Vegetable Soup

My Mom made the absolute best vegetable soup in the world! I've tried to copy it without using meat, but haven't gotten the results I've wanted...until now. This soup satisfies my hunger and my soul. I can close my eyes and remember eating Mom's soup as a child. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. The liquid smoke and No Beef Base are optional, but highly recommended for the deep, rich flavor I look for in vegetable soup.

Vegetable Soup

1 small wedge cabbage, shredded
1 can green beans, mostly drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 small gold potatoes, medium diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 bag frozen roasted vegetables, optional
4 carrots, scrubbed and sliced
1 can lima beans, mostly drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
1 small can water
vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder
onion powder
liquid smoke, optional
1 teaspoon Better Than Broth No Beef Base, optional
1/4 cup rice or other grain (to give the soup a little substance)

 

Put all ingredients in a Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Lower fire and cover. Cook on low (hard
simmer) until cooked, about 1 hour, adding vegetable broth as needed.

No Beef Stew

This dish started out as a beans and greens dish while on vacation in Oklahoma. We were at my sister-in-law's house for a cookout (Oh my gosh, I had forgotten just how much meat people eat at a cookout!) and I brought my Instant Pot to cook for Bob and I. I kept adding things and it was a lot like beef stew! So when Bob asked for some of my beef stew I decided I'd better post it so I wouldn't forget what I had done! Amounts of ingredients are variable...make a little or a lot. I like to make a lot and portion and freeze what we don't eat in a couple of days.

No Beef Stew

Several potatoes (depending on how big they are and how much stew you want to make, use your favorite potato)
1 bag greens (such as collards, kale, spinach, etc.)
2 cans beans, rinsed and drained (any kind...mix and match)
1 cup frozen sliced carrots
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup frozen corn
4 rounded teaspoons Better Than Bouillon No Beef Broth paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic powder to taste
1 1/2 to 2 cups hot water

Scrub or peel (if not organic) the potatoes and cut into large diced pieces and place into the Instant Pot liner. Add the rest of the ingredients (adding the water last).

Set the liner into the IP, cover and seal the lid. Make sure the knob is turned to pressure. Set on Manual for 5 minutes. Quick Release.

Note that it will take a while to come up to pressure because of all the frozen foods. If you want to use fresh, that's great and it will not take as long to come up to pressure. I just always have bags of greens, corn, and carrots in my freezer so that's what I use.

5 Bean Chili

Ever since I became plant-based, I've been looking for a good chili recipe. They always seemed to be too labor intensive so I wouldn't even try it or they didn't quite satisfy on the level chili is supposed to. So I've been experimenting and playing around with the recipe. Well, I think I hit it today! I made it for the Super Bowl tomorrow and it smelled so good we each had chili for dinner tonight!

5 Bean Chili

1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can dark red beans, drained and rinsed
1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chili beans
1/2 bag frozen chopped onions
1/2 bag frozen chopped mixed bell peppers
1 cup frozen corn
1-8 ounce can tomato sauce, no salt added
1 tomato sauce can water
2 packets low sodium mild chili seasoning
4 slices pickled jalapeño
2 teaspoons pickled jalapeño juice
several shakes liquid smoke
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon ground cumin
chili powder, to taste

Add all ingredients to Dutch oven. Stir and bring to a boil on medium heat. Lower heat, cover and cook on low for about 20-30 minutes, adding additional seasonings as needed.

Potato Cabbage Bowl

Today for lunch I was hungry for potatoes, cabbage, and cauliflower. But I couldn't think of any recipe that used all three of those ingredients. And I felt like steamed food too. So I decided to "channel" my Mom and just put everything I was hungry for into my steamer and hope for the best! It was so good I ate almost all of it!

Potato Cabbage Bowl - serves 2

2 medium gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into pieces
1/4 to 1/2 head of cabbage, rinsed and torn into medium to large pieces

1-2 handfuls of cauliflower florets, rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
Low sodium seasoning salt

Put all ingredients into a steamer and liberally sprinkle with seasoning salt. No need to stir. Add water to steamer bottom and set timer for 40 minutes. When done, stir to mix vegetables and seasoning. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, to taste.

Note: You can mix and match the vegetables, change the type of beans, use different seasonings, add onions, etc. to add variety if you wish.

