African Peanut Soup with Quinoa

Holy cow do I really have 21 followers?!

That's super awesome guys, and some of you aren't even my close friends and family, so I know this wee speck in the vast infinity of the blogosphere is gettin' out there in some little way :)

(not to say I don't LOVE that my friends and family follow V.V.! <3)

I figured out that you can actually check your blog 'stats' on blogger and it seems that my spicy peanut noodle soup blog gets hit up hella often.  For those who can't get enough of peanut soup deliciousness, here is my recipe for an African inspired version, full of yummy and HEALTHY quinoa, that I hope you love!

That's our couch monkey in the picture with the soup.  Bee found him abandoned in our storage closet and he now lives on the arm of her big, pink sofa.

African Peanut Soup with Quinoa

Ingredients:

-2 tbsp veg oil

-1 large red onion, peeled and diced

-2 large carrots, peeled and diced

-1 large yam, peeled and diced

-6 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled and...roughly chopped ;)

-2 tsp (or more) chili flakes

-6 cups veggie stock or water

-1/4 cup soy sauce

-1 cup quinoa

-1 can coconut milk

-1/2 cup natural chunky peanut butter

-1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish (or flat-leaf parsley if you hate cilantro)

-S&P

-chopped peanuts and sriracha sauce for garnish

Heat the veg oil in your favorite soup pot over medium heat.  Saute the onion, carrot, yam and garlic and chili flakes for five minutes uncovered then place the lid on the pot and cook for a further 10 - 15 min or until the veggies are tender.  

Add the veggie stock or water and soy sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer the soup for about 15 minutes or until the sweet potatoes and carrots are easily smushed by a fork.  

Using an immersion blender (hand blender) puree the soup until very smooth.  If you do not have an immersion blender, transfer SMALL amounts of the soup to a blender at a time and puree.  BE CAREFUL!  Hot soup will expand once you turn that blender on and if it's too full, it could explode and give you a mighty burn.

Once the soup is pureed, add the quinoa and bring the soup back to a boil over medium-high.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the quinoa is fully cooked (about 12 min).  Then stir in the coconut milk, peanut butter and cilantro.  Season the soup with S&P.

Garnish with a sprinkle of cilantro and chopped peanuts (and a swirl of sriracha for those who like it HAWT!)

Hope you enjoy this as much as my other peanut soup recipe :)

XOXO
V.V.

Squash Perogi's!!!!!

Hey Baaaaaabes,


I made a variation of my vegan perogi's for our special houseguest, ATM, with a DELISH spaghetti squash, caramelized onions, basil and garlic.  ATM's Baba is FAMOUS for her perogi's so I was hoping to make my batch at least edible.  Alas, I didn't finish them in time for ATM to try them so I am posting this recipe in hopes that she can try them next time she visits :)


ATM eats her perogi's with vinegar.  I had never tried this but upon doing so, decided that it is a MUST.  Red wine vinegar is awesome with regular vegan perogi's and balsamic is to DIE FOR with these squashy ones.



Squash Pierogi's

Ingredients:
-1 spaghetti squash, sliced in half lengthwise, seed guts scooped out
-2 tbsp olive oil
-everything from my vegan pierogi recipe (2 cups mashed potatoes is about three medium potatoes)
-1/3 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 tsp dried
-S&P

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.  Drizzle 2 tbsp on the cut-side of the spaghetti squash halves.  Sprinkle them with S&P and place them cut side-down on a baking sheet.  Bake the squash for about twenty minutes or until the squash flesh mashes (say that five times fast...) easily with a fork. 

Scoop the cooked spaghetti squash from its skin and, along with the basil, add to the potato-caramelized onion pierogi filling that you have prepared from my vegan pierogi recipe. . .you were supposed to do that BTW. . .and you were supposed to have prepared the dough up to this point and possibly even rolled it out. . .if not - no biggie, just do it NOW!  (I used half whole-wheat flour, half unbleached all-purpose flour when I made the dough for the squashy pierog's). 

Prepare the pierogi's just like the recipe and EAT THEM with balsamic vinegar ;)

XOXOXOX
V.V.

Spiced Po and To Matoes

HEY!!!!!


Made brekkie for Bee this mornin'.  Curry spiced potato wedges and broiled tomatoes with garlic, cumin and cilantro.  Some scrambled tofu on the side would make this great to serve for brunch!  I also made baked bananas for 'breakfast dessert' (slice banana in half, top one half with vegan chocolate chips and toasted coconut, put other half on top, wrap in foil and bake at 350 for 10 min).

