Vegan White Lasagna Soup

What a week! It feels like it's been so long, but it's probably because so much happened in such a short amount of time. My husband moved his CPA business to a more permanent location and it is perfect. In the heart of this tiny town I love so much, walking distance from our home, and with great people. 

I also thought my son had an iron deficiency or something wrong for the past month. Iron is fine, turns out he's just growing up. He is almost 3 and a half and is finally starting to act slightly calmer than in the past. I can't wait to tell him the story one day of how his mother had to make sure there wasn't something seriously wrong with him when he started to mature. Oh, Warren.

Willa is almost 6 months old and I'm getting more excited to start introducing solids to her. Warren loved oatmeal so I think we might start with that too. She's also starting to put herself in the crawling position when she's on the floor. I'm excited and sad all at the same time. She seems to be growing up faster than Warren did. But she's also got a big brother she has to keep up with. 

Here's a couple pictures of what we've been up to!

Willa is so happy in the morning!

Warren loves being outside, playing at the park.

The new office! Needs some decorating but we will get there.

Willa's Christmas outfit with daddy.

And Warren's...giddy up, cowboy.

Took Warren tubing, so Willa and I hung out in the lodge.

After a day of tubing, we handled it well!

And our adorable 1920's fortune teller. 

And now for some food!

This recipe is so comforting. The walnuts add a unique dimension that really does resemble meat crumbles. I also went more rogue with this recipe than others. It turned out so good I had to hurry and write it all down before I forgot what I did!

Original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:

Cashew Cream:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Pinch of salt and pepper

Lasagna "Meat":

2 cups raw walnuts
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. pepper

For the Rest of the Soup:

6 cloves garlic or more!
1/2 a sweet onion, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
6 cups vegetable broth
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 c. Nutritional yeast
2 tsp. maple syrup
8 lasagna sheets
15 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 10 oz. packages kale
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. The cashews need to be soaked for 6-8 hours. Overnight works best. If you are in a pinch, you can soak the cashews in boiling water for about 15-30 minutes.
2. Once you are ready to make the soup, make the cashew cream first. Drain the soaked cashews and add them to a blender with the rest of the cashew cream ingredients. Blend on high, scraping down the sides as needed until the cream is super smooth and velvety with no texture. This may take a few minutes. Set this aside.
3. Make the lasagna "meat". Put all ingredients into a food processor. Blend until it starts to resemble meat crumbles. You may need to scrape the sides once or twice between blending. Set this aside.
4. Now, in a large soup pot, saute onions and garlic on medium high heat, using vegetable broth as needed so it doesn't stick to the pan. Reduce heat as needed until the garlic and onions are slightly caramelized. This may take 5-10 minutes.
5. Then add the lemon juice to the pot and scrape any bits of garlic and onion off the bottom.
6. Next, pour in the vegetable broth, and whisk in the Italian seasonings, nutritional yeast, and maple syrup.
7. Now, pour all the cashew cream you made into the pot and whisk to combine everything.
8. Do the same with the lasagna "meat" and diced tomatoes.
9. Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
10. Next, break the lasagna sheets into about 1-2 inch pieces. Then add them to the soup.
11. Simmer, stirring frequently until the noodles are al dente. Check your package for timing.
12. Once the noodles are done, taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Add the kale as well.
13. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Best Ever Minestrone Soup

 Oh my! A full year of no blogging? 😭It has been busy to say the least and how I have missed posting my favorite recipes. Even though I haven't put any food on my blog I have been doing a TON of cooking so hopefully I can catch up this year. 

Also, HUGE shoutout to my husband for letting me steal away for an afternoon to check out this adorable new coffee shop that opened up in our small Idaho town. I feel very fortunate to live here and raise our family. I was a Treasure Valley girl for 10 years but I'm definitely becoming a bigger fan of the Magic Valley. 

So...why haven't I been blogging as usual? Well for a very exciting reason right here. <3

Meet Willa Frances! We welcomed this precious little girl a couple days before Warren's 3rd birthday in August. She is so sweet and the perfect calm to Warren's tornado of terror. He is such a proud big brother and showers her with hugs and kisses daily. Hopefully he will remember this when she's old enough to steal all his toys!

My pregnancy however, was incredibly difficult and I am very grateful to be feeling more like myself these days. I spent 9 months basically in the fetal position on our couch, very different than my first "easy" in comparison pregnancy. It was quite challenging at moments, especially with an active toddler running around, yet was worth it all. But seriously, I'm glad that shit is over. 

