I recently made this soup from page 144 of Vegan Homestyle, with a few little additions.  I enjoyed it so much I thought I’d share my variation.

White Bean Soup

2 c. dry cannellini or great northern beans or small white beans

1 T. olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

3 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped

2 bay leaves

3 c. boiling water

2 t. paprika

1 1/2 - 2 t. salt

1 t. basil

1 pinch thyme or savory

(New variation:  I also added 2 c. chopped cabbage and 1/2 c. dehydrated zucchini)

Soak the beans, drain and cook with water to cover about 1 inch.  (I put the beans in the crock pot on low overnight so they were all cooked when I was ready to make soup).  Saute the onion, garlic, carrot and celery in the olive oil.  Add the tomatoes (I used 1 qt. jar of tomatoes, drained and chopped).  (I also added about 2 c. chopped cabbage and some dehydrated zucchini).   Add about 2 c. of water and the bay leaves and simmer until carrot is tender.  About 10 - 15 minutes.  Place 1/2 of the beans in a food processor with the liquid and 1 more cup of water.  Blend until creamy.  Add the remaining beans to the soup.  Add the creamed beans and the remaining seasoning to the soup.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve with your favorite bread or crackers.  Very yummy!

My husband’s birthday came again this year.  I’m glad mine doesn’t come so regularly.  But, wanting to celebrate I thought about making a cake.  But, I really didn’t want to eat cake for a whole week.  So I used the Dumpling recipe in Vegan Homestyle and made a special breakfast treat - Cherry Compote with Apple Dumplings.  Fabulous and oh, so simple!

First prepare the fruit.  I used 1 quart jar of home canned pitted cherries.  But you could use 4 - 6 cups of any kind of fruit with the juice.  If you use fresh fruit, add about 1 c. juice for every 4 c. fruit.  Thicken with a little arrowroot powder.  I used about 1 tablespoon per cup.  Place in a nice wide pan, so you have about 1″ or more of depth in the pan.  Heat to thicken and turn to a low heat that will keep the liquid simmering.  Mix up the dumplings and spoon nice big spoonfuls onto the simmering fruit.  Cover for 10 minutes and don’t peek.  Serve with a little soy creamer - makes a delicious breakfast or dessert treat.

Apple Dumplings

1 c. flour (1/2 whole wheat pastry and 1/2 unbleached, or use all whole wheat pastry flour)

1 t. Rumford Baking Powder

1/2 scant teaspoon salt

1/4 c. applesauce

2 T. organic cane crystals

3/4 c. soy milk

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Just before spooning onto hot fruit, mix together the applesauce and soymilk.  Then stir into the dry ingredients.  Spoon over simmering liquid and cover for 10 minutes.

My friend gave me the most beautiful sweet meat squash.  It was a large lovely green globe with little golden bumps on it.  I almost hated to cut it open.  But it’s destiny was pie!  This was my first sweet meat squash pie and since it was a success I thought I’d share the process.

Cut up the squash into sections (like 8ths).  Place the squash sections in a Pyrex dish with some water and cover with foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour until the squash it tender.  Scrap the squash meat out into a bowl.  It you are just eating squash it can be served mashed with a little Earth Balance buttery spread.  But for pie we have to get rid of some of that water.  So I ran the squash meat through the Victorio food strainer to take out any strings (there were only a few).  Then I placed the pulp in a straining bag made of cotton or _____ and suspended it over a strainer to allow the water to drain out overnight.  (After the initial draining I put it in the refrigerator overnight).  In the morning the pulp looked exactly like the thick pulp that comes from a can of pumpkin.   Then I used the recipe below and it was quite tasty.  In fact, I might like it better than pumpkin, it has a lighter taste.  Enjoy!
2/3 c. water
1 T.  agar agar flakes

1 1/2 c. Silk soy creamer
2/3 c. organic cane crystals
1 T. coriander
1/2 T. cardamom
1 t. vanilla flavor
1/2 t. salt
15 oz. sweet meat squash puree (It’s about 1 3/4 c. - I actually weighed it).