Curried Potato Wedges and Broiled Tomatoes with Garlic and Cumin

Ingredients:

-4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into large wedges lengthwise

-2 tbsp veg oil

-1 tbsp curry powder

-2 slightly underripe tomatoes, washed and quartered

-1 tbsp veg oil

-1 tsp cumin

-3 cloves garlic, sliced

-1/3 cup chopped cilantro

-S&P

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.  Toss the potato wedges with the oil and curry powder.  Bake on a cookie sheet for thirty minutes or so, flipping the wedgies half way through cooking.  Season with S&P.

Set your oven to 'broil'.  In a small casserole dish, toss the quartered tomatoes with the oil and cumin.  Tuck the garlic into the tomato chunks, under the seeds and such and broil the tomatoes until they are melted and oozy.  About 5 min... Then toss the tomatoes with the cilantro and season with S&P.

NOW EAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

XOXO

V.V.

Sprouts and Squash

Hey Lovelies,

Bee and I had a very special house guest recently, who when asked what she liked to eat, responded "I like brussel sprouts.  And spaghetti squash."  MUSIC to my ears.  Bee and I went grocery shopping seperately prior to the arrival of our guest and both returned home with squash and enormous bags of brussel sprouts.  And after they were all gone, as well as our wonderful guest (ATM, who we can't WAIT to see again!), we went out and bought more squash and sprouts.  YUMMY!  And such hearty, healthy and delicious winter fare. 

Here's a pasta recipe that was concocted late at night after many, many nights of celebrating the return of ATM.

Spaghetti with Sundried Tomatoes, Soy Chick'n and Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:

-1 box spaghetti noodles

-3 tbsp olive oil

-1 cup brussel sprouts, quartered lengthwise

-6 cloves garlic, sliced

-chili flakes (to your taste)

-2 tsp dried basil (if you have fresh or freeze dried basil, use 1/4 cup!)

-1 cup chopped soy chick'n (you don't actually have to use it, but it's tasty protein!)

-1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes

-juice of 1 lemon

-1/2 cup chopped fresh parsely

-1/3 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
-S&P

Boil water in a large pot and cook the spaghetti until it's al dente (tender but still with a bit of bite).  Strain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water (it will become part of the sauce, the starches in the pasta water help to thicken!), and set aside.

Toss the brussel sprouts with 1 tbsp of olive oil and season with S&P.  Bake in a roasting pan for about 15 - 20 min in a 375 degree oven, tossing them halfway through.  Set aside.

For the sauce, heat the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat.  Add the garlic, chilis, soy chick'n and bsail and saute until soy chicken is lighty browned.  Add sundried tomatoes, lemon and pasta water.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Add the spaghetti, lemon, breadcrumbs and sprouts and toss well so the pasta is well coated.  Season with S&P and serve!


YUM YUM YUM!!!!!
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
V.V.

Applesauce

Hello Sweeties,

We know the Dutch are crazy, but they are particularily APPLE CRAZY.  My Oma makes applesauce that would make little Dutch angels weep.  It's in a whole other league than any beige, flavourless slop that you might buy in a jar at the grocery store.  And it's PINK! 

Making applesauce is very homey and domesticated so if you are trying to cheer up a friend (or Dutch person) it is suuure to please.  Especially with some homemade granola or a crushed oatmeal cookie on top, which is what I did when I made applesauce for my roomate, Bee, right after we'd moved into our apartment and began hanging pictures on the walls (always improves the lived-in factor of a place). 

Oma Applesauce
Ingredients:
-8 macintosh apples
-Juice of half a lemon
-1 cup water
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-pinch salt

Wash the apples really really well in hot water.  Quarter the apples, (skin-on, core-in) and place them in a large pot with the water and lemon juice.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil on high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the apples become a mushy, lumpy, saucy mess.  

Place a fine mesh strainer over  a large bowl and pour the sauce through the strainer, stirring it to help it pass through without all the peels and little icky bits.  Discard the peels and icky bits.

Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt.  Let the heavenly sauce cool and then EAT IT!!!!!

*****VARIATION ALERT*****
*You can core the apples and leave the peels on, skipping the straining step and just mashing the sauce with a potato masher.  This makes a nice chunky sauce :)

*Try leaving out the vanilla and adding a tsp of fresh grated ginger.  AH-MAZING!

*If my Oma were making applesauce, she might slip in a few tablespoons of grand marnier or brandy ;)

XOXO
V.V.   

Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini Pizza with Leeks and Spinach

BABIES!!!!

Exciting things are happening in the world of V.V.!  I have a new apt (a.k.a. NEW KITCHEN) and a new roomate (a.k.a. NEW SOUS CHEF)!!!!  Both are absolutely wonderful and have already aided in creating some unbelieveable meals.  My roomate, Bee, made this incredible wilted spinach salad with roasted sweet potatoes and a warm dijon vinegrette that I can't wait to post!