I had a panic moment of what to post for my recipe because there are so many delicious ones I've discovered this year. However, this soup recipe I would make every week for the rest of my life and never get tired of it. It's that good. So here's the best minestrone soup you will ever have in your entire life. And be sure to pick up some good sourdough bread. If you're lucky enough to have someone local make it like I do, even better. 

This recipe can be found here. Be sure to check out more recipes from this website too. You won't be disappointed. 

Healthy Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 celery ribs, diced

2 tbsp. minced garlic

1 cup vegetable broth

5 cups water (or broth)

1 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes (I've used fire roasted and it's so good)

3 tbsp. tomato paste

6 sundried tomato halves, chopped, about 1/4 cup *smoked takes this soup to a whole new level

1 tbsp. white miso

2 tbsp. nutritional yeast

1 cup dry pasta, don't overdo this or it turns to goulash instead of soup

1 15.5 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15.5 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups, or up to 1 lb. frozen mixed vegetables

Spice/Herb Ingredients: *prep this first in a small ramakin 

2 tbsp. dried minced onions

2 tsp. onion powder

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 tsp. dried basil

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. dried parsley

2 bay leaves

pinch cumin

2 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

3 cups fresh baby spinach (or greens of choice)

Optional Toppings:

Fresh parsley, chopped

Vegan parmesan cheese found here.

Directions:

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, add the diced onion and celery. Sauté over medium-high heat for 7 to 9 minutes until the veggies are tender. Add a splash of vegetable broth if needed to prevent sticking.

2. Add the minced garlic and sauté for one minute.

3. Add the water, vegetable broth, petite diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and chopped sundried tomatoes, and bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer.

4. Add the Spice/Herb Mix, stir to combine.

5. Add the pasta, beans, nutritional yeast, miso, and mixed veggies, and simmer until the pasta is almost tender, then add the baby spinach. Continue to simmer until the pasta is tender. Discard the bay leaf. 

6. Serve with your favorite toppings. 

Enjoy! And don't forget the fresh bread!

Vegan Cheeseburger Soup

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years! Warren slept til 9 on Christmas Day, which was the best present he could have given us! We just love this happy wittle guy.

This soup is so good! It's got unbelievable flavor and the coconut bacon puts it over the top.

Original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:

For the soup:
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium celery stalks, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 14 oz. can full-fat coconut milk
2 cups unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
1 cup water
1 medium russet potato, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 tbsp. Vegetable Better Than Bullion or 3-5 cubes vegetable bullion
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp. vinegar-based hot sauce (such as Cholula)
1 tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

For the Lentil Walnut Cheeseburger Crumbles
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic gloves, minced
3/4 c. dry brown lentils, cooked to make 2 cups, prep before making soup
1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. red wine vinegar

Optional Toppings

Fresh parsley
Fresh chives
Dill pickle slices
Coconut bacon, which is what I used and it is delicious!


Instructions:

1. Begin by making the soup. Coat the bottom of a large pot with vegetable broth and place it over medium heat.

2. When the pan is hot, add the onion, celery, and carrots. Saute for about 10 minutes, until the veggies begin to soften up.

3. Add the garlic and flour. Stir well to coat the veggies with flour and saute for about 1 minute, until the garlic becomes very fragrant.

4. Stir in the coconut milk, non-dairy milk, water, potato, bullion, nutritional yeast, hot sauce, mustard, and thyme. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a simmer.

5. Lower the heat. Allow the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potato is tender.

6. While the soup simmers, prepare the cheeseburger crumbles. Coat the bottom of a medium skillet with vegetable broth and place it over medium-high heat.

7. When the pan is hot, add the onion and saute until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes.

8. Stir in the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds more, until very fragrant.

9. Stir in the lentils, walnuts, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, and red wine vinegar. Continue to cook for about 3 minutes, until most of the liquid has dried up.

10. When the soup has finished simmering, remove it from the heat and use an immersion blender to blend 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup (blend as much as you need to reach your desired thickness). I haven't done this though, and the soup was still excellent.

11. Add the lentil walnut burger crumbles and toppings of  your choice.

Enjoy!


