Creamy Broccoli Dal & Sweet Potato Bake

This weekend I made two recipes from Vegan Yum Yum.

First I tried the Creamy Broccoli Dal (recipe below), which the book describes as a cross between cream of broccoli soup and red lentil dal. I had no idea how this would turn out, but it was amazing. It combines the best tastes of both soups--the comfort food goodness of creamy broccoli soup and the Indian spices of lentil dal. I loved it, as did my omnivore husband. Bonus: it was very quick and easy to make.

First I chopped up some broccoli in my food processor. The recipe calls for the whole stalk. Note to cut off two inches from the bottom and peel the rest of the stalk to remove the tough skin.

Next I sauteed chopped onion, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and split red lentils in some olive oil.

I added the chopped broccoli and some water and let it cook for 20 minutes. Then I added soy milk and the spice mix and immediately devoured.

Creamy Broccoli Dal
from Vegan Yum Yum
Serves 2

• 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil (I used 1 and stirred often)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup red lentils (Masoor Dal), rinsed and drained
• 2 cups whole broccoli stalks, peeled and finely chopped (I used one whole stalk including florets)
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (or salt to taste)
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, but I used it)

1. Heat the oil on medium-high to high in a pot. Add the cumin and mustard seeds, chopped onion, and lentils and saute, stirring often, until the seeds start to pop and the lentil color starts to lighten. You may need to add some cooking spray to prevent everything from sticking, or just stir constantly like I did.
2. Add the broccoli, water, and salt. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli and lentils are tender and the soup is thick.
3. Add the soy milk, soy sauce, lemon juice, and spices. Turn down the heat so it doesn't boil, and let it cook for a few minutes until everything is warm and the flavors have meshed. Stir well and adjust the seasonings if needed (I added a bit more salt), and serve immediately. 

I also made the Creamy Sweet Potato Bake. This recipe calls for the Vegan Yum Yum Hurry Up Alfredo Sauce. I made this sauce last year in the Creamy Broccoli Mushroom Bake and wasn't happy about having to use margarine. So this time, I made the Happy Herbivore Instant Vegan Alfredo Sauce but adjusted the spices so they were similar to the Vegan Yum Yum version. It was delicious! Full of flavor and rich and creamy, this sauce would be great over steamed veggies or even, as the HH cookbook suggests, with crusty bread as an appetizer.

Once the alfredo is made, it's just a matter of cooking the veggies and pasta and then cooking everything in a casserole dish. The final dish was very good but...a.) The recipe called for cooking the sweet potatoes until tender but not falling apart. I under-cooked mine, thinking they would cook more in the oven. They didn't, so some of my potatoes were a little hard. b.) While delicious on its own, the alfredo sauce's taste gets a little lost in the final dish. Plus, it deconstructed a little in the baking process and balled into little tofu bits, making it look a little ricotta cheese like. Maybe the more fattening Vegan Yum Yum alfredo would hold up better in the oven. Despite these things though, it was a pretty decent winter casserole. I'd make it again with some tweaks.

Creamy Sweet Potato Bake
from Vegan Yum Yum
Makes a whole casserole dish--you'll have leftovers.

Alfredo Sauce
I combined the spices in the Vegan Yum Yum Alfredo and the basic recipe of the  Happy Herbivore Instant Vegan Alfredo.

• 12 ounces Mori-Nu tofu
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast 
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder 
• 1 tsp Hungarian paprika
• few dashes ground ginger
• 2 tbsp whole wheat flour (Note: I totally forgot to add the whole wheat flour. Maybe if I would have, it would have held up better) 

1. Puree all the sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.
2. Cook 2 cups ziti, penne, or fusilli pasta according to package directions. 
3. Steam 1 head of chopped kale. (The recipe called for cooking it in the pasta cooking water in the last minute, but since the kale would lose nutrients in the boiled water, I steamed it.) 
4. Chop up about 1.5 pounds of sweet potato (1 large potato or two small ones, or more if you want more potato) into bite-sized cubes and either microwave or boil them until very tender. Note that they won't become more tender in the oven.
5. Combine the cooked pasta, kale, sweet potato, and alfredo sauce in a big bowl. Pour into a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray, top with some breadcrumbs if you want, and bake for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. 

Tofu Chili with Soy Sauce

This unconventional chili recipe from Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cook Book surprises with asian flavors from ginger, cloves, soy sauce, and peanuts. It was different and I liked it, especially on these chilly fall days.

But...if a recipe title is Tofu Chili, I expect tofu to play a starring role. The recipe description lured me in with the promise of the tofu taking on "a tremendous amount of flavor." But I couldn't taste the tofu or barely even see it because it had been crumbled beyond recognition by all the required stirring. This is really a bean chili. And yes, it was a good bean chili, but damnit, I wanted a tofu chili. Still, consider this easy-to-prep chili if you're in the mood for something different.

