Vegan Chicken-less Noodle Soup

 

 

This is a really hearty 'chicken' noodle soup that is ready in about 35 minutes.  Meat alternative products generally contain 'vital wheat'.  This is the product that gives it the meat-like texture.

2 cups diced onions
2 cups diced celery
2 cups sliced carrots
2 1/2 cups chopped baby bok choy (about 3 small heads)
1 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
8 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/3 cups cubed vegan chicken alternative (I used one package of Gardein Chick'n Filets)
4 ounces egg-less pasta (shape of your choice)

Coat a large stock pot with spray olive oil.  Saute the vegetables over medium high heat until onions begin to  brown.
Add the vegetable broth, parsley, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the 'chicken' and noodles and cook another 15 minutes.

Makes 10 cups at 112 calories per cup.

 

Roasted Root Vegetable Salad

 

 

 

I like to take advantage of in season vegetables.  Right now there are many great root vegetables at my local produce market.  I usually roast root vegetables and have the leftovers cold the next day for lunch.  I typically include red peppers fro color and mushrooms for low calorie volume.  Today I roasted only root vegetables and made them into a yummy salad.

The key to roasting vegetables is to cut them all about the same size, roast them in a hot oven and set the timer.

 

 

2 cups unpeeled, sliced carrots

1 cup peeled and sliced parsnips

2 cups peeled and cubed sweet potato

1 cup unpeeled sliced potatoes (I used yellow, red and purple baby potatoes)

2 cups peeled and sliced beets (I used chioggia)

Olive oil spray (I use Trader Joe's)

 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Coat a large roasting pan with spray olive oil.

Add the vegetables to the prepared pan.  Spray the vegetable with spray olive oil.

Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.  Stir and roast another 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool.  Or if you want plain roasted vegetables, they are ready to eat at this point.

 

1/4 cup vegan sour cream

1/4 cup non-dairy milk

1/2 teaspoon dry dill

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup  sliced green onion

 

With a whisk, mix the sour cream, milk, dill, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

Add the green onion and cooled roasted vegetables.  Toss gently and refrigerated 1-2 hours before serving.

Makes four 1 cup servings at 190 calories per serving.

 

 

 

 

Vegan Butternut Squash Ravioli

1 recipe fresh pasta (below)

3 1/2 cups cubed (1 inch chunks) butternut squash

1 cup SoySation Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Black pepper to taste

 

Place the squash in a microwave safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Cook on high in the microwave oven for 10-15 minutes or until the squash is soft.  Cool and drain off any accumulated liquid.

Place the cooled squash and remaining ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Using a floured hand crank pasta roller, roll 1/4 of the dough first on #7, then on #5 and finally on #3.

Form with a ravioli maker, using one teaspoon of the filling for each 2 inch ravioli.  Alternatively, the pasta may be cut into 2 inch squares.  Place a teaspoon of the filling on the center of the square, fold over the filling and press the edges together.

Bring a large 6-8 quart pot of water to boil.  Add a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the ravioli and stir gently to prevent them from sticking together.

Continue to boil for about 5 minutes, or until the pasta is a la dente.

Remove with a slotted spoon and add olive oil or your favorite sauce.

My 'sauce' was olive oil, toasted walnuts and fresh sage.

Makes 48 ravioli at 37 calories per ravioli.  A serving size is about six 2 inch ravioli (222 calories)

 

Filled ravioli can be placed in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap and frozen.  Once frozen, place in a plastic container or plastic bag.

Frozen ravioli don't need to be thawed prior to cooking.  They will require a few extra minutes of cooking time.

Fresh Pasta

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup semolina flour (we used Bob’s Red Mill)

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 cup of water

Mix the flours and salt together in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle and with your hands mix in the water. Add a tablespoon of water at a time until the mixture comes together into a stiff dough.

Move the dough to a lightly floured board or counter. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until elastic and slightly sticky.

Place a kitchen towel over the dough and let rest for 20 minutes. Or wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest up to two hours.

Roll the dough out (I use a hand crank pasta roller.) Cut into the desired shape. Place in a large pot of gently boiling water to cook. Thin pasta will take 1-3 minutes. Thicker or filled pasta can take 5-15 minutes.

This makes one pound of pasta. The total calorie count is 1282. If you make spaghetti or fettuccine with all of it, it should serve 6 at 213 calories per serving.

Any unrolled dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for 3 days. Remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before you want to roll it. The shaped pasta can be frozen for later use.

Asparagus- The Dettwiler Method

 

 

Asparagus contains a unique variety of nutrients.  It is an important source of the digestive support nutrient, inulin. It contains anti-inflammatory saponins include asparanin A, sarsasapogenin, protodioscin, and diosgenin.  Asparagus has flavanoids such as quercetin, rutin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin.  Asparagus is an excellent source of vitamin K, folate, vitamins B1, C, and A and copper. Asparagus is a very good source of vitamin B2, and B3 as well as phosphorus; potassium, vitamin B6 and dietary fiber; vitamin E and manganese; and protein.

My friend, Chef Glenn, taught how to cook perfect asparagus every time.  It is easy, quick and foolproof.

Wash the asparagus and break off the cut ends.  To remove the ends, it is better to break than cut.  When you cut, you are likely to leave some fibrous material that is difficult to chew.  To break the ends of the asparagus, hold the cut end in one hand, grasp the middle of the stalk and bend until it breaks.  Toss the cut end (or use in a vegetable stock)

• Fill a 5-6 quart pot with water and about a teaspoon of salt
• Bring to a boil
• Place about one pound of cleaned asparagus into the boiling water
• Place a tight fitting lid on the pot
• Turn off the heat
• Set a timer for 5 minutes (6 if you have a more than a pound)
• Pour off the the water
• Fill the pot with cold water to stop the cooking
• Remove immediately from the cold water and serve (it will still be warm but the cooking will have stopped.)

Perfect every time!  Asparagus has just 40 calories per cup.
Leftover asparagus is great on a salad.