Mushroom, Chickpea Noodle Soup

This soup came about with a vague recollection of Happy Herbivore Chickpea Noodle Soup when I didn't have access to her recipe (or the internet at that moment). Turns out my recipe is nothing like Lindsay's with the exception that we both used Chickpeas, Noodles and Mushrooms. Here's my adaptation. Since the idea was inspired by the original recipe, I'm still crediting Lindsay Nixon here. I also accidentally managed to delete all my pictures :( so there are no pictures today. 

Adapted from: Happy Herbivore Chickpea Noodle Soup

Prep Time: 15 min

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1. 1 x 15oz Can of Chickpeas, drained and rinsed 
2. 3 oz dry Spaghetti
3. 1 cup Grape tomatoes, halved
4. 8 oz Cremini mushroom crowns, sliced
5. 1 small white onion, diced (or 2 tbsp dried Onion flakes)
6. 1 tbsp Better than Boullion - Vegetable Base
7. 6-8 cups Water or Home-made Vegetable Broth 
8. 1 tsp Garlic Powder
9. 2 tsp dried Parsley
10. 1 tsp Rubbed Sage
11. Salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Directions:

Put everything in a pot and simmer until spaghetti is soft. Taste test for salt, enjoy!!! For as simple as this recipe is, even my omnivore step-kids loved it!! Sorry I don't have pictures today :(

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)*: Calories 175 (Fat Calories 17)
Total Fat 1.9 g; Carbohydrates 31.0 g; Fiber 4.7 g; Sugars 5.2 g; Protein 9.1 g

* Nutrition facts are provided for the water option as vegetable broth calorie content can vary.

If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

East-Indian Dressing/Stuffing

Masaledaar Dabalroti or Masala Bread was something my mom used to make for us kids when we were growing up. It was one of those dishes that must have been improvised on a hot summer day when either my mom, or one of my aunts, didn't feel like making chapatis for the kids, but had sliced bread handy. Traditional Thanksgiving Dressing or Stuffing is very similar to its Indian counterpart, so it was relatively easy for me to Indianize it for my Thanksgiving. The cool thing about this recipe is that you can eat it any time of the year.

East-Indian Stuffing

Ingredients:

1. 1 loaf of White or Wheat bread, air dried overnight; cut/torn.
2. 1/2 loaf of 12-Grain bread, air dried overnight; cut/torn.
3. 4 tbsp Earth Balance non-dairy butter (optional).
4. 2 Large Yellow onions, diced, ~3 cups (cut/refrigerate on previous evening!) 
5. 1 big bunch of Celery, diced, ~3 cups (cut/refrigerate on previous evening!) 
6. 4 links Field Roast Italian (vegetarian) sausage links (optional)
7. 1/4 cup fresh Parsley, coarsely chopped. 
8. 8-10 fresh Sage leaves, coarsely chopped
9. A spring of fresh Rosemary, chopped
10. 1 tbsp Better-Than-Bouillon Vegetable Seasoning. 
11. 2-3 cup Vegetable Broth
12. 2 tbsp Garam Masala
13. 1 tsp Cinnamon powder
14. Salt and Pepper, to taste 
15. 1/4 cup raisins, or pine nuts, or chopped walnuts/pecans (optional). 

Directions (2-3 hours before Dinner):

In a large pan, or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat and add chopped onion and celery and cook until translucent. If using vegetarian sausage, saute the sausage first in a separate pan, and transfer to the dutch oven in which the stuffing will be prepared. Depending upon how greasy the sausage is, adjust the amount of butter, or skip it altogether. Then add celery and onions until translucent, mix in sausage, add spices, mix well. If using cubed bouillon, add to 1 cup of broth and microwave for 2 min to help dissolve the cube. To the pan with celery and onions, add cubed bread, a little bit at a time and mix well using a sturdy wooden spatula. Add nuts or raisins (I generally skip the nuts and raisins if I'm using sausage). Moisten with vegetable broth, mix well. Add more bread, and broth until all ingredients are well combined. Transfer to a buttered lidded casserole dish and let sit in the oven, at 250 F until ready to serve. Bake uncovered at 350 F for about 15 min for a crisp crust just before serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

I used a crock-pot to keep the dressing warm this year. Instead of transferring to a casserole dish, I transferred the prepared stuffing to the crock and let sit on warm until I was ready to serve dinner. 

FFVK Brussels Sprouts & Shiitake Mushroom Soup

Fat Free Vegan Kitchen posted a recipe on her Facebook page earlier today. One look at the accompanying picture and I was taken. I've had some frozen Brussels Sprouts (New Veggie #9) in the freezer for a while and I was looking for an interesting way to use those. And I love mushrooms ... I've often said "I've never met a mushroom I didn't love" and this recipe also allowed me a chance to try one more item on my 'pending' list of veggies/plant products to try ... Great Northern Beans - my New Veggie #53. 

FFVK Brussels Sprouts & Mushroom Soup

Prep Time: 30 min 

Ingredients: (FFVK Recipe) The list below includes my modifications based on what I had on hand. 

1. 1 medium onion, diced
2. 1 bag of frozen small Brussels sprouts, thawed and cut in half
3. 0.5 oz Shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted, liquid saved.
4. 0.5 oz Porcini mushrooms, reconstituted, liquid saved.
5. 6-8 fresh Cremini mushrooms, sliced
6. 2 tsp Minced Garlic
7. 6-8 fresh leaves of Sage, minced
8. 1/2 cup Quick cooking Brown Rice
9. 1 can (15 oz) Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed.
10. 2 cups of Vegetable broth
11. 4 cups of Water
12. Salt and Pepper, to taste
13. 2-4 tsp lemon juice.