I used coconut bacon. Original recipe found here.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. unsweetened flaked coconut
1 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
2 tsp. liquid smoke
2 tsp. maple syrup
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
3. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the soy sauce or tamari, liquid smoke, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar.
4. Add the coconut to the bowl and gently stir to coat it with the soy sauce mixture, being careful not to crush the coconut flakes.
5. Spread the coconut in an even layer on parchment. Drizzle any excess liquid over the coconut.
6. Bake for about 15 minutes, tossing every 3-5 minutes during cooking, until crispy and browned. Watch the coconut closely during baking, because this stuff can go from crispy to char in a very short time.
7. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool. The coconut bacon will continue to crisp up as it cools.

Enjoy!

Creamy Autumn Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

Haven't been very good about posting all the delicious recipes being made, but I'm trying to get better!

We had a blast for Halloween this year. My mom came to visit so she got to see Warren in his costumes. He was a minion but I quickly realized that he was too big for the costume so thankfully we had a dog costume on deck. Unfortunately, we missed trick-or-treating downtown to all the stores because Warren decided to sleep through it. There's always next year!

Here are some highlights of what's been going on.

We went to the pumpkin patch the day before Halloween. However, the pumpkins had all froze so we weren't able to carve them. What crazy weather! Warren still had fun running around, unless we made him sit still to take a quick picture. 😂

 We also went to a few Halloween parties at the local libraries. He was a minion at first but his costume was way too small. We went with the dog the next day and he looked just as cute!

And now recipe time. This soup is heavenly. Make it. Now.

Original recipe can be found here.

6 cups vegetable stock + 2 more cups for the cashew cream
1 cup uncooked wild rice
8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 large (about 1 pound) sweet potato and diced
1 small white onion, peeled and diced
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 cup cashews, soaked over night or boiled for 10 minutes and let sit for 30 min.
1 bunch kale
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat pot over medium high heat. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add 1-2 tbsp. vegetable broth as needed to prevent sticking. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.

2. Add in the vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, carrots, celery, sweet potato, bay leaf, and Old Bay seasoning. Stir to combine.

3. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally.

4. Meanwhile, during those final 10 minutes, prepare your cream sauce. In a high speed blender, add cashews and 1/2 cup veg broth. Blend for about 20 seconds, then add the rest of the vegetable broth. Blend for a 2-3 minutes or until sauce looks creamy and not grainy.

5. Add the cream sauce and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

6. Serve warm and enjoy! Can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Tacos de Hongo with Cilantro Cream Sauce and Cilantro Lime Rice

Original recipe can be found here.


For the Cilantro Lime Rice: - original recipe found here.

1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice
1 clove garlic
3 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. salt
zest of one lime
3 tbsp. lime juice
1 cup lightly packed chopped cilantro, leaves and tender stems

For the Cilantro Cashew Cream Sauce - original recipe found here.

1 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 1/2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
pepper to taste

For the Mushroom Filling:

6 cloves garlic, minced
vegetable stock
30 button mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
2 1/2 tbsp. chili powder (non-spicy)
1 1/2 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. dried minced onion
sea salt
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes) divided
2 1/2 tbsp. natural tomato sauce

For the Tomato Salad:

2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. paprika

For the Guacamole:

2-3 avocados
1 tbsp. lime juice
1/2 cup pineapple salsa
garlic powder
salt and pepper
sprinkle of cumin
garlic if desired

Misc.

corn tortillas
black beans (optional)




Directions:

1. Make Cilantro Rice: Add all ingredients to rice cooker and turn on while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

2. Make cream sauce: Soak raw cashews in water for at least 1 hour, preferable 3 hours. Drain and rinse. Add all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend for 30 to 60 seconds or until smooth and creamy.

3. Saute the garlic in a bit of vegetable broth in a saucepan over medium heat; add the chopped mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms shrink and become chewy. Add the chili, paprika, dried minced onion, sea salt, and a couple tablespoons of fresh lime juice; stir well to combine. Add the tomato sauce and cook, stirring occasionally. Taste and add more tomato and/or spices, if desired.

4. Make the tomato salad: Combine the diced tomatoes, red onions, and cilantro in a bowl and squeeze some fresh lime juice over; season with paprika and salt to taste.

5. Make a quick guacamole: Mash the avocado in a separate bowl and season with the rest of ingredients listed.

6. Assemble the corn tortillas with rice, mushroom filling, tomato salad, guacamole, and cream sauce. You can add black beans if you wish.

