Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup

Posted by LD in Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Appetizers, Meatless Monday Family Dinners and tagged with baby carrots, broccoli, broccoli cheddar, broccoli cheese, broccoli cheese soup, carrots, cheese, cheese soup, chowder, cream, cream cheese, cream of broccoli, creamer, creamy, daiya, flour, garlic, holiday, meatless mondays, mozzarella, olive oil, onion, Party, recipe, salt, silk, soup, sour cream, sour supreme, soy cream, soy milk, stew, tofutti, Vegan, vegan broccoli cheese soup, vegetable bouillion, vegetable broth, vegetarian, water, what to eat, what vegans eat September 17, 2013

When I wasn’t vegan and I was applying to law school I worked at a law firm in Quincy, MA near a Panera Bread. My favorite lunch was always a bowl of their signature Broccoli Cheese Soup and a toasted Asiago bagel and an apple. The soup was so decadent and the sharp Asiago smothering the bagel made me just fall into a million pieces. I would’ve eaten this over a filet mignon or fancy lobster dinner (mostly because I never liked either but also because it was that good in my mind). So when I was beginning my ideas for this next week of blogging on soups, stews, and chowders I thought that I really must start off with Broccoli Cheese Soup. I have eaten the broccoli cheese soup in Chef Chloe’s cookbook and it is very good and very healthy but I wanted to make a truly decadent creamy creation that reminded me of that soup near the law firm. So with that I present my version.

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Creamy Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

6 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1 tbsp vegetable bouillon paste (I use Penzey’s)

1 1/3 cup Daiya Mozzarella Shreds

(1) White Onion

(2) Heads of Broccoli

(6) Small or Baby Carrots

1 qt of Soy Creamer

1/2 cup soy milk

1 cup of water

1/4 cup Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese

1/4 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme Sour Cream

Salt

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Prepare the Base:

Put (2) tablespoons of oil in a pan with salt and (1) onion chopped into rings.
Sweat the onion on medium heat until very soft and light golden brown. They will naturally start to separate as they heat up, so continue stirring.
Take 1/2 of the onions out and place in an extra large sauce pan. Add broccoli and 1 tbsp oil and place on medium heat,
Toss oil, onions, and broccoli and sprinkle with salt. Leave on medium heat.
Take remaining onions in the frying pan and add 3 tablespoons oil and flour. Stir until it forms a paste.

Cooking down the soup:

Pour creamer into large sauce pot with broccoli and onion mixture.
Bring to a simmer.
Add all remaining ingredients and oil/onion paste except for carrots.
Stir until broccoli is soft and well combined. The sauce should be thick now and form a film on top if not constantly stirred.
Take an immersion blender and place in pot allowing the blender to chop and puree the broccoli. You can reserve a few small pieces if you want it a little chunkier.
Then shred the carrots with a peeler or making matchsticks with a sharp knife and add a few minutes before serving. These should be cooked but slightly crisp.
Serve hot and Enjoy!

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Serves (7). 1 cup servings. WW Points 11.

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XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Fillo Primavera: Veggie and Cheese Filled Pastries

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Appetizers, Meatless Monday Desserts, Meatless Monday Family Dinners, QUICKIES! and tagged with Alfredo Sauce, broccoli, cheese, chicken, cinnamon, cream cheese, daiya, dessert, Easy, Fast, Fillo, Fillo Factory, Fillo Primavera, garlic, holiday, Low Ingredient, low sodium, meatless mondays, olive oil, onion, Party, pastry, Pie, potluck, primavera, quick, recipe, tomato, tomatoes, Vegan, vegan pastries, vegetable pastry, vegetarian, veggie and cheese pastries, Victoria Vegan Alfredo Sauce, what to eat, what vegans eat August 20, 2013

I love that there are so many types of pastry and dough on the market that are vegan. Mostly because Crisco and Shortening are vegan, not healthy, but vegan none the less. So when I was craving something like a Beef Wellington pastry I thought oooh I bet I could make those with fillo dough, pie dough, Pillsbury Croissant Dough, or even pizza dough! So for my first attempt I didn’t go straight to the Gardein Beef but instead to some veggies and Daiya cheese but please feel free to try these with any type of faux meat, vegetable, cheese, or even fruit! The Farmer’s Markets are brimming with good things lately so I encourage you to experiment with this. Make an eggplant parm fillo or even a butternut squash one with a pinch of cinnamon and brown sugar try a dessert fillo with peaches and earth balance , sugar, ginger, and cardamom. Whatever you can imagine will fit perfectly in this dough!