Directions:

Some of the modifications I made resulted in reducing the cooking time. I had a frozen bag of Brussels sprouts, and I thawed them in the microwave which helped cook them some. I also used quick cooking brown rice which helped my case. I didn't have any rubbed sage so I used fresh Sage leaves instead. I cooked onions and garlic in water until translucent and then added Brussels sprouts. Cooked everything together for a couple of minutes and then added the rest of the ingredients except the lemon juice which I added after the soup was done and removed from the stove. Getting the soup together took me about 10 minutes, including dicing the onion and mushrooms and reconstituting the dried mushrooms. Then I just let the whole thing simmer for about 20 minutes until we were ready to eat. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper. 

My Assessment: This was a hearty heartwarming soup. I loved it. My newly herbie husband also liked it and even agreed to take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow (always a good sign). Thank you, FFVK, for another great recipe. 

Maple-Sage Glazed Turnips

Believe it or not, it has been over a month since I tried a previously untried, or less tried, vegetable from the produce section. As I wait for fall to come upon us with eager anticipation (all those lovely squash .. um!) .. I  have been having some difficulty findings an interesting new veggie to try. All I've been seeing in stores was BEETS ... and well, I'd rather not! Although I have been very adventurous and have tried quite a few new and obscure (to me!) vegetables, I'm still not ready for beets. So I settled on making Turnips - my New Veggie #40. 

Maple-Sage Glazed Turnips

I have eaten turnips before, as a child. It isn't my fondest memory and I wasn't chomping at the bit to try them again. But .. I had tried Rutabaga (#34) not too long ago and really liked it. Everything I've read told me that Rutabaga and Turnips are close in taste .. hence the decision to give Turnips a second ... umm 20th chance :)

In the Indian sub-continent, the most popular recipe is probably mashed turnips with fresh cilantro, turmeric and jaggery. It is often diced and added to meaty stews in place of potatoes as well.  I didn't want to try the same old (and to be very blah!) recipe for turnips. A quick Google search revealed this gem on myrecipes.com. The recipe was perfect for me as it already had no added fat.

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1. 5 small turnips
2. 1/4 Cup Vegetable Broth
3. 3 tbsp Pure Maple Syrup
4. 3-4 tbsp Fresh Chopped Sage 
5. Red Pepper flakes, to taste
6. Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Trim and peel turnips and cut each into 8 wedges or quarters.

Line a skillet on medium heat with vegetable broth and  mix in maple syrup and a half teaspoon of salt. Add turnips and chopped sage (save a small amount for a garnish). 

Once the liquid comes to a boil, give everything a quick mix, reduce heat to medium low and cover. Cook covered, until turnips are tender (mine took about 8-9 minutes). Uncover and cook until the liquid evaporates and the turnips are glazed. 

Transfer to a serving bowl once done. Garnish with the remainder of the chopped sage, freshly cracked black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add a sprinkle of sea salt, if needed. 

My Assessment: These turned out great. I will definitely be making turnips again :) And the best part about this dish was the crunchy bits of glazed sage that I picked off the skillet!! Yum!

Asparagus & Sage Soup

I often feel like a big bowl of soup for dinner. I've been thinking of an Asparagus soup for a while. Also, I've had Sage in my herb garden all summer and I'm embarrassed to admit that I had no use for it ;) !! Except for adding large bunches of it to my vegetable scraps for my Home-made Vegetable Broth, even that was a desperate attempt to use the growing jungle!!! I guess I also never tried hard enough to find a plant-based recipe that required Sage. Today, I was determined. A quick Google search revealed this recipe at The Cooking Club. It required however, 2 tablespoons of butter, a half a cup of Parmesan cheese and chicken broth. I wasn't planning on using any of those items; so here's my plant-based version. 

Asparagus & Sage Soup

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb Asparagus, chopped coarsely
2. 1 medium Red Onion, chopped coarsely
3. 2 cups Vegetable broth
4. 3 cloves Garlic
5. 2-4 tbsp of fresh Sage leaves
6. 1/3 cup Brown Rice
7. 0.5oz Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
8. 1/3 cup Baby Spinach
9. 1/3-1/2 cup Non-Dairy Milk
10. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Add everything to a pressure cooker, and steam for 10 min. Let steam dissipate naturally, open, mix with a large spatula and puree using a stick blender, or in a regular jar blender. Add Non-Dairy Milk and mix well. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper & Enjoy!! 

Herb & Spice Fact of the Day

Sage, or Salvia is a perennial shrub with woody stems and greenish-grey leaves. 

It has been used since ancient times for warding off evil, for snake bites and for supposedly increasing fertility in women. 

It has a savory, slightly peppery flavor and is a common ingredient in Italian, Balkan and Middle-Eastern cooking. In American cooking, Sage & Onion stuffing is often used for roasting Chicken and Turkey. Dried leaves are often used as a rub for meats and cheeses. 

Sage tea, is used is several parts of the world as a domestic remedy for the common cold. There is evidence to show that Sage is effective as an anti-perspirant, antibiotic, antifungal, astringent, antispasmodic, and estrogenic. There is also some evidence to show that Sage may be effective in the management of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and also in management of hyperlipidemia. Active ingredients incude essential oils (e.g. cineole, borneol, thujone), organic acids (e.g. tannic, oleic, ursonic), niacin, nicotinamide, flavones, flavonoids and estrogenic compounds.