Tofu (Bean!) Chili with Soy Sauce

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used 1)
• 1 block extra-firm tofu, drained
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 teaspoons five-spice powder or 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (I used cloves)
• 1 dried hot chili, or to taste
• 1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes including juice
• 2 cups dried black, pinto, or soy beans, rinsed, picked over, and soaked if you like (I used pinto and soaked for about 4 hours)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce plus more for serving
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, for garnish

1. Put the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When it's hot, crumble in the tofu and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Add all but a handful of the scallions, the garlic, and the ginger and cook, stirring and scraping frequently, until the veggies soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the five-spice powder, dried chile, tomatoes, and beans. Add water to cover, bring the pot to a boil, and adjust the heat so that the beans bubble gently. Cover and cook, stirring every now and then. Check the beans for doneness every 15 minutes or so and add more water if necessary a little at a time.
3. When the beans begin to soften (30 to 60 minutes, depending on the type of bean and if you've soaked it), add the soy sauce. Cook, stirring and checking, until the beans are completely tender, another 15 to 30 minutes). Fish out the chile, taste, and add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with remaining scallions and peanuts and add more soy sauce to taste. 

French Onion Soup

Break out your slow cooker! It perfectly browns onions for this meat- and dairy-free French Onion Soup.

The soup was good enough on its own. But I just can't pass up the excuse to eat white bread (because it is my weakness, I rarely buy it), and then it didn't seem right to have the bread without some cheesy topping. While I haven't been too impressed with Daiya cheese in the past and usually rather make my own or go cheese-ish-less, I used the Daiya mozzarella style shreds on this. It was actually fantastic. The cheese-ish-nish went perfectly with the sweet, tangy soup. 

It was even better the next day!

French Onion Soup
Recipe adapted from 125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes.

• 3 lbs sliced onions (about 6 medium onions)
• 2 tbsp melted vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cracked black peppercorns
• 8 cups vegetable stock (it calls for this stock you also make in the slow cooker, but because I didn't have any made, I bought organic veg stock; I also added about a half-cup of Happy Herbivore's no-beef broth from the cookbook)
• 2 tbsp brandy or cognac (optional) (I couldn't see buying brandy to use 2 tbsp for this recipe, so I omitted)
• sliced baguette (optional)
• Daiya or DIY cheese shreds (optional)

1. In slow cooker stoneware, combine onions and margarine. Stir to coat onions thoroughly. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour until onions are softened.
2. Add sugar, salt, and peppercorns and stir well. Place two clean tea towels, each folded in half so you have four layers, over top of stoneware to absorb the moisture. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 4 hours (depends on slow cooker; mine only took 2 hours), stirring 2 or 3 times to ensure that onions are browning evenly, replacing towels each time.
3. Add vegetable stock and brandy, if using. Remove towels, cover, and cook on high for 1 to 2 hours (only took me 1 hour).
4. If adding bread and cheese, preheat broiler. Ladle soup into ovenproof bowls. Place two slices baguette in each bowl. Sprinkle liberally with cheese and broil 2 to 3 minutes until cheese shreds are melted. Serve immediately.

Appetite for Reduction: Arabian Lentil & Rice Soup

Don't be fooled by the boring looks of this soup--it's bursting with flavor! The smoky cumin is wonderfully enhanced by lemon zest and juice. Red lentils and brown basmati rice combine to make it almost creamy (so substituting another type of lentil probably won't get the same great results).

The prep work for this dish is minimal--about 10 or 15 minutes--followed by a fairly long cooking time, so it's done in about an hour. I made it last night and ate it for lunch today, which I think is the way to go so the flavors really have time to mesh. Omnivore husband tried it and liked it too. Try it for yourself--someone posted the recipe here.

Veganomicon Review: French Lentil Soup with Tarragon and Thyme

Disclaimer: My favorite food in the whole world is a lentil soup from Ali Baba, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Oakland. It's rich and hearty with lentils, a bit of rice, browned onions, and some magical spices that make me want it every day. All other lentil soups have tough shoes to fill.

While the French Lentil Soup with Tarragon and Thyme from Veganomicon doesn't taste a thing like Ali Baba's, it's really good. As the recipe notes promise, the tarragon is the magic ingredient in this soup, adding a sweet, nearly licorice-type taste. It and the other spices transform it from a basic ho-hum lentil soup into something I'll look forward to having for leftovers for the next few days. My photo doesn't do it justice--it's great!

Slow Cooker Roasted Vegetable Stock

This stock from 125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes by Judith Finlayson is extremely flavorful, and you don't need a ton of veggies. Roasting takes a few extra minutes, but I think it's worth it. I've made vegetable stock in a pot before, and it came out so bland I threw it out. I plan to make this a lot to have on hand for recipes. Cover and refrigerate for up to five days or freeze in an airtight container.

The author's note said to use whatever veggies you have on hand (mushroom stems you took out of the shrooms, green tops of leeks or scallions, etc.), but note that the veggies must be in good condition. And veggies from the cruciferous family, which includes broccoli, cabbage, and turnip, shouldn't be used because their pungency will overpower the other ingredients.

Roasted Vegetable Stock
Makes About 8 Cups

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 cups water
• 4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 4 carrots, scrubbed and coarsely chopped
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 sprigs parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8 black peppercorns

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, toss celery, carrots, onions, and garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil. Spread on a baking sheet and roast, turning every five minutes, for 20 minutes, until nicely browned.
3. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
5. Strain and discard solids (if this pains you, as it did me, note that all the nutrients from the veggies are now in the broth, so the veggies are safe to discard). Season with salt and pepper to taste.