Soak agar agar flakes in 2/3 c. water for 10–15 minutes. Blend next seven ingredients until smooth in a blender. Simmer agar agar, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes until dissolved.  Add to blender and blend until smooth. Pour squash mixture into an unbaked pie crust and bake at 450° for 10 minutes then turn heat down to 350° for 40 minutes more. Cool slightly and place in refrigerator uncovered.  Allow to cool completely before serving. Serve with Tofu Vanilla Ice Cream or Coconut Whipped Cream. Makes (1) 8? Pie.  See “Vegan Homestyle for topping recipes”

I decided we needed more green with our lunch the other day. Here is our brainstorm Broccoli & Spinach salad that was really tasty.

Take about 3 cups of fresh spinach, wash well and cut up for salad.

Take 1 head of broccoli (about 2-3 c. chopped up) and dunk the whole head into boiling water for 30 seconds. Then plunge into cold water. This blanching will give just a little tenderness and releases more beta-carotene. Chop broccoli into florettes and add to spinach.

Add a couple of chopped green onions, 1/4 c. chopped green or black olives and 1 chopped Roma tomato.

For the dressing take about 1/4 soy mayonnaise and stir in:

juice of one lemon

1/2 t. organic cane crystals

1/4 t. basil

1 clove garlic, pressed

1/2 t. salt

Taste, it may need a little more sweetener. Or you could use one of the dressings from Vegan Homestyle. Just before serving toss the salad with the dressing and top with a handful of toasted chopped walnuts. Delicious. With some crusty whole grain bread, it could be a meal.

blessings,

Kay Hansen

I found out on Saturday night I’d have four extra people for lunch on Sunday, my busy work day at home.  So many projects to do, I thought we’d just eat sandwiches.  What to do.  So I soaked 2 cups of white beans.  On Sunday morning I put them in the crockpot with water and let them cook while I dug in the garden.  Just before lunch I added some sauted onions and a home canned jar of tomatoes all chopped up, juice and all.  2 t. of salt and 1 T. of our Live-for-Health vegetaruan chicken-style seasoning.  Presto - soup!  Served it with whole grain toast and sliced tomatoes from the garden.  It was hearty, filling and super easy.  Simple food that is so satisfying.

1 lb. firm, water packed tofu
3 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. basil
1 t. (scant) salt
1 1/2 T. onion powder
3 T. nutritional yeast flakes
1 T. olive oil

Drain tofu, if needed, for 15 - 30 minutes so you have a fairly dry tofu. Place all ingredients in a food processor and process to a creamy spread. This is your basic spread, if desired stir in your choice of one of the following ingredients:
1/2 can green ripe olives
2-3 cloves roasted garlic
2 T. chopped green onions & 1 clove garlic (saute briefly in a little olive oil)
1/2 c. chopped black olives
1 - 2 t. dill
2 T. dried onion + 1 T. Bragg Liquid Aminos
1/4 c. chopped dried tomatoes, stir in
2 oz. chopped pimiento
2 T. fire roasted tomatoes, well drained
1 (10oz.) package chopped frozen spinach (thawed, drained & squeezed dry)

This is a very tasty spread that can also be used as a vegetable dip or as a filling in veggie wraps. A 2 T. serving has only 50 calories and 3 grams of fat. Enjoy!

Wraps are a wonderfully fresh and easy summer meal.  Some friends had us over for a wrap supper and it was so simple.  Store bought whole grain wraps with shredded veggies, like carrot, zucchini, radish, lettuce, chopped tomato fresh dill and chives, you get the idea.  Then for a little sauce they served soy mayonnaise and Alpine Cheese Spread from the Vegan Homestyle cookbook.  You could add salsa or chopped Walla Walla onion, salad dressing or fresh basil leaves.  It is super simple.

I had just a little bread dough left after making 5 loaves of bread.  So I cut it into large walnut sized balls.  Rolled very thin.  Left to raise for about 20 minutes.  Cook on an electric grill set at 350 degrees for 2 minutes - turn every 30 second.  Watch that it doesn’t puff up like a pita bread.  Wrap in a clean towel to keep soft.  I think just about any whole grain bread dough will do.

Oh, yeah, I fried some breaded tofu for our last wrap meal - it was yummy!  What do you like to put in your wrap?

By now there ought to be oodles of fresh greens coming out of your garden.  We’re enjoying fresh, tender kale and collards.  Unfortunately, the gophers ate most of the beets, so we’re on the war path.  But, here is my favorite way to cook greens.  I cook them all the same, except when I just stir fry with a little olive oil and garlic.

