More crazy weather = more yummy soup

Ack, really? It's been a week since my last post? Dang.

We've been experiencing "two seasons in two days" craziness again, this time going from sunny and upper 50's for much of last week through Friday, to awakening Saturday to a winter storm warning, snow and temps near minus 20º again, which lasted all weekend. It's not the snow and cold I mind so much, it's the volatile weather swings. They hurt my head.

It was -10ºF when I took these photos of Punky and friends on the patio yesterday. They seem to take this roller coaster weather in stride, of course, but it's fun to pretend they're sharing my barometric burn-out...

Punky says, "Pppffffffttt! to this snow and cold!"

Baby PJ says, "Aaaauuuggghhhh! Lemme in!

I'm freezing my little fawn fanny out here!"

Wish I could, PJ! You could share our warm fire and some of our nice, hot soup! :-) Because when the weather's this frightful we turn to Nava Atlas for comfort...

The last time we had bone-chilling weather like this, at the end of January, you may recall that we'd made her delicious Tomato, Lentil and Barley Soup from this cookbook. And on my post about it I shared a link to another of Nava's recipes that we were planning to try next, Four-Grain Tomato Soup, which she'd adapted from a recipe of the same name in this cookbook and posted on her web site. And make it we did, though we made the version from the cookbook. If you want to try this soup (and I highly recommend it), you can choose from both versions as well because Nava generously gave me permission to share the cookbook version. (It will probably entice you into buying the cookbook, which I also highly recommend!)

Of the two delicious tomato-based, grain and veggie-filled soups we've made so far (both of which we both loved), the Tomato, Lentil & Barley is my favorite and this one is BW's. Packed with healthy goodies, they're both gorgeous...

Four-Grain Tomato Soup

And its aroma while it simmered was gorgeous too! YUM. But don't take my word for it... here's Nava's recipe. (Click on the title for her online version). My notes are in parenthetic italics...

Four-Grain Tomato Soup
"A sublime medley of whole grains and vegetables in a tomato base"

from Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons by Nava Atlas, © 2009, shared with the author's kind permission

Serves: 8 or more

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (for sautéing - we use water)

• 2 medium onions, quartered and thinly sliced

• 2 large celery stalks, finely diced

• 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced

• 2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced, or 2 large turnips, peeled and diced (we used organic red potatoes)

• One 28-ounce can salt-free pureed or crushed tomatoes (I couldn't find salt-free, so used the lowest-sodium crushed tomatoes available)

• ¼ cup raw brown rice, any variety (we used organic brown basmati*)

• ¼ cup raw wild rice

• ¼ cup raw millet or quinoa, rinsed (we used millet)

• ¼ cup raw pearl barley, rinsed (we use this)

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 teaspoons all-purpose seasoning blend such as Spike or Mrs. Dash (we used Mountain Rose Herbs organic All Purpose Seasoning)

• 6 cups water

• ¼ cup chopped fresh dill (we used one package, which was probably 2-2½ TBSP)

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (we added 1 tsp of salt to the pot)

Heat the oil (or water) in a (non-stick) soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat for 5 to 8 minutes, until translucent.

Add all the remaining ingredients except the dill, salt and pepper. Bring to a rapid simmer, lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so.

If the soup is too thick, adjust with additional water and return to a gentle simmer. Add the dill and season with salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until the grains and vegetables are tender. Discard the bay leaves.

If time allows, let the soup stand off the heat for an hour or two before serving, then heat through as needed. (We did this, though it was torture!) :-) This soup thickens quite a bit as it stands. Add water as needed and adjust the seasonings. (We like it thick, so we added no additional water at any point).

*Nava has a note with this recipe that says, "If you use brown basmati rice, the soup will be wonderfully aromatic as it is cooked and served."

Boy, I'll say! The brown basmati was wonderful in this.

In other news... BW is on vacation this week and we have an awful lot going on - projects (of course!), contractors (we hope!), lots of errands, plus a dental procedure for poor BW (ow!) and another bladder surgery for poor Josie (double ow!), who in spite of our every effort to find the cause and put an end to years of recurring UTIs has yet another bladder infection as well as another bladder mass. :-( Her surgery is tomorrow and she should be coming home on Wednesday. I'll try to post an update on her later this week. Meanwhile, once the contractors have finished (next week, rumor has it) I must reassemble and then spring clean my chaotic house. So count on my being a rotten blogger and worse emailer for a while - too many distractions! But believe me...

