Must be something in the food, cuz once folks go plant-based they get inspired to share what they’re eating and what they’ve learned – and to then want to showcase what all of us other plant-based cooks and bakers are creating! Case in point is the new site, Our Vegitable, from Danielle at Baking Backwards. Danielle told me a few months back about this new site she was developing – and it sounded like a fantastic idea. I couldn’t wait for it to launch. Like Finding Vegan or Foodgawker, bloggers submit their food photos – but unlike those two sites, Our Vegitable digs a little deeper. Accepted submissions include a description of the recipe along with a blurb about the author. A link takes the reader to the source of the recipe, i.e., the blog or website. The other cool thing Danielle did was to break the submissions down into the following categories:
- WEEKDAY BREAKFAST
- WEEKDAY LUNCH
- WEEKDAY DINNER
- WEEKDAY SNACK
- WEEKDAY DESSERT
- WEEKEND BRUNCH
- SUNDAY SUPPER
- WEEKEND DESSERT
- PRODUCT REVIEW
See what she did there? It’s a full week of meals! And, yep, you can even submit product reviews! Our Vegitable really showcases the recipes and the bloggers who created them. Just like the other food photo sites, you can pick up a badge to add to your blog that will send your readers straight to your gallery of photos. Consider this your engraved invitation to submit your recipes! For the full details on how/where to submit your yummies, go here. Oh, and this soup here? I submitted it.
(Have you voted for your favorite dishes from the Virtual Vegan Potluck? If no, start here!)
Creamy Potato & Cauliflower Soup
Serves 6-8
splash of Bragg Liquid Aminos
splash water or vegetable broth
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large head cauliflower, chopped
ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk (I used soy)
1/4 cup vegan Parmesan-style cheese (I used Go Veggie!)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
green onions, chopped, for garnish
coconut bacon, for garnish
Preheat oven to 450F. Coat cauliflower with the 1 tsp. olive oil and place in a shallow baking pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, turning once, until browned and tender. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a large pot, saute the onions, thyme, smoked paprika, and garlic in the Liquid Aminos and water/broth for about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, vegetable broth, water, bay leaf and pepper. Cover the pot, reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are very tender. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
While the potatoes cook, put the roasted cauliflower in a blender with the non-dairy milk, vegan Parm, nutritional yeast, and process until very smooth. Pour this mixture into a large bowl. Once the potatoes are very tender, carefully blend in batches and pour into the bowl with the cauliflower mixture. Pour it all back into the pot and gently warm, adjusting the seasonings to taste.
Divide soup into bowls and top with green onions and coconut bacon.
One night not too long ago as I was contemplating dinner, I realized that I had no bread. Bread with dinner is nearly a must in our household – probably a holdover from when I was a kid and mom always had a loaf to go along with dinner (with luck, a crusty Italian one from Alesci’s). Even the freezer was bare. Luckily I remembered a quick and delicious recipe for oat quickbread and within 15 minutes, a batch was baking in the oven. I messed with the original recipe, of course, and now can’t remember from which cookbook the recipe came. I replaced whole oats with slightly ground oats (it’s a texture thing), used whole wheat flour for white, veganized and de-sugared.
2 cups quick-cooking oats (or lightly grind regular oats)
Daytime temperatures have reached (scarily) into the upper 70s and lower 80s here, turning my cooking thoughts to cool salads, quick sandwiches and juices – ways to avoid turning on the oven. (If this is March, what will July be like??) Yet, even in deepest summer, I like to have a hot drink in the late afternoon – for the ritual and for taking a few relaxed minutes to sit and sip.
All my vital signs have returned to normal after yesterday’s rant… Thanks to everyone for leaving such thought-provoking comments, many of which made points that I missed in my post. It’s really great to get feedback and to learn how other people think and feel about vegan/food/nutrition/animal rights topics. Be sure to visit Turning Veganese to read Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, Uncle Sam for excellent commentary along with really interesting graphics.
1 cup soy milk
As soon as I cracked open The Vegan Slow Cooker, by Kathy Hester, I knew I’d be spending a lot of time with this cookbook. Yeah, there are the crock pot standards, the soups, the stews (which are great, don’t get me wrong), but there’s some really interesting stuff inside – especially towards the back of the book. The first recipe I had to try immediately was this one for maple pumpkin spice latte. Sure, Starbucks serves up a pumpkin latte every fall and winter, but I’ve never been tempted to take the bait. I don’t know what’s in theirs, but I would guess there’s a whole lot of sugar going on and not much real pumpkin.
1 cup fresh brewed coffee
I’ve always felt a little guilty eating risotto made with arborio rice – since I assumed that it was just another version of refined rice – nothing but empty calories. Turns out, it’s better than “regular” white rice because it is unpolished and retains some of its nutrients and fiber. But that’s really neither here nor there, because this recipe for risotto calls for an unambiguously healthy whole grain: barley. It cooks up just as chewy and creamy as arborio rice – but there’s less stirring involved. You could substitute all kinds of other veggies for the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.
A luxurious companion pie to the 
This post is a bit of a cheat. A variation of this morning cereal recipe already exists on my other blog, Dough, Dirt & Dye, but it’s worth sharing again – and this recipe is even easier. Since our mornings start out in overdrive, I like to have everything as prepped as possible the evening before – I mean down to having the silverware out and the tea pot filled with water with two mugs sitting next to it (with the teabags already in them). Every afternoon right around dinner time I mix together: