Cozy Roasted Tomato Soup (vegan)

Recipe from Yeoung Man Cooking  
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

The recipe may seem long, but this heavenly, special-occasion soup is quite easy to make. 

Step One: Make the cashew cream. (This recipe makes more cream than you’ll need for the soup, but you can use the cream for other dishes.)
1½ cups raw unsalted cashews 
1½ cups water 

Blend the cashews and water together in a high powered blender for about 30 seconds (if you do not have a high powered blender, soak the cashews in water overnight) Set the cashew cream aside, no need to wash out the blender. 

Step Two: Make the roasted tomato soup.
1 bulb garlic 
2 red onions, divided 
1 red bell pepper 
7 Roma tomatoes 
2 lbs. cherry tomatoes 
2 Tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
Kosher or Pink Himalayan Salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste 
A few sprigs of fresh thyme 
1 sprig of fresh rosemary 
3 Tablespoons chili oil (This will make the soup a bit spicy, so to keep it more tame, use olive oil or avocado oil.)
1 Tablespoon tomato paste 
1 Tablespoon sweet paprika 
1 Tablespoon maple syrup 
1 Tablespoon balsamic glaze 
80g  or 1 cups cooked red beet (a small beet or half of a large one) I used the Instant Pot to steam beets.
A handful of fresh basil 
2 cups vegetable broth

Preheat the oven to 400F. Crush and peel the bulb of garlic and spread the whole cloves onto a baking tray. Chop 1 red onion in half, then into quarters, and add to the baking tray. Dice the other red onion and set aside for later. Chop the red bell pepper into roughly the same size as the red onion and add to the baking tray. Slice the Roma tomatoes in half, then into quarters, and add to the baking tray. Add the (whole) cherry tomatoes onto the baking tray. Drizzle over about 2 Tablespoons of avocado or olive oil. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Add the thyme and rosemary and mix to coat. Bury the thyme and rosemary underneath the veggies to prevent them from burning. Place the baking tray in the oven and bake for 1 hour or until the veggies are slightly charred. About 10 minutes before the veggies are done roasting, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Heat up a stock pot to medium heat. Add the chili oil followed by the red onions. Sauté for a few minutes. Add the tomato paste, sweet paprika, 2 teaspoons salt, the maple syrup, and the balsamic glaze. Stir and cook for about 1 minute. Add the cooked beet and stir. When the veggies are done roasting, set some aside for garnish. Remove the leaves from the herbs and discard the branches. Then, carefully transfer the veggies into the pot. Add a handful of fresh basil (save a little for garnish) and give the pot a good stir. Add the vegetable stock, stir, and bring to a boil. Carefully transfer the soup to the blender. (You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender.) Blend on high until completely smooth, then transfer back into the pot. Add 1/3 cup of cashew cream and stir.  Keep the soup warm while you prepare the Garlic Toasts. 

Step Three: Make the Garlic Toast: Lay slices of whole-grain bread or sliced baguette on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil.  Place the cookie sheet under the broiler.  Broil the bread until it’s toasty brown. Take the cookie sheet out of the oven and rub the raw garlic over the surface of the toast. Sprinkle with kosher salt (or sea salt) and freshly ground black pepper.  Flip the toast over to the other side and repeat the process.

Step Four: Plate the soup and garnish with some roasted veggies, fresh basil, fresh cracked pepper, and a drizzle of cashew cream.  You can also drizzle with a bit of pesto.

Green Spring Balance Bowl (Vegan + Gluten Free)

I tested this lovely salad out for a Spring birthday dinner party.  Not only was it very beautiful, but it was absolutely scrumptious.  This is a keeper for sure.

Serves 4
Recipe from Good Eatings 
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Herby Quinoa:

¾ cup quinoa

1 ½ cup water

Packed ½ cup fresh coriander

Packed ½ cup fresh flat leaf parsley

1 lemon

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon herbal salt

Black pepper, to taste

Roasted Asparagus:

1 bunch asparagus

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Bean Salad:

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup shelled edamame beans

1 Tablespoon chili oil with “bits”

Basil Dressing:

1 ½ cup fresh basil leaves

1 cup baby spinach

1 lemon, juice only

1 shallot

1 garlic cloves

¼ cup nutritional yeast

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons tahini

3 Tablespoons water

1 teaspoon maple syrup

Salt, to taste

To Serve:

4 large handfuls mixed baby greens

2-3 cups sugar snap peas, sliced in half

A handful of microgreens, optional

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400F. Rinse the quinoa if you wish and then transfer it into a sauce pan along with the water. Season with salt and cover with a lid. Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until all the water has been absorbed by the quinoa. This usually takes about 20 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking trim the woody ends off on the asparagus and place it in an oven safe dish or on an oven tray. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and black pepper. Toss to coat. Roast in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until tender. Then prepare the bean salad simply by draining and rinsing the chickpeas and mixing them with the edamame beans and chili oil until well coated. Set aside.

Also make the dressing while the other components are cooking. Combine all the ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until you are ready to use it.

To finish off the quinoa, once it is cooked, finely chop the fresh parsley and coriander and add to a bowl along with the quinoa. Use a Microplane or box grater to zest 1 lemon into the bowl and then squeeze in the juice of half of it. Drizzle over the oil and season with herbal salt and black pepper. Mix well to combine. To assemble the bowls start with a bed of mixed baby greens followed by the sliced sugar snaps. Then layer the herby quinoa and bean salad on top. Drizzle the dressing over it all and finish with the roasted asparagus.

 

Sesame Peanut Noodles

Recipe from Redbook Magazine
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
8 serving

You know the jingle, “Sometimes you feel like a nut…” Well, I’ve had such a craving lately for a good Thai style peanut noodle dish, so last week I began searching for a recipe that would fit the bill. I was thumbing through the latest Redbook Magazine while waiting for an appointment and, lo and behold, there was this recipe. My hubby and I both felt this was definitely blog worthy! If you would like more “heat,” add some red pepper flakes to the sauce. I used whole wheat pasta to make this even healthier. Lost River Market & Deli has peanut butter and whole wheat pasta in bulk and they now have tahini in cup containers (which I find to be the perfect size) at the end of the refrigerated section of aisle one.

Peanut Sauce:
1 piece (1/2-inch) fresh peeled ginger, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Asian toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoons hot chili oil
1 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup warm water

Noodles:
1 pound spaghetti
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
1 small seedless cucumber, cut into 2-inch julienne strips (You can substitute a regular cucumber and just scoop out the seeds.)
2 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, torn
1 small red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch julienne strips
4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Peanut sauce: Mince ginger and garlic in a food processor. Add peanut butter, tahini, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, hot chili oil, and sugar. Process until combined; add water, process until smooth.

Noodles: Cook spaghetti according to package directions. While the spaghetti is cooking, prep the vegetables and place in a large serving bowl. Drain the pasta when it’s done; rinse with cold water. Drain well. Toss spaghetti with sesame oil. Add peanut sauce and toss to coat. Add the spaghetti to the vegetables and toss to combine. Sprinkle with peanuts to serve.

Nutritional Information per Serving
Calories 458
Total Fat 23g
Total Carbohydrate 51g (This number will be lower if you use whole wheat pasta)
Protein 15g