New "cheffy" stuff (+ cake update)

BW and I stopped exchanging Christmas gifts several years ago. Instead, we usually buy ourselves a splurgy thing for the household, often for the kitchen. This year we considered getting a Vitamix, a manual grain mill, a food dehydrator, or a piece of LeCreuset enameled cast iron cookware (which has the added benefit of doubling as weight-lifting equipment!) But then we decided nah... we'd gotten our new iMac and new high(er)-speed ISP in the fall, and that would do. (Though we may revisit the LeCreuset when Valentine's Day or our anniversary rolls around!) ;-)

But that doesn't mean we didn't get a few new kitchen goodies! Robyn gave me a Tofu Xpress for Christmas (I've only used it a few times so far but am mighty impressed with the mighty Xpress and already wonder what I did without it!), and I used some gift money from my mom to buy the cookbook Color Me Vegan by Colleen Patrick-Goodreau.

BW and I also went on a fun little shopping spree at our local kitchen shop right after Christmas with gift money from one of BW's customers. One of our purchases was a Cuisinart PrepBoard, which comes in three shapes: round, rectangular and square. Our kitchen shop just carries the square ones, but that's the shape I'd have chosen anyway. As you can see, it's perfect for serving an 8" square cake...

The cake in the photo is similar to the cake I made for my birthday, only this time I added 1/2 cup of shredded coconut to it and reduced the walnuts to 3/4 cup. I also spread it with a variation of Andrea's Simple Orange Glaze, which didn't turn out as "solid" as hers did, probably because I used maple syrup instead of evaporated cane juice, and a teaspoon of homemade vegan sour cream since I didn't have soy yogurt. But it was delicious, with a lovely orange color that looked especially nice with some coconut sprinkled on it. (The photo sucks of the cake, because I had to photograph it with a flash under artificial light. But it does a good job of showing how perfect the PrepBoard is for serving a square cake, which was my main intention!)

The PrepBoard isn't impervious to slicing and chopping activities - just like my bamboo cutting boards, it shows the knife cuts. But it's great for cutting juicy, liquidy foods like pickles, tofu, citrus fruits or cranberries since it catches all the liquid, and makes a pretty serving tray for more than just square cakes (as long as the food on it covers the knife scratches). ;-)

We also bought a pretty dish towel and a set of four nice table spoons we were very much needing, along with this Pot Minder, a little clay disc that sits in the bottom of a pan to keep it from boiling over. I cook a lot of potatoes, and invariably I also clean up a lot of potato boilover messes. Or I did, till I got this handy little gizmo! (It works well for pasta, too!)

But the face on the Pot Minder kept bugging me (especially when it's looking up at me from the bottom of a pot of boiling water!) He looks... familiar somehow. I couldn't shake the feeling that I know his face from somewhere. But where?

And then it came to me. The Swedish Chef from The Muppets! No really, check it out ~ they're practically twins! They even have the same mannerisms, with the très magnifique hand gesture!

I think it would have been funny if the Pot Minder came with a little waterproof, heatproof microchip in it that made it sing the Swedish Chef's "Bork bork bork!" song when the water came to a boil! :-)

In completely unrelated but slightly interesting news, today was my errand-running day in town. (That's not the interesting part. This next bit is.) When I left this morning it was 29ºF at our house. When I got down the mountain to town, about 15 miles away, it was 0º. When I left town 4 hours later it was 6º, and when I got back up the mountain to our house, it was 35º.

And that, my friends, is what a good altitude can do for you!

(snork snork snork!) ;-)

Chilly out = chili in!

Ooooh baby, it's cold outside! (As both our thermometer and Punky can attest!) 

And it's supposed to get even colder, with a high of 4ºF tomorrow and 2ºF on Tuesday (with lows well below zero). It's been snowing a lot too!

I say weather like this demands

chili!

(and bread!)

This healthy and delicious heart/soul/body-warming recipe comes together quickly and easily with canned beans and tomatoes. Of course, you can use homemade cooked beans and/or tomatoes too, if you've got them.

This chili is mild to moderately spicy. You can make it hotter by adding some or all of the poblano seeds, using a hotter variety of pepper, or adding hot sauce, cayenne, or more chili powder.

Southwest Four-Bean Chili

(Based on a recipe in The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook by Mary McDougall and John McDougall, M.D.)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup water

1 onion, chopped

3 stalks organic celery, chopped

1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-ounce can white beans (navy or cannellini), drained and rinsed

1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 14.5-ounce cans organic fire-roasted diced tomatoes (or Mexican-style stewed tomatoes)

1/2 - 1 can black olives, drained and sliced (optional)

1 cup organic frozen corn kernels

1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped (leave seeds in if you want more heat)

1 1/2 TBSP freshly squeezed lime juice

3 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon sugar (evaporated cane juice) (optional)

fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

1 avocado, sliced or diced (optional)

Vegan Sour Cream (optional: recipe follows)

Directions:

Heat a large pot over medium heat until warm enough that water drops sprinkled in it sizzle. Add the water, onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except the cilantro, avocado and sour cream. Cover and cook over low-medium heat for 20-30 minutes (it should bubble gently but not boil), stirring occasionally.

