Corn Chowder

For some reason, I relate food to childhood memories. Good food for good times. Bad food for bad times. You know the drill.

For so many people, food is a comforting drug when things are going poorly in their life. You can always reach for a pint of ice cream when you had a bad day. Of course, most of us don’t feel any better once the sugar high wears away and you realize you just packed away a pint of ice cream.

Do you ever wonder where that comes from? Do we bring upon this level of emotional eating onto ourselves? Do we learn it as children? Is it just a contemporary problem for well developed countries where food is abundant for so many people?

 

I watched Oprah yesterday and Dr. Phil was on. I am getting deep.

Chowder is a specific comforting food for me. I have really good memories of going out to eat with my family to this local fish joint called McMenamy's. I would always get a plate full of fried something and a bowl of clam chowder. Growing up in New England, creamy chowder is a rite of passage.

When I saw this recipe from a local vegetarian blogger, I thought it sounded like the perfect chowder “fix” I have needed lately. It was delightfully wonderful and paired perfect with a crusty dinner roll. Easy and delicious; my favorite combination!

Recipe after the jump…

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Chickpea Lentil Soup

I recently got a request from someone to post more lentil recipes.

Happy to oblige!

So this soup is super easy and uses ingredients that some people may just have lying around. I got this from a Veg News e-newsletter and it sounded good so I made it that day.

Now, you know I have to keep it real with all of you. I love my CV readers so I don’t want to lie to you. This soup is super easy to make, really low in calories, but it's a bit bland boring. If you want a basic and hearty soup, this will do the trick. Husband was NOT a fan, but he also isn’t really a big “soup person” all around.

Straight from the recipe, the flavors are basic and not anything crazy exciting. However, this is a great filling and inexpensive soup to make and freeze or pack for lunch for the week.

So although I am not giving it a rousing standing ovation I say try it for yourself. Add some more spices, throw more vegetables in, use a different lentil, or use some good quality vegetable broth! Add your own flair to it. Best part about soup is you can always make it your own with whatever you have.

Recipe and another photo after the jump…

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Vegan Brunswick Stew

I was southern for two years.

Well, I lived in Georgia; so I am going to call myself southern. I lived in a great city called Athens, which is a liberal oasis in the middle of Georgia. My experience there was a really good thing for this Yankee boy who grew up in the south of Boston.

One thing about Georgia (and the south in general) is that its known for its food; think Paula Deen. Athens certainly had its fair share of barbecue and fried chicken, but it also had some of the most fabulous vegan and vegetarian food in the south. My favorite restaurant in the country, The Grit, it located right in downtown Athens.

I only knew Georgia as a vegetarian, so I never had any of the more traditional meat meals that Georgia is known for. One of them, Brunswick stew, happens to be one of husbands’ favorite. (Husband spent his formative years in GA, which is where we met)

Brunswick stew is traditionally a thick BBQ stew made up of chicken, beef, or pork and some vegetables. When husbands’ friend Beth came out with a vegan version of his favorite I knew we had to try it.

At first bite husband was instantly brought back to Georgia. He absolutely loves this stew and the fact that this recipe makes A LOT was a good thing. He ate it pretty much everyday for about a week. I have no other “original” version to compare it too, but I loved this stew regardless of it's origin.

Serve this with some vegan cornbread and you will be in love too.

So, “Glory, Glory to old Georgia,” this one’s for you!

Recipe after the jump…

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Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Husband worked at a steak house right before I met him. Gross.

One of the things this particular steak house was known for was their potato soup. Women would sell their children for a drop. Grandmothers would cut someone.When the server brought it to the table people would faint from pure potato soup jubilation.

It was popular.

Ever since, husband has declared himself a potato soup expert. Naturally.

Sadly, this restaurants soup was full of bacon, dairy, and god knows what other horrifying ingredients. I have always wanted to find a vegan soup recipe that would satisfy his judgmental soup palate.

Recently I have achieved victory in this quest.

I stumbled upon a recipe for Roasted Cauliflower Soup topped with Curried Cashew Crème in the January/February issue of VegNews magazine. It was one of their 7 “must try” soups; which I guarantee you is no lie.

When I told him I was making cauliflower soup he seemed a little unsure, but after snarfing down two bowls he was a surefire fan. I believe his exact comments were, “this may be the best soup I ever had.”

SUCCESS

*happy soup dance*

So it’s still winter and (for most of us) is cold and dreary out. This soup will make a delightful end to a cold and nasty day.

To soup!

Recipe and more photos after the jump…

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The Vegan Paula Deen

I am obsessed with food shows. I absolutely love the food network. When I was in college my roommate and I would stay up way too late watching “Unwrapped” or “Paula’s Home Cooking.”

For years I was pretty much a Food Network addict. There should be treatment for people like me.

People always say that when you watch television shows about food it just creates this reaction that makes you want to eat, even when you are not hungry.

That would probably explain the hundreds of midnight trips to the Super Wal-Mart in college.

My addiction has waned slightly as I have gotten older. I still love it but I just don’t watch it as much as I once did. One of the things that frustrates me is that out of the hundreds of hours of programming on the Food Network and on other networks, there is absolutely no programming devoted to vegan (or even vegetarian) cuisine. I have seen a couple of shows here and there, but nothing that you think of as the Paula Deen or Rachel Ray of vegan cooking. Seems silly, right?

I humbly nominate myself to take this torch for the cruelty free community. So if any of you food network executives happen to be reading this, I will gladly meet with you. Send me an email, I have LOTS of ideas.

Picture it, Paula Deen and me smoking some tofu and baking a Vegan Chocolate Death Cake. Hey y’all…

*chubby vegan dreams*

Anyway, I am pleased to report that I saw this latest recipe on Good Morning America. So, thank you GMA for throwing in some vegan food in a segment devoted to chili. We appreciate it!

This is another Crockpot recipe that is really a cut, open, put in the pot and walk away type of thing. It is simple, cheap to make, and certainly warm you up on a cold January day.

I would like to point out that it’s good when it is right out of the pot, but I think it is even better the next day. I used the leftovers for a quesadilla, which I will post later.

Follow me after the jump for the recipe and some preparation photos.

And best (vegan) dishes, from my kitchen to yours….

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Potato = Joy

Everyone has a list of foods they just love more than anything. There are probably to many for me to list, but I will say that potatoes have a special place in my heart. Probably right next to asparagus and avocado. 

*vegetable love*

Potatoes are one of those things you can do just about anything with. Remember in Forrest Gump when Bubba talked about the 8 million things you can do with shrimp- just replace shrimp with potato and there you go!

When i lived in Georgia, potato soup was a big deal menu item in many different restaurants. Sadly, most of it was filled with bacon and loaded with dairy and cream. No gracias! For whatever reason I never made a vegan version... until today!

Thanks to a SUPER easy recipe from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, a new vegan potato soup recipe is now a part of my life. The recipe tells you to use a vitamix blender or a regular blender, but I used an immersion blender (stick blender) right in the pot and it worked out really well. 

Not my picture... but pretty darn close!

This takes like 20-25 minutes tops, from beginning to end. Its potato. Its creamy. Its low fat. It's delicious! DO IT!

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