It seems that Bee and I have done nothing but invite people over to EAT since we moved in and it has been SO MUCH FUN!  We had her family over for a fabulous three course thank-you-for-helping-us-move dinner on Sunday.  I didn't take any pictures but I will DEF post the recipe.  Last night, we had a bit of an impromptu pizza party and wound up with a DELISH blog-worthy combo.

Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini Pizza with Leeks and Spinach
Ingredients:
-2 or 3 premade pizza crusts
-1 eggplant, chopped into small cubes
-1 zucchini, also chopped into small cubes
-4 tbsp olive oil
-1 tsp thyme
-2 tbsp vegan butter
-1 leek, washed well (it tends to get sandy between the leaves, rinse em well) and sliced thinly
-1 large bunch spinach, roughly chopped
-3 cloves garlic, sliced
-1/2 cup red wine
-S&P
Sauce:
-3 cloves garlic
-1/3 cup toasted sunflower seeds
-1 cup chopped parsley
-juice of one lemon
-2 tbsp tahini
-1/2 cup olive oil
-2 large tomatoes, quartered and broiled until soft and mushy

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Toss the eggplant, zucchini, thyme, olive oil and a bit of S&P.  Roast the veg in the oven for about 20 min, or until everything is soft and delicious looking.  Set aside.

Switch that oven temp to 400 degrees.  In a skillet, heat the vegan butter over medium highish and saute the leeks until they are wilted and soft (sprinkle them with a little salt and they'll wilt faster).  Then add the garlic and wine and cook until most of the wine is cooked off.  Wilt the spinach into the leek mix then season everything with S&P and set aside.

In a blender, pulse to chop the garlic, seeds and parsley.  Add then lemon juice, tahini, oilve oil and broiled tomatoes and blend until smooth.  If the sauce is toooooo thick, add a tbsp of red wine of two.

TO ASSEMBLE:  Spread a thick layer of sauce onto the crusts and top with roasted eggplant mixture and leek mixture.  Bake in your 400 degree oven for about 8 - 12 min, or until the crust is GOLDEN!

YUMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

XOXO,
V.V.

BREAD!

G'day Mates!

Today I am posting a recipe for a delicious loaf of homemade bread.  Making bread is very rewarding: from the kneeding to the rising to the punching to the baking - you will feel a HUGE sense of accomplishment when you lift that golden, steaming loaf from the oven.  Annnnnd making bread is sooooooo EASY!!!  It does take a little bit of time, but during that time you don't even have to be near the bread!  Give 'er a try, and then give yourself a big pat on the back for mastering an essential life skill!

Homemade Bread

Ingredients:
-1 1/4 cups warm water
-2 1/4 tsp yeast (aka one package)
-1 tsp salt
-1 tbsp sugar
-1 tbsp vegetable oil
-approx 3 cups all-purpose flour (you may need more, ya may need lessssss)

Makes one loaf, double everything for two!

Pour the warm water into a large bowl and stir in the salt and sugar until they are dissolved. Sprinkle over the yeast and wait about 5 min, the yeast will probably foam up a little.  Stir down the yeast mixture and the veg oil.
Add the first two cups flour and mix wellllllll (I like to get my hands right in it). Add a little more flour, a small handful at a time, until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.On a clean, floured surface, turn out that dough and KNEEEED IT for about five - ten min, or until the dough is smooth and stretchy and elastic. You may have to keep adding more flour...
Oil the bottom and sides of your bowl with a little more veg oil and plunk your dough ball in the middle. Cover it with plastci wrap and a tea towel and let it rise for an hour somewhere warm and cozy.

After an hour, punch the dough down (fun!) and kneed again for a minute or two. Then drop it into an oiled up bread pan.  Let it rise again, uncovered, for another 30-45 minutes. Score the top of the loaf with a few knife slashes (this makes it look super authentic hee hee) and brush the top of the loaf with a little water (makes for a golden crust).

Bake yo bread for about 45 minutes or until it looks mighty golden in a pre-heated 375 degree oven.

Turn the loaf out of the pan and let coooooool...

YUM YUM!

If you want to make an herbed version, add a tsp of your fave herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, sage, whatevs) to the flour before you kneed and replace the veg oil with olive oil.

If you want cinnamon bread, increase the sugar to 2 tbsp and add 2 tsp cinnamon to the flour before kneeding. Ah hell - throw in 1/2 cup chopped raisins if ya want too!

The stew in the picture is a quick Tomato Kale Stew that I just whipped up by sauteeing 2 chopped garlic cloves, some chili flakes and two cups of chopped kale in some olive oil and adding a can of diced tomatoes with the liquid.  Maybe a splash of red wine, too.  Then just bring to a boil, simmer for a few min and season with S&P.  Very simple, very hearty and yummy soup!

Until we meet again,

XOXO
V.V.