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Fillo Primavera

1 box Organic Fillo Dough
1 head broccoli
2 tomatoes
1 block Daiya Havarti Cheese
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Dehydrated Onions
Olive Oil
Optional: 1 Container of Victoria Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce or Rao’s Marinara Sauce (Victoria Vegan Alfredo Sauces are available at www.veganessentials.com and Rao’s Sauces are available in most grocery stores including Whole Foods)

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Prepare!

Chop all veggies into tiny pieces to accommodate the fillo packages that will go in the muffin pan.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray muffin pans lightly with olive oil.
Cut fillo dough into squares twice as large as the muffin tin holes.
Place at least 3 sheets of the fillo dough square into each muffin tin hole.
Spray dough with olive oil, sprinkle with Salt, Pepper, and Spices.
Place chopped veggies and crumbled cheese into each fillo muffin.
Add 1-2 tsp of optional sauces at this time like Victoria Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo or Rao’s Marinara.
Sprinkle tops with more salt, pepper, and spices.
Bring excess dough to a point and twist. Spray with olive oil and a sprinkle of finishing salt.

Cook!

Bake for at least 15minutes or until the dough on top starts to darken and the dough separates from the sides of the muffin tin. It may take longer depending on how dense your cups and what types of ingredients you filled it with.
Note: Use more fill sheets for juicier fruits and veggies and less for more dense foods like chicken and broccoli.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

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XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Veganized Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti Dish with an Alfredo Sauce

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Family Dinners and tagged with alfredo, applebee's, broccoli, cheese, chicken, chicken alfredo, chicken broccoli ziti, cream sauce, daiya, Easy, garlic, holiday, macaroni, meatless mondays, nooch, noodle, nutritional yeast, olive oil, Party, pasta, potluck, recipe, roasted broccoli, roasted veggies, Vegan, veganized, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat, ziti July 19, 2013

When I was a kid my family would go to Applebee’s on a regular basis and then to the movie theatre next door. We loved these trips. My brother would always order the Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti dish with a side of garlic bread. I began to order this dish as well. It was always a hit. It was only my second favorite to the chicken fingers because of their honey mustard sauce which even today I am sure has some sort of addictive drug in it and is made out of magic, but I digress.

*Please note: They have nothing vegan at Applebee’s anymore even their salads and side item veggies have meat or dairy in them 😦

My brother and his wife gave birth to a son this past month. So in honor of his new son (Nolan) and what will surely be his new son’s eating habits, I will post my recipe for a veganized Chicken, Broccoli, and Ziti. I must also make note that my step children and husband beg for this meal and state it is their favorite dinner and they are all omnivores.

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Nolan’s Chicken, Broccoli, and Ziti

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Alfredo Sauce

1/4 block of Daiya Havarti

1-2cups of Silk Soy Creamer

1/4 cup of Olive Oil

1 dash of thyme

1 dash of nutmeg

1 tbsp granulated garlic

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

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“Chicken”

1 boxed container of Beyond Meat (R) Lightly Salted Chicken Strips

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

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Broccoli

2 heads of broccoli

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

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Ziti

2lbs of boxed ziti

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PREPARATION

Boil a large pot of salted water.
Add 2lbs of boxed ziti. Cook until al dente drain.
Wait to place in serving bowl until other items are done.
Dice Chicken Strips into cubes place in frying pan on medium with olive oil salt and pepper and sautee until hot. Place to the side.
Preheat oven to 450degrees.
Take the stems of the broccoli heads. Then cut into small 1-2 inch florets and slice each floret down the center so it has one flat side.
On a cookie sheet toss broccoli with an ample amount of olive oil until well covered and the cookie sheet is as well. Toss with a good amount to salt and a few grinds of pepper.
Place broccoli in oven for 25-28minutes. Or until crispy and roasted with carmelized edges. Small pieces may appear burnt.

In a sauce pan place oil, salt, and pepper until warm then add cream and cheese. If it appears to thin as it cooks down feel free to add a cornstarch/arrowroot slurry or some Galaxy brand parmesan cheese or even nutritional yeast (“nooch”).
When sauce is complete add chicken to it until well combined and then toss with pasta.
Last add roasted broccoli and toss lightly into mixture.
Serve hot. Crusty bread is always a great side choice as well!

Enjoy!

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XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

The Hippie Gypsy

Food is Love. Will Travel For Veggies. Will Surf for Peace. Be the Change. Practice Compassion.

Tag Archives: broccoli

Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup

Fillo Primavera: Veggie and Cheese Filled Pastries

Veganized Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti Dish with an Alfredo Sauce