Garnish servings with vegan sour cream, fresh cilantro and/or avocado slices or chunks, if desired. Salt individual portions to taste, if desired.

Notes: The original recipe calls for the Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, but I've always just used fire-roasted. The optional addition of a little sugar to this helps bring out the flavor of the spices. I add black olives now and then, but I always add a dollop of homemade vegan sour cream to our servings, and the avocado and cilantro too, if I've got it. They're optional, but I highly recommend them!

Vegan Sour Cream:

1 14-ounce package firm tofu, pressed and drained

2-3 TBSP fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar (evaporated cane juice)

1 teaspoon sea salt

Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate in a covered container.

Of course, chili is great served with fresh-baked bread! Here is a recipe BW came up with for a delicious, basic, homemade boule...

BW's Basic Boule Bread

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups very warm water

1 TBSP sugar (evaporated cane juice)

2 TBSP unsweetened applesauce

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1 TBSP dry baking yeast

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup quick oats

1/2 TBSP coarse Celtic sea salt

Directions:

Put water in a large bowl. Add the sugar and stir till dissolved. Add the yeast and let the mixture sit to allow the yeast to dissolve and become active (about 5 minutes). Then add the salt and applesauce. Next, stir in enough flour to make the dough thick, with a mud-like consistency. Then add the oats and gradually add the flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough is fairly stiff. Knead in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise until it doubles in size (about 45 minutes to 1 hour). Punch down.

Turn out on a pizza peel dusted with organic corn meal. Shape into a boule and make 4-5 slices in the top of the dough about 1/2" deep. Let rise about 30 minutes. Brush with No-Oil Oil, sprinkle top with the coarse salt, and bake about 30 minutes at 450º. Check loaf by tapping with a wooden spoon handle. If it sounds hollow, it's done.

Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before slicing.

Notes: These measurements work well at our altitude (5500'). Your mileage may vary! :-)

Here are two of BW's delicious variations on the basic recipe:

Herb Variation:

1 1/2 TBSP rosemary, coarsely ground (with a mortar & pestle)

1/2 TBSP thyme leaves

Add herbs and work through dough AFTER punch down step above.

Kalamata Olive Variation:

3/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced

1 TBSP dried basil

Add olives and basil and work through dough AFTER punch down step above.

It's Maaa Baaa-rthday!

Today's my birthday, baby - so get your party on! :-)

And in case any of you wits out there are thinking it, I made this picture for my birthday post because I'm a Capricorn, not because I'm now an old goat (that won't be till next year, this year I'm still a kid! LOL), and also because as you probably know, I adore goats of all ages!

The attractive model for this picture is Freddy, one of the lucky residents of Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary, my favorite animal sanctuary. In fact, one of my birthday gifts to myself today was making a donation to PPS in honor of my goat friends there.

Here are a few more photos of some of the goats at PPS, taken during a visit with my friend Robyn in April 2008...

Tolstoy

I love his pooty lip and teefers! And those eyes!

Tolstoy and Buddha

Jupiter enjoys a bask in the early spring sunshine

while his friend insinuates himself into the photo

(there's one like that in every crowd, isn't there?)

Such regal faces

Sweet little Lotus, who I so wanted to bring home with me!

Amanda (PPS volunteer) with Oliver and MaeMae.

MaeMae has things to discuss, while Oliver just wants lovin's!

"Gee Robyn, your hair smells (and tastes) terrific!"

Curiosity must be a Capricorn trait! :-)

Freddy again, this time with his dignity restored. :-)

And now it's time for some cake! Woo-hoo!

I'd been wanting to make this Ginger Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze for a week, since it sounded really good (and it is!) and I had a an organic orange I needed to use. I just happened to finally have time to make it last night, so it was recruited to be my birthday cake. :-)

The recipe for this dense, moist, deliciously flavorful cake is from John Robbins' book, May All Be Fed: Diet for a New World (Including recipes by Jia Patton & Friends), a slight variation of which can be found here. The original recipe, which I made, calls for a cup of coarsely chopped walnuts and 1 1/2 cups of raisins (1/2 cup pureed in the food processor and the remaining cup folded into the cake batter along with the walnuts). The only change I made to the recipe was substituting the oil with 1/2 cup of organic unsweetened applesauce. And of course I used my homemade "maple syrup" from Schmoodfood: Recipes from The Vegan Lunchbox. (Speaking of which, Jennifer and her family are big fans of this cake too!) You can make this cake in an 8" square pan as I did (in my silicone pan) as well as in a 9" round one.

(My apologies to rift for all the photos and graphics yet again - but I mean it when I assure you that you'll thank me for it after you've traded in that dial-up jalopy and are zooming along the Information Superhighway in your new "ISPortscar!" Besides, I didn't think you'd really mind since most of the photos this time are of our PPS buddies!) :-)