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

Pistachio Vegan Creme Brulee

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts and tagged with agave, allspice, avocado, brulee, cashew, cream, cream cheese, creme brulee, custard, dessert, jar, mason jar dessert, nut, pistachio, soy, soy creamer, sugar, vanilla September 11, 2013

When I was a kid we would go to this little Tavern down the street from my house. It was called the North Pond House back then. It was next to North Pond and boasted karaoke and traditional english pub fare. I ate a lot of fish and chips there and regrettably sang a lot of karaoke as a child (which everyone clapped but I am sure it was funnier than it was actually entertaining). For dessert however they had this ice cream called Spumoni which was an Italian layered slice of heaven as far as I was concerned as a kid (I also think this was an 80s dessert because I never see it anymore). I loved the green layer of pistachio. Pistachio ice cream was a luxury that was not in my fridge at home often. We did popsicles at home. So I loved these visits where I could indulge in my pistachio layer of ice cream. It seemed so fancy back then. So when I was testing creme brulee recipes I remembered my fall visits to the pub with the smell of fireplaces and pumpkins and haystacks in front of the doors of the neighborhood near the pond which was cirlced in orange and red leaves. Pistachio creme brulee would be amazing. I said to myself this weekend “Let’s see if we can make it work”. And I did. Enjoy!

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Pistachio Creme Brulee

Ingredients:

1/2cup raw cashews
1/2cup pistachios
1 avocado (skin and seed removed)
1/4cup raw agave
1/3cup sugar
1 1/2teaspoon agar agar powder (this is vegan gelatin powder found in the asian section of the grocery store)
1teaspoon arrowroot powder/starch (don’t use cornstarch due to the high heat, arrowroot is better)
1 1/4cups Soy Creamer
1 heaping tablespoon of Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
Pinch of Salt
1teaspoon allspice
1/4teaspoon of Vanilla Extract (I use Penzey’s) (or use almond extract)

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Preparation

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor and mix until smooth. This batter will be quite thick. Consider stirring it with a spatula if needed.

If you do not have a high powered mixer soak cashews and pistachios for at least 4 hours or overnight so that the batter will not be grainy. Also, place half the nuts in at first and the second half after most ingredients have liquified.

Cook

Preheat oven to 375degrees.

Fill a casserole dish with water to go halfway the height of the jars you in tend on placing the brulee mixture in. I have used both mason jars and square ramekins before and both come out well. Then sprinkle each jar bottom with extra pistachios. It’s a fun surprise on the bottom. Also remove metal presses from the jars. They will be so redhot it is better to pop them off now.

Pour batter into each jar allowing a little space so that they do not spill over as the casserole dish will be heavy with all the water in it. You need to be careful not to allow water into the jars.

Cook for at least 30 minutes or until the batter is wiggly but not liquidy and slightly firm on top.

Chill

Take jars out of the water with tongs and place on a towel on a drying rack. Let cool 15 minutes and then transfer into the refrigerator for 2-4hours.

Brulee

After the creme is completely firm and chilled through and you are ready to serve. …Take sugar, sprinkle a good layer on each creme top, and brulee with a hand torch until the sugar bubbles, browns, and quickly hardens.

Serve Immediatly.

Serves 6. WW Points 6.

(PS Any of these can be simply custard without the brulee if you do not have a torch)

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XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Apple Cheesecake Vegan Creme Brulee

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts and tagged with agar, agar agar, apple, apple cheesecake, apple cinnamon, apple pie spice, arrowroot, autumn, brulee, cake, cashew, cheese, cheesecake, cheesecake creme brulee, cinnamon, cream, cream cheese, creme brulee, dessert, Easy, fall, Fast, holiday, low sodium, macintosh, maple, maple syrup, meatless mondays, Party, quick, recipe, thanksgiving dessert, vanilla, Vegan, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat September 10, 2013

The fall weather has officially started here in Coastal Massachusetts. This weekend I started raking, trimming back trees, turned off the Central Air, and opened up all the windows in my house. The cool air made the sheer window coverings sweep the floors from the wind like a chiffon wedding dress. It was a beautiful weekend. I could smell chocolate chip cookies and ocean air from my deck and I even kicked it off with a trip to the Brimfield Antiques Fair which just screams “Welcome Fall”. Together my mother and I picked up a red rocking horse for my nephew Nolan, a few records for my new record player, a set of silverware that completed a set I had inherited which was just dumb luck!, a buddha painted in reds and blues and gold for my side garden to go just underneath the chimes, and a poster from the 1980’s when a friend of mine ran for office which I will make him sign because it was such a fun find! Who doesn’t love a gigantic yard sale? I would be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t have a good time at these events. I then went over to my aunt’s to help her pack up her apartment to move to her dream destination. I am so proud of her. I know she appreciates a good dessert. So this weekend I worked on puddings.

Fall is the time for puddings both warm and cold. There are bread puddings (my mom’s favorite) and the more exciting french puddings like the creme brulee and then there are the puddings I would never eat like black pudding. My favorite has always been a vanilla bean creme brulee with a good crunchy crust and a thick custard filling but not to sweet to offset the brulee. My parents would bring us to brunch on Easter and Mother’s day and I would always run over to make sur ethe hotel had the little ramekins of this dessert. So I tried to replicate it now as a vegan with a few fall fun flavors. This is my first of a series of three I will post this week (all tested and approved by the omnivore husband). They are all easy to prepare (35minutes max) but the cooling process (2hrs min.) causes it to be something you have to make in advance. Since everyone in the office was talking about apple picking on Friday we shall start with apple! Enjoy!

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Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake Creme Brulee

Ingredients:

1/2cup raw cashews
(2) Macintosh Apples Cored, Peeled, Diced
1/4cup maple syrup
1/3cup sugar
1tablespoon agar agar powder (this is vegan gelatin powder found in the asian section of the grocery store)
1tablespoon arrowroot powder/starch (don’t use cornstarch due to the high heat, arrowroot is better)
1 1/4cups Soy Creamer
2 heaping tablespoons of Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
Pinch of Salt
1teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon-1tablespoon Apple Pie Spice (depends on your pallet, I use a little more)
1/2teaspoon of Vanilla Extract (I use Penzey’s)

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Preparation

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor and mix until smooth.

If you do not have a high powered mixer soak cashews for at least 4 hours or overnight so that the batter will not be grainy.

Cook

Preheat oven to 375degrees.

Fill a casserole dish with water to go halfway the height of the ramekins or jars you in tend on placing the brulee mixture in. I have used both mason jars and square ramekins before and both come out well.

Pour batter into each ramekin allowing a little space so that they do not spill over as the casserole dish will be heavy with all the water in it. You need to be careful not to allow water into the ramekins.

Cook for at least 30 minutes or until the batter is wiggly but not liquidy and slightly firm on top.

Chill

Take ramekins out of the water with tongs and place on a towel on a drying rack. Let cool 15 minutes and then transfer into the refrigerator for 2-4hours.