Tasty Cooked Greens
from Vegan Homestyle: Simple Recipes For Healthy Living by Kay Hansen

Carefully wash and coarsely chop greens of your choice such as: kale, collards, chard, beet greens, mustard greens, etc.  The stems may be removed during washing by pulling the leaf away from the stem.  Greens will cook down to about 1/4 in volume. Plan to cook 1 bunch per 2 people served.

Place approximately 1/4 - 1/2 inch of water in a large pan.
Layer the following:

          Chopped greens
Olive oil - spray lightly with Misto^® Sprayer
Garlic - 1-2 pressed or chopped cloves
          Onion - 1-2 T. chopped onions per layer
         Vegetarian Chicken-style Seasoning - 1-2 t. per layer (see below)

Cover the pot with a lid. Bring water to a boil, turn to medium heat and steam for 20-30 minutes until tender. Stir occasionally.

Live-for-Health Vegetarian Chicken-style Seasoning

1-1/3   c.         yeast flakes

1/4       c.         onion powder1          t.          garlic powder

1          T.         barley malt powder

1          T.         parsley

1          T.         salt

1          t.          basil

1/2       t.          marjoram

1/2       t.          paprika

1/2       t.          ground celery seed

1/2       t.          turmeric

1/2       t.          savory
Place all ingredients in a dry blender and blend until well mixed.  Store in an airtight container. Use for seasoning tofu, soup, veggies, gravy or sauces.

This is my new favorite breakfast treat.  It’s high protein and makes my tummy really happy with I have fried tofu on toast for breakfast.

Slice you 1 lb. of firm tofu into 8 even slices.  I cook 1/2 one day and the other 1/2 the next.  Heat a cast iron fry pan on medium, spray with non-stick spray or olive oil and add your tofu.  Sprinkle the top of your tofu with a little Bragg liquid aminos.  Fry until brown on the bottom.  Turn.  Sprinkle with a little vegetarian chicken-style seasoning.  When brown on the bottom, turn and cook for just a few seconds (too long and the CS seasoning will burn).  Serve on fresh toast.   Better than bacon!

Whole wheat pita bread is so tasty with your homemade hommus. I’ve found that my homemande pita doesn’t fall apart like the ones I buy frozen. You just have to give it a little attention. The recipe for Whole Wheat Pita Bread is in my book, Vegan Homestyle. Here are some tips: Divide the dough and weigh them out into 4oz. balls. This will make just the right size pita. When rolling into a ball, keep folding toward the center and pinch to make a nice tight ball. Then your margins will be smooth when you roll it out. Also, roll it thin, 1/8″ or less. It won’t rise much but it will puff nicely in the oven. Make sure you preheat the oven and the pan or baking stone you are going to use so everything is hot. They’re simple. I mixed up a batch in my food processor the other day and it was easy.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

1 T. active dry yeast, scant
1 t. barley malt powder or Sucanat®
1 1/2 c. warm water 110-115°
2 t. salt, use canning salt
2 t. olive oil
3 1/2–4 c. whole wheat bread flour, fresh ground if possible
Unbleached flour for rolling

Mix together warm water, sweetener and yeast. Stir until dissolved and let proof until bubbly. Add yeast mixture to bread mixer or bowl. Add enough whole wheat flour to make a soft spongy mixture and mix to develop gluten for 5 minutes. Add salt, oil and enough whole wheat flour to make a soft, only slightly sticky dough. When too stiff to stir, turn out on a floured board and knead, adding a little flour if needed, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If you use a mixer or food processor it won’t need that much hand kneading.  Divide dough into 8–10 balls, cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Dust the board with a little unbleached flour and roll each ball out into a circle 6–8 in diameter and about an 1/8 thick or less. Place on a baking sheet and cover with a towel. Place in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 500°. Put a baking sheet or pizza pan with little holes, or a wire mesh on the lowest oven rack. Place 2–3 pita rounds on the baking sheet on the bottom rack (whatever will fit) and bake for 3 minutes. Pitas will puff up like a balloon. Do not allow pitas to become crisp. Remove to a cooling rack and cover with a towel to retain moisture. Pitas will deflate as they cool. Bake the remaining circles the same way. When cool, pitas can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated or frozen. To reheat, cut pitas in half, slightly separate the edges and stack in a casserole dish. Cover and reheat for 10 minutes at about 250°. Serve with Hommus and lots of chopped veggies.