• 1 to 1 1/2 small can(s) of tomato sauce 
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium-sized onion, diced
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 TB Braggs liquid aminos
• 1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans
• pepper and salt to your tastes, I like kind of a lot of pepper.
• 7-8 large, fresh basil leaves, shredded or what have you

 Method:

1. Put your pasta in some salted, boiling water. Cook according to the directions. Then drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, you will heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Then add in the pepper flakes and minced garlic. Cook 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and the liquid to the skillet. Stir around to combine. Let this bubble/boil away for about 12-15 minutes.
4. Stir in the spices, Braggs, and sauce. Test for flavor and adjust as needed. 
5. Add in the beans and pasta. Stir well and turn heat to low and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the fresh basil leaves. Cook 2 minutes, then it's done! 

Easy peasy. And yummy, yummy, yummy!