Taco soup

I used to make Taco Soup quite often but just haven't since I became plant-based. I realized the other night that it doesn't need ground beef to be taco soup! So I went into the kitchen and started throwing things into the pot! You can eat this as a soup, over potatoes, or my favorite...rice! Yum! FYI-we ate this so quick I didn't get a photo! Next time! Lol!!!

Taco Soup

1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 can lima beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
2 small cans tomato sauce
1 quart-sized box vegetable broth
Black pepper, to taste
2-3 tablespoons taco seasoning, to taste
Several drops Liquid Smoke

Line a Dutch oven with vegetable broth. add the onion and cook until the onion has caramelized slightly. Add the garlic and cook a couple of minutes more.

Add the beans, tomatoes, and tomato sauce plus 2 tomato sauce cans of water. Pour in the rest of the vegetable broth, then the seasonings and Liquid Smoke. Stir and taste for seasoning.

Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium, cover and cook 20-30 minutes, until done.

Pinto Beans

Bob and I love beans...any kind of beans! We usually have at least one bean night per week. Sometimes it's canned black beans or chili beans but most of the time it's dried pinto or great northern beans. Bob was raised eating pinto beans only so I cook those most of the time. They are so easy to cook in the pressure cooker I only measure out 1 cup of dried beans and make a small amount.

 

Pinto Beans

1 cup pinto beans, rinsed and soaked for at least 4 hours (or use the quick method of boiling for 2 minutes and let sit, uncovered for 1 hour)

5 cups water

1 medium onion, chopped

mixed frozen sweet peppers

black pepper

garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons marjoram

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

Add all ingredients to pressure cooker and stir. Turn to high, cover and bring to pressure. Turn heat to just under medium and cook at pressure for 25 minutes. Take off heat and let cooker de-pressurize naturally. When lid will unlock, open and salt the beans before serving, if needed.

Great Northern Beans

Bob and I love beans. And being able to cook them quickly in the pressure cooker just adds to the appeal. Bob was raised eating pinto beans only, so that's what I cook most of the time. But every once in a while I throw in a ringer like great northerns, red beans, or black beans.

Great Northern Beans

1 cup great northern beans
5 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup frozen mixed peppers
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram leaves

Rinse and pick through beans. Soak in water for at least 4 hours. Drain and rinse. Add to pressure cooker. Add the 5 cups of water and the rest of the ingredients. Cover and lock lid in place. Heat on high until cooker is pressurized. Turn heat down to maintain pressure and cook for 30 minutes. When beans are cooked, take cooker off of heat and let de-pressurize naturally (about 15 minutes). Open cooker and salt the beans to taste.

Note: If you want to cook these beans in a Dutch Oven, follow my directions through putting all the ingredients in the pot. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Boil for about a minute then lower heat to simmer. You may cover if you wish, but leave partially uncovered or the beans may boil over. Simmer until beans are soft. Salt the beans to taste.

Hummus

I really like hummus, but I don't like buying it at the store. One reason is that it is so expensive. Another reason is that it's got so many unnecessary ingredients. It's a lot better fresh. You can dip anything into hummus.  Sometimes I dip sliced cucumbers, sometimes carrot sticks. Radishes would be good too.

Hummus

2 - 16 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 - 4.5 ounce can green chilies
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 - 4 ounce jar sliced pimientos, drained
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional (or parsley)

Add chickpeas, water, chilies, garlic, and cumin to a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add pimientos and pulse until they are coarsely chopped. Transfer hummus to a bowl and stir in the cilantro (or parsley). Season hummus with salt and pepper if desired. Cover and chill for a couple of hours for flavors to blend.

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

So you just got invited to a barbeque and you've been asked to bring a pasta side dish. Hmmm...you're supposed to cook something you don't get to eat? Ha! I don't think so!!! This salad is good when you first make it, but if you can, make it the day before or even that morning for dinner. The flavors blend so deliciously if it's allowed to sit in the fridge for a while!

Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa) is actually a seed, but a lot of people think it's a grain, so who am I to tell them different? You can find it in just about any grocery store now. One brand is Red Mill, another is Ancient Harvest. It seems that every store puts quinoa in a different place, so if you don't find it in the health food sections with the grains, try the "gourmet" area. Or pretend you're me and have a clerk find it for you. That'll teach 'em for not putting a product where I think it should go! LOL!