Enjoy!

Butternut Black Bean Burgers

We had such a fun weekend! It was College of Idaho's Homecoming yesterday, so we headed over for some beers and Bloody Mary's at the beer garden and of course some football! Warren had a great time too with his grandpa and mummers. He ran around the whole stadium and even stole a football from the opposing team. He is quite the handful!

I have been cooking up a storm and trying weekly meal plans. It can be a lot of prep in the beginning, but it is getting easier and I love the fact that I go to the grocery store just once a week now. Plus, I don't have to ask the dreaded question..."What do you want for dinner tonight?"

I usually pick out 7 meals and it lasts us a full week with leftovers and such. This week my menu consisted of:

3 Bean Chili with Cornbread and Cashew Sour Cream
Engine 2 Vegan Lasagna
Vegan White Lasagna Soup - Recipe coming soon!
Meatballs with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes - Recipe coming soon!
Teriyaki Temphe with Brown Rice and Miso Greenbeans
Plain ol' spaghetti with sauce and veggies- No recipe needed, you just boil pasta, haha


and featured today Butternut Squash Black Bean Burgers


The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:

1 flax egg (I used this recipe found here.)
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 cup butternut squash pureed
1/3 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1.5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, not instant

Toppings:

6 burger buns
tomato slices
Romaine Lettuce
Homemade guac


Directions:

1. Whisk together 1 tbsp. ground flax with 3 tbsp. water and pop in the fridge to set.
2. Next, mash black beans in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Add your butternut squash to the beans and set aside. To prepare squash, cut in half, take out the seeds, and put it face down on a Silpat baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.
4. Next, saute onion, celery, and garlic in vegetable broth until tender and near-translucent, adding the minced garlic towards the end to prevent burning.
5. Season the veggies with your Italian seasoning, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and parsley and stir to coat.
6. Add the freshly sauteed veggies to your beans and squash and stir in your oats.
7. Remove your flax egg from the fridge and add it to the bowl.
8. Stir to fully incorporate and roll mixture into six balls.
9. For optimal burger shape, cup each ball in your hands and squeeze tightly, rotating as you gently, but firmly press it into a disc.
10. Put burgers in a glass baking dish, cover with foil, and refrigerate as you prep the toppings. You can even leave them overnight and bake them the following day.
11. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
12. Put burgers on a Silpat baking sheet for 20 minutes, flipping half way through.
13. Slather buns with guac, tomato, lettuce, whatever you want, and top with a butternut burger.

Enjoy!

Teriyaki Tempeh with Brown Rice and Miso Green Beans

July was quite the busy month! RC had a wrestling camp for a week and while he was away, Warren and I went to hang out with my dad and step mom. We had so much fun. We went to the zoo, water park, and ran around my dads farm full of cows, goats, and of course his favorite, horses! 

This dish is pretty easy to make and sooo delicious! Original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients

1 8 oz organic tempeh

Marinade
3 tbsp vegetable broth
1 tbsp tamari
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

Teriyaki Sauce
4 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp sriracha
1 tsp tahini
1 tsp rice wine or apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp arrowroot powder
1/4 tsp liquid smoke

Optional: sesame seeds and scallions

Directions

1. Cut tempeh into triangles in a steamer basket for 10 minutes.
2. Add all ingredients for marinade into bowl and whisk together.
3. Place tempeh into dish and pour marinade over. Marinate for at least 20 minutes.
4. Place vegetable broth into medium hot pan and sear the tempeh 3-5 minutes on each side until crispy.
5. Mix teriyaki sauce ingredients in large bowl.
6. Once temphe is cooked, add tempeh to teriyaki sauce, covering the tempeh.
7. Take tempeh out of sauce (leaving the extra sauce in the bowl) and add back to pan.
8. Heat tempeh again for about 30 seconds on each side to caramelize the sauce on the tempeh.
9. Turn off heat and pour the remaining sauce over the tempeh in the pan. Leave for about a minute for the rest of the sauce to thicken a bit.
Optional: Serve and top with sesame seeds and scallions.


Miso Green Beans

This is a Margranola original! I heat a pan on medium high with a little vegetable broth and 1-2 tbsp of white miso. Once that heats up, I use a whisk and make sure it's all mixed together. Then I add 1-2 pounds of green beans and put the lid on for 5 minutes. Then stir to see if they need longer. Pretty simple!