Detoxing Celery Soup

I'm not crazy about celery, I mean.. is anyone really? But a few weeks ago Erica gave me a bite of soup without telling me what it was and my first words were 'Oh my god that's good. Wait, is this celery?". Celery is one of those super foods with a ton of health benefits, which you can read about here. I try and do my best to keep a variety of veggies in my diet, but I must admit I don't eat all that much celery. When I get a head of it in my local co-op basket I accept that one or two stalks will be used and the rest will probably go to waste. Not anymore it won't. Eating clean doesn't have to be lackluster. This soup was quick to make and my body truly felt grateful after eating it.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped roughly
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 head of celery, cleaned & chopped roughly
1 large russet potato, chopped into small cubes
4 cups vegetable stock (I prefer Better Than Bouillon vegetable base found at Whole Foods)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional: Baguette, sliced and drizzled with olive oil before toasting to perfection


In a stock pot heat the olive oil and add the onion, cook until translucent. Toss in the garlic and cook another minute, until fragrant. Add in the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer for 20 minutes. Allow the soup to cool slightly before transferring to a blender to puree until smooth. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Reheat on the stove top before serving. Serve with the toasted baguette slices if using.

Serves 4

Recipe from Goodness Green

Mushroom Stout Pie with Potato Biscuits

I'm just going to go flat out and say it, although I adore everything the queen of vegan cooking, Isa Chandra, stands for, I don't always adore her recipes. I find them to be very hit or miss. But she is pioneering her way into bookstores with her top selling cook books like Vegan with a Vengeance, Veganomicon, and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World- just to name a few. I've been wanting to make this recipe of hers for a while, and a year later- phew- I did it! Honestly, this isn't hard to make, but the thought of schlepping to Total Wine to find a non-Guinness stout was enough to keep me away. I'll totally be making this one again, it is the perfect dish for cold winter weather (not that I can expect much of that down South).

For the stew: 
1 oz dried porcini or mix blend mushrooms
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 teaspoons dried thyme
5 carrots (about 1/2 pound), peeled, sliced into thin half moons
1 1/4 cups stout beer (Caution: many stouts are not vegan friendly, like Guinness,  click here for a list of stouts and their vegan friendly status)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 15 oz BPA-free cans of kidney beans, rinsed and drained

For the biscuits:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup leftover mashed potatoes (refer to bottom for instructions on what to do if you don't have leftover mashed potatoes)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cold water

Make the stew:
Tear the dried mushrooms into bite sized pieces if they aren't already that size. Stick the mushrooms in a large bowl. Boil the vegetable broth, then pour the hot broth over the dried mushrooms and cover with a plate or lid to keep it hot. This step is crucial for re-hydrating the mushrooms. Meanwhile, prep (all the dicing and mincing and such) everything you need for the recipe.

In a stock pot saute the onions in some oil over medium heat until translucent, 4-7 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add in the sliced fresh mushrooms, celery, thyme, rosmary, and saute for 5 more minutes, until the mushrooms release their liquids and they start to brown a little. Add in the carrots, stout, tomato paste, black pepper, and salt- boil for three minutes. Add in the dried mushrooms along with the broth they've been re-hydrating in. Cover and bring to a full boil for about five minutes, this will finish cooking the dried mushrooms. Careful not to burn the bottom of the stew, stir on occasion.

Now that the dried mushrooms are soft, in a measuring cup combine the flour with one cup of cold water and whisk with a fork until it is clump-free. Turn the heat down to medium and slowly add in water/flour mixture into the pot, mixing as your pour it in. Allow to thicken for five minutes before adding the kidney beans and removing from heat.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. 

Make the biscuits:
In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl mix together the mashed potatoes, olive oil and water. It should be very liquidy and mushy. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the potato mixture. Mix with a fork until a stiff dough starts to form, then turn the dough on to a cleaned counter and knead a few times to smooth out. I flattened my dough out to about 3/4 of an inch thick, next time I would make it thicker (maybe to 1.5 inches) since it didn't rise as much as I expected it to. Cut the dough into pieces, mine are sloppy, large, and awkwardly shaped, you can probably do a better job than I did...

Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick spray. Pour the prepared stew into the casserole dish and line the top with the biscuits you just made. Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned on top, let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

*If you don't have leftover mashed potatoes: don't panic! Isa says: "to make about the cup called for here, microwave a russet potato, and mash with 1/4 cup unsweetened vegan milk, 2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt. Let cool, then measure and use!"

Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash Pasta

It's hard to find a good vegan (which happens to also be gluten free) meatball substitute, most of them are full of soy or fillers, and are lackluster at best. This one is spiced with Italian seasonings, textured with nuts (which can be replaced with seeds if you're nut-free), hearty from the beans, and overall awesome. Not to mention super easy to make- always a good sign!

  
1 large spaghetti squash, halved (you can have your local grocery store do this for you if you ask)
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped (substitute with sunflower seeds if you're nut-free)
3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped 
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped 
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (about 2 large) 
3 large garlic cloves, minced 
1 (15-ounce) BPA free can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 
1 tablespoons chia seeds + 3 tbsp water, mixed 
1/2 tablespoon olive oil 
1 teaspoon dried oregano 
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste 
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Marinara sauce 
Vegan Parmesan (optional: equal parts of walnuts and nutritional yeast)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Remove the seeds from the squash, then place the halves flesh-down on a cookie sheet and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool before scraping the flesh out with a fork.

While your squash is baking, place your walnut pieces in a small baking dish and toast them in the oven for 9 minutes.

In a food processor add the oats and process until they resemble a coarse flour. Pour the oat flour into a large mixing bowl and add the shredded carrot, chopped parsley and basil, sun-dried tomato, garlic, and walnuts- stir to combine. Add the kidney beans to the food processor and pulse it a few times, you don't want the beans to turn into a puree, texture is good! Add the bean mixture into the bowl with the vegetable oat mixture and stir to combine. In a small bowl add the chia seeds and water, let sit for 15 seconds, then add to the bowl and mix to incorporate. Lastly, stir in the olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, stir to make sure all ingredients are well combined. 

Shape the mixture into small balls, then place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully flip and bake for another 15, remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. 

Toss the cooled spaghetti squash in some heated up marinara sauce and serve with the 'meatballs'.

If you're feeling extra festive you can sprinkle this with a little vegan Parmesan cheese. Take equal parts of walnuts and nutritional yeast and pulse in the food processor until crumbly.

Recipe adapted from Oh She Glows