FYI - This is another recipe that lets you decide how much of certain ingredients you want to use. For instance, if you don't care for corn, don't put much, or any. Substitute...play with your food!

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

2 cups water
1 cup quinoa (red quinoa is great in this salad, but more difficult to find)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
vegan cheddar cheese, shredded or cubed (can use nutritional yeast)
frozen corn (you can defrost if you want to, but not necessary)
frozen sliced sweet peppers (can use fresh)
oil-free Italian dressing

 Follow the package directions for cooking the quinoa. The ratio is 2:1 water to quinoa, so you can make as much or as little as you like. When it's all cooked, the package usually says to fluff and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. I don't want any of my cheese to melt, so my quinoa sits in the freezer to get nice and chilled. When the quinoa is chilled, add the rest of the ingredients except the dressing, and stir. At this point the quinoa is still able to absorb a little liquid and you don't want dry quinoa salad, so pour in a little more dressing than you think you really need. By the time you're ready to serve, it will be all absorbed and just right. Stir, fluff, and serve!

Cuban Black Beans

I have been wanting some Cuban black beans. Love them! So I decided that I will make some for lunch one day this week. I make this as regular beans, but when the cold weather starts I add extra broth so it's a little soupy! This makes a great lunch with a small salad.

Cuban Black Beans

15 ounces canned black beans, drained and rinsed
Dash garlic powder
1 slice green bell pepper, cored, seeded, chopped (or a little frozen mixed peppers)
1/8 cup yellow onion, peeled and chopped
 A couple of dashes of liquid smoke
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 bay leaf
1/3 cup vegetable broth (when I want soup I put 1 cup broth)
1 pinch chili powder
1 splash red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Place the beans in a saucepan with the broth. Add the remaining ingredients except for the red wine vinegar and salt. Cover and simmer until beans are soft. Add the red wine vinegar and salt, simmer for a couple more minutes.

Healthy Super Bowl Party Chili

I found a delicious vegan chili recipe and had to share! I made it tonight and Bob and I love it! It doesn't take very long to prepare and is so delicious that even if you're not vegan or vegetarian, you're gonna love it!

Healthy Super Bowl Party Chili

I made a couple of changes to the recipe when I made this the second time: (You know I had to tweak!)

1. I sauteed my vegetables in water instead of oil. Heat your pot a bit then add the onions and the same amount of water as the recipe calls for oil. Keep a little water handy and add more as needed. You won't need much; the onions will release their own moisture as they soften.
2. I doubled the chili powder. The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon and I put 2. We like a little more chili flavor.
3. I didn't use salt at the end. I added the black pepper and the chili tasted great as it was so I left out the salt.
4. Adding a few drops of tabasco vinegar in my bowl really livened up this chili.

Black Bean Dip

Bob likes chips and dip or salsa during football on the weekends. So I use Chef AJ's tip for making my own tortilla chips. After I cut the corn tortillas into 8ths and put them on the cookie sheet, I spritz them with water and barely sprinkle a little sea salt. What we've bought in a bag in the supermarket can't even come close to the taste of these babies! We love the fresh salsa from Publix (in the produce section) and we have some, but I wanted some hummus. When I looked in the pantry I saw the black beans and just "knew" what I was going to do. Oh my goodness...so much deliciousness and so little pouch room! LOL!

Black Bean Dip

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
vegetable broth
bell pepper (any color or mix of colors - I used frozen mixed slices)
sea salt
black pepper
cumin
garlic powder *
onion powder *
1-2 tablespoons oil-free BBQ sauce

Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Add just enough vegetable broth (any broth if you're not vegan) to help the beans get creamy. Put in fridge to chill. Top with a pinch of cilantro or parsley to serve.

* I used powders because I wanted to get back to the living room to watch the game. Use fresh for even better dip! ;)

Note: This dip does not taste like barbecue. The BBQ sauce just gives the dip a little zip!

Tomatoes and Pasta

I like pasta with different sauces. This is one I made up as I went one night when Bob and I were hungry and I didn't feel like slicing and chopping to have something good to eat. This is a quick meal as is, but if you want to slice and chop a little, grab something from the fridge and go for it!

Tomatoes and Pasta

1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn (or 1 can drained and rinse
Pasta (elbows, penne, spiral, etc.)

Cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, combine other ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat. When the tomatoes are cooked, add to cooked and drained pasta and mix. Now all you have to do is eat!