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broccoli cheeze soup

January 26, 2014
the main event
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Lots of the recipes I found for vegan broccoli cheddar soup used milk alternatives, nuts, flour, cornstarch, and/or vegan cheese. I was looking for something simpler.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, medium dice
2 stalks celery, medium dice
1 medium sweet potato, small dice
2 cloves garlic, thin slice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups arugula
1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets
1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1. Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion, celery, sweet potato, and garlic to the pot. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Saute, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Pour water into the pot and cover the vegetables by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
5. Stir in arugula and cook for another minute. Puree with an immersion blender.
6. Add broccoli florets and nutritional yeast and simmer for another 15-20 minutes, or until the broccoli is soft.
7. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve.

Notes: yum. Love the color the sweet potato lends to the soup, which mimics traditional broccoli cheddar soup. The nutritional yeast is a powerhouse, giving the finished product a rich, cheesy, almost fermented flavor. The arugula simply boosts the nutrition profile, but is not essential; it can be omitted, or substituted with nearly any other type of green leafy vegetable.

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raw cauliflower tabouli

January 20, 2014
somethin' on the side, the main event, the underwear diet
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6 oz cauliflower florets
12 oz cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on the size
1/2 hothouse cucumber, small dice or julienne (or both!)
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup fresh mint, chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

1. Over a bowl, grate cauliflower florets using the large holes on a box grater.
2. Add tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, mint, and lemon zest to the bowl.
3. Combine lemon juice with tahini and stir, thinning with a couple tablespoons of water. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, and season with salt.
4. Pour dressing over the tabouli and stir to combine.

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roasted curried carrot soup

January 18, 2014
appeteaser, the main event, the underwear diet
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This is attempt #2 at testing this recipe. I think this newer version is better than this previous attempt.

1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp curry powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 stalks celery, medium dice
1 medium onion, medium dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
2-inch knob fresh ginger, minced
1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 avocados, sliced or diced, for garnish (optional, but highly recommended)
Lime juice, for serving (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Toss the carrots with 1 Tbsp olive oil, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Spread out on a sheet pan and roast for 25 minutes, or until dark brown and tender.
3. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add celery and onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add the carrots to the pot and cover by 1 inch with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
5. Puree the soup using an immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and stir in coconut milk.
6. Garnish soup with avocado and freshly squeezed lime juice (optional). Fresh chopped cilantro would also be a great garnish.

Serves 4 (entree)-6 (appetizer)

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new year’s eve dinner

January 1, 2014
the main event, the underwear diet
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This year, since I was home alone with nowhere to go (my own choice, I swear!), I treated myself to a scallop dinner. Since I’ve been eating like a pig queen lately, I made it clean and healthy, using this recipe from Food & Wine, Scallops with Blood Orange, Fennel, and Pistachios.

1 medium bulb fennel
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 navel orange
1/3 cup kalamata olives, halved
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Scallops (I splurged on dry sea scallops, so I only bought three; this recipe could accommodate about eight large scallops)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 sprig thyme
1 1/2 Tbsp capers
1 1/2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted

1. Halve the fennel lengthwise and thinly slice on a mandolin. Place on a large platter and drizzle with olive oil.
2. Remove skin and white pith from the orange and thinly slice into rounds. Layer on top of the fennel.
3. Scatter olives on top of the salad.
4. Sprinkle scallops with a little bit of salt and pepper (go easy on the salt, because the olives and capers provide most of the seasoning).
5. Heat a saute pan over high heat. Add butter and as soon as it melts, place scallops in the pan.
6. Add thyme sprig to the pan and sear the scallops, about 1 minute on the first side, 30 seconds on the flip side. Using a spoon, baste the scallops with the thyme-infused butter while they cook.
7. Remove the scallops from the pan and place directly on top of the salad.
8. Add capers to the pan and fry in the butter just until the first one pops open, about 30 seconds. Spoon on top of the salad.
9. Sprinkle the platter with pumpkin seeds and serve!

This is a great healthy entree or first course. Feel free to omit the scallops and make the salad alone; it would be a great side dish, or a perfect component of a big brunch spread.

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