Potato Corn Chowder (Vegan)

As the weather gets colder, I love looking for yummy soups for my family. This week's soup, potato corn chowder was from theveganchickpea.com. The only thing I did different in this recipe was use rice milk instead of soy and it turned out great. My girls thought it was great as well. It is super easy and relatively quick to make. There is a 35-40 minute wait while the soup cooks, but preparation was a cinch. I hope you enjoy as my family has. Sorry I don't have many pictures. I decided this one needed to be posted at the last minute. 

Potato Corn Chowder (Vegan)

Igredients:

 -1/2 vidalia onion, finely chopped 
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/4 cup vegetable broth
-4 cups unsweetened soymilk (I used rice milk)
-8 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1" pieces
-3 cups frozen corn
-1 cup carrots, chopped (I omitted these as my girls are not a huge fan.)

Method:
1) In a large soup pot over medium heat, combine olive oil, onion, garlic, and salt.  Saute until onions are translucent.  

2) Pour in vegetable broth to de-glaze the pot, and quickly stir mixture.  Add soymilk, potatoes, corn, and carrots.  Stir well.  

3) Allow the soup to begin to bubble, stirring every few minutes.  Reduce heat, and allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. 

4) Remove 1 cup of the soup and transfer it to a blender.  Puree until smooth and then recombine with the rest of the soup, stirring well. 

5) Ladle soup into bowls, salt to taste, and enjoy! 

Minestrone Soup

Since fall is upon us, I have been in the mood for soup! Yay! I love soup, but for some reason I enjoy them more in the cooler temperatures. With that said, I wanted to make some soup for my husband as the girls and I were not going to be home that evening. I didn't want him to be without supper, so I knew that soup would be a great option to place in the crock-pot and could remain warm until he got home. I wanted to try something new so I checked out Pinterest for some recipes on Minestrone soup. There are a ton of them. I found a recipe that was simple enough to have my girls help me. Its from the blog, My Life in Food. I made it just like it says. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, minced

1/2 cup chopped zucchini (about 1 small)

1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 stalk celery, minced

4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)

4 cups vegetable stock (do not use chicken broth)

2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained

2 (15 ounce) cans white beans (great northern or cannelini), drained

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, left un-drained

1 medium carrot, chopped finely

1/2 a small can of tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion salt

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

3 cups hot water 

4 cups fresh baby spinach

3/4 cup small or medium shell pasta

Method:

1) Heat three tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Saute onion, celery, green beans, zucchini, and carrots in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook another minute, stirring.

2) Add the 1/2 can of tomato paste and stir in with the vegetables. Add the vegetable stock to the pot, then add hot water, tomatoes, beans, spices and Parmesan cheese rind if using. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer with the top on for 30 minutes.

3) Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. It may need more salt or herbs depending on your preferences.

NOTE: This can be made gluten free by getting GF vegetable broth and GF pasta shells. 

I also needed to keep it heated for awhile, so I completed steps 1 and 2 but did not let it simmer. I poured it into a crock-pot and put the uncooked pasta in it to cook. It turned out perfectly. If the water starts to go down, you can always add more to meet your desired consistency. 

Vegan Corn Chowder

I know that two favorite things my girls love to eat is potatoes and corn. I wanted to make something that our whole family would enjoy. I am sorry, but I can not recall where I found the recipe. It is not my own. I tried looking back on Pinterest and could not find it, so if anyone knows the source, please let me know. The soup turned out beautifully and creamy. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 Tbs Olive oil
1/2 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup vegetable broth (I used Chicken McKays since I did not have vegetable broth)
6 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup diced carrots
1 pkg of fresh corn or 2 cans of corn, no salt added
4 cups unsweetened soy milk (I used rice milk)
1 tsp salt

Method:

1) Place olive oil, salt, garlic in pan and cook until onions are translucent.

2) Add the vegetable broth and stir quickly to pick up the caramelized onions and flavors from pan.

3) Add soy milk, carrots, corn, and potatoes and bring to a hard boil then reduce to a slight boil (low-med heat). Let cook for 30-45 minutes on stove.

Hope you enjoy.

Black Bean and Rice Soup

Since it has been nasty and cold weather lately, I wanted to make something that was warm and tasty. As I sat on the stool in my kitchen, I spotted my crock pot. Oh, I got it, bean soup! I jumped online to see if I could find a recipe for a crock pot soup and wouldn't ya know, there are thousands. One in particular jumped out at me. It was black bean and rice soup. I found the recipe from southernfood.about.com. They actually have a lot of tasty recipes, but not many for vegetarians and vegans nonetheless. The best part of making the soup was sharing the time with my girls. They had a blast making it and eating it too. Enjoy and have a warm and tasty evening.

Black Bean and Rice Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder ( I used 1/2 tsp)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 2 cans (16 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed (I only had one can, so I added a can of navy beans).
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 2 cans chicken broth, or about 3 to 3 1/2 cups (I used McKays Chicken Seasoning)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups hot cooked rice ( I added 2 cups of rice).

Method:

Combine all ingredients except rice in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours. Add cooked rice before serving. Serves 6.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

For those who like a little spice in their lives as I do, you will love this recipe. It is creamy, yet there is no milk in it! I got this recipe from Ellie on the Cooking Channel. Love that show. So healthy, yet tasty. I forgot to take a picture of all the ingredients together, but I listed them below. Hope you like it and let me know what you think.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (2 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
• 2 tablespoons honey

Method:

1) Heat oil over medium heat in a 6-quart stockpot.
2) Add onions and garlic and saute until soft but not brown, about 6-7 minutes.

3) Add the butternut squash, broth, curry powder and salt and bring to a boil. *

 Curry

McKays Chicken Seasoning

4) Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 12-15 minutes.

5) Remove from heat, stir in honey, and puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender until smooth.

6) Season with salt.

* Note- For those doing gluten free, please be sure to check your broths to make sure they are gluten free. Also, I used McKays Chicken seasoning (Vegetarian) and that is NOT low sodium, so I omitted the salt.