Chickpea Noodle Soup

Crunchy Spiced Chickpeas

 16 oz. chickpeas, rinsed

 2 t. olive oil (optional...can use vegetable broth)
 2 t. onion powder
 1 t. garlic granules
 1 t. thyme
 1/2 t. rosemary
 Salt and pepper to taste

Soup

 7 oz. gluten-free or regular linguine noodles, broken in half and cooked according to package instructions
 1 T. olive oil or 1/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
 1 yellow onion, diced
 2 carrots, peeled and diced
 2 parsnips, peeled and diced
 2 celery stalks, diced
 2 - 3 cloves of garlic, minced
 1 T. low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
 1 T. dill
 1 T. thyme
 8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
 1/2 cup curly parsley, chopped
 Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet (with raised edges so the chickpeas don’t roll off) or another long, flat pan with parchment paper. Spread the chickpeas on the pan and bake for 20 minutes, remembering to move them with a spatula every five minutes to prevent burning.

After 20 minutes, lower the heat to 375 degrees, and place the chickpeas in a bowl and toss with the oil and spices. Return them to the same baking sheet and cook for 15 more minutes. Once out of the oven, put them back in the bowl to prevent further cooking.

 Meanwhile, start your soup. Start a large pot of water to boil and cook the linguine according to the directions.

 Heat the olive oil or vegetable stock on medium-high in a large sauté pan; add the onion, carrots and parsnips for four - five minutes, or until beginning to soften. Add the celery, garlic, tamari and spices and sauté for five more minutes. Transfer to a soup pot, add the broth and cook on medium-low until the soup is heated through. Season as you like with salt and pepper.

On the bottom of each bowl, put some strained noodles, then the soup on top of that, sprinkle on the chickpeas and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!  (I put the noodles, chickpeas, and parsley all in the pot and it worked just fine.)

Note to self:  DOUBLE this recipe as it always goes quickly.

http://www.veganstreet.com/chickpeanoodlesoup.html

 

Jambalaya

 

 I had this recipe at a potluck and it was a hit.  Here are the instructions I received. The original recipe's link is at the bottom of the page.  This makes a lot so you can half it if you need to:

• two  28oz cans diced tomatoes
• two 14oz can red beans or kidney beans
• 2-3 lbs frozen vegetables: corn, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash (equal parts) (I used fresh zucchini and yellow squash but you can use frozen if you want)
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (I don't like spicy things so I used 1/4 tsp. and let everyone else add extra into their own bowl) (the original recipe calls for Cajun seasoning, which I didn't have when I made it...still yummy!)
• brown rice

While rice is cooking, combine all of the other ingredients in a pot and heat.  I let it simmer for about 15-30 minutes. 

When rice is done, place in a bowl and serve tomato vegetable mix on top.

  Link to original recipe:  http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe_details.asp?nutrition_id=48249256

Mamo's butternut squash soup

3 squash peel and cube
1 onion, chopped
Sauté onion about 5 min.
Add garlic
1 tsp. cinnamon or nutmeg or both
Add squash and 4 cups veggie broth
Cook on high until it boils
Simmer 25 min.
Purée in processor
Add 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Add salt and pepper to taste

Potato Leek Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 large leek
4 cups (1-1/3 pounds) red potatoes
6 cups vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat.
2. Finely chop onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes.
3. Cut leek into thin slices, from the base to about halfway up the leaves. Chop the potatoes into small pieces.
4. Once the onions have sautéed, add potatoes, leek, broth, and pepper to the saucepan.
5. Bring to boil and then simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
6. Mash up the potatoes a bit with a fork or by slicing through with a knife before serving.


Prep: 5 minutes (this takes longer for me...guess I'm a slow chopper!)
Cooking: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 cups

From Eating Gluten Free by Shreve Stockton

Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Soup

Yields 6-8 servings

1 large head cauliflower (cut into bite-sized pieces)
olive oil spray
3 large sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes)
1 medium sweet onion (peeled and diced)
2 large cloves garlic (peeled & chopped) (I used an extra one because I love garlic)
7 cups water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I used a bit more - season to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place cauliflower on an ungreased cookie sheet and lightly spray with olive oil.
3. Roast for about 20-30 minutes or until the cauliflower bits turn golden brown and tender but not mushy.
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
5. Place sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, and water into a large pot and bring to a rapid boil.
6. Add salt and stir thoroughly.
7. Cover the pot, lower the heat, and allow to simmer until potatoes are tender but not mushy.
8. Add roasted cauliflower and let soup cool for a while.
9. Transfer half the soup to a high-speed blender and blend until you obtain a smooth mixture.
10. Combine mixture from blender with rest of soup in pot and stir thoroughly.
11. Add black pepper.
12. You may reheat the soup or serve it chilled.

NOTES:  I also added nutritional yeast, just because I love it.  You may want to add more salt or pepper depending on your tastes (or any other seasonings).  I used an immersion blender so saved myself the step of transferring to a blender. 

Ratatouille

2 Tbsp olive oil (optional) or better yet water sauté the veggies
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I used more)
1 large red onion, 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (I don't toast them and it's still great)
1 medium eggplant, 1/2-inch dice
2 large, ripe tomatoes
2 small zucchini, 1/2-inch dice
2 small yellow squash, 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup vegetable broth (I usually add more, make it how you like)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1-1/2 tsp dried oregano

Preparation:
1. Heat a heavy-bottomed sauce pain over medium heat for a minute and add some water for sautéing.

2. Add onion, garlic, and pine nuts and sauté for 3 minutes or until onion slightly soft.

3. Add broth and eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until eggplant tender.

4. Add tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash and cook for about 10 more minutes or until zucchini and squash tender but still firm to the bite and brightly colored.

5. Stir in minced oregano about a minute before cooking is finished.

I like to serve over some quinoa.  The pine nuts make this dish, so don't leave them out.

Enjoy!!!

Eggplant Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 medium eggplants
• 1.5 medium zucchini
• 2 cups pasta sauce
• 1 15-oz can navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup spinach (or more)
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• sea salt, to taste
• vegan Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F.  Peel the eggplants and cut into 1/4-inch slices.  Lay on a lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until shrivelled.
2. While the eggplant is baking, thinly slice the zucchini and set aside.
3. In a food processor, combine all other ingredients, except for Parmesan cheese, until smooth.  Set aside.
4. Once everything is prepared, lower oven temperature to 425F.  Grease a rectangular casserole dish with non-stick spray.
5. Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the dish.
6. Arrange 1/3 of the eggplant slices over the sauce.
7. Spread 1/2 the bean mixture over the eggplant.
8. Put half the zucchini on top.
9. Add a layer of sauce.  Repeat eggplant, bean mixture, zucchini, and sauce.
10. Place the final layer of eggplant on top and pour the remaining sauce evenly over top, spreading with a spoon.
11. Bake for about 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes before garnishing with vegan Parmesan cheese, if desired, and serving.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Recipe from http://ohsheglows.com/2010/10/25/layered-eggplant-and-zucchini-casserole/

Based on 6 servings, each serving yields approximately 240 calories and 12g protein.