Hooray for Puree! The Shortcut to an Easy Creamy Vegan Soup

One of our favorite go-to dinners in our house is homemade soup. It requires relatively little planning on my part, is easy and quick to throw together (I usually go from nothing prepared to dinner table in about 20-25 minutes), and is a healthy and delicious way to use up all sorts of odds and ends lurking in the fridge or pantry. I've previously swooned about our love for soup, so if you're looking for my footprint for an easy dinner, click here!

Although chunky veggie or bean soups are usually the standard in our house, sometimes I crave a good creamy soup. Usually when people go vegan, they believe they will say sayonara to the velvety goodness of a broccoli or potato soup. I am pleased to say - they are wrong! First, you can always veganize your old recipe by using non-dairy milk (or, my favorite if I'm converting a cream soup recipe, soy cream). If recipe conversion isn't your jam, or you don't want to go to the store for something like soy cream, one quick search on the internet for "vegan creamy soup" should convince you that there are excellent ways to pull together a creamy soup with the same flavor and punch of dairy-based recipe.

While those recipes are delicious, I almost never make them because I believe they usually aren't my brand of cooking (my "brand of cooking" being failure to plan ahead or a general laziness to run to the store). For example, many of these recipes call for soaked cashews. I agree that soaked cashews make an excellent base for cream soups and nut cheeses - heck, when I make vegan quiche, I always use soaked cashews. I also like that you are getting the bonus of nutrients and good fats of nuts. But I almost never have cashews in my house, much less the foresight to soak them; plus, if you are nut-free, cashews won't do you any good, or if you're trying to cut calories, you might be nervous to add nuts.

So how do I get around this problem? Through experimentation, I have found that making a soup that has a starchy vegetable, then pureeing it, gets the exact same flavor and texture of a traditional creamy soup, without this soaking craziness.

Conveniently, most creamy soups are made with starchy vegetables. For example, years ago, I wrote about an easy, creamy butternut squash soup that is perfect for the holidays. The recipe is a perennial favorite, and yet it is has got to be in my top five of easiest fancy things I make for guests - roast some veggies in broth and you're done! You can basically apply the concept of that recipe to any combination of foods you are trying to soup-ify, and you'll probably have good luck.

I put this theory to the test last night. I was on my own for dinner, and I just wanted something comforting, easy, and delicious. Greg is a deep lover of soup, but he's also one of the most freakishly healthy people I know; he never liked animal-based creamy soups, so he doesn't seek out a vegan version. (I know, he's weird, but totally cute, so let's just go along with it.) After digging through my relatively bare pantry and fridge, I realized I had the fixings for a creamy soup for one, so I put my theory to the test and indulged in a delicious, thrown together potato and broccoli soup for one.

I'll show you what I did below, but with two caveats. First, this was enough for one person, though this recipe easily scales; just quadruple or do what you need to do to make this a family dinner. Second, I happened to make mine a potato soup, but I will include little tidbits along the way to let you know how you can take advantage of any veggies you have floating around your house.

First, I heated about 2-3 tsp. of olive oil in a stock pot over medium to medium-high heat, then added a quarter bag of frozen broccoli florets. Of course, if you're making this at home, use whatever frozen or fresh veggies you like.

Since my starchy vegetable of choice was these 5 red potatoes floating around my fridge, I needed to scrub and chop those first and gave the broccoli a head start. Obviously, if you're using a winter squash, you'll need to skin it, seed it, and chop that, too. If you are using something like corn, however, and you're just going to crack open a frozen bag for your  recipe, just throw that right in with the other veggies.

Saute all of your veggies together with your spices. For this iteration, I used about 1 Tablespoon of garlic powder, 1 Tablespoon of dried rosemary, 1-2 tsp. of dried thyme, 1-2 tsp. of dried sage, and about 1/4-1/2 tsp. of salt with some cracks of black pepper. Anyway, saute until the veggies start to pick up some brownish color (about 5-7 minutes). I often find that when I saute starchy vegetables, they stick to the bottom of the pan, even if I use oil. If this happens to you, try and deglaze the pan with a little veggie stock or water; that should do the trick.

After that, add your liquid. I had about 1 cup of vegetable stock on hand and added another 2 cups of water. Boil for about 12-15 minutes, or until your starchy vegetables are soft (as shown above). After that, puree away! I usually use a stick blender, but if you don't have one, then let your soup cool for about 15 minutes and run through batches in the regular blender. You can make the soup as smooth as you like or leave in chunks. I reduced my liquid a bit too far, so when I blended the soup I added about 1/3-1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk, but that was actually to loosen up the soup, not to give it creaminess or flavor; it had plenty of that on its own!

And that's it! I yielded one extremely filling, extremely satisfying bowl of potato soup. You can always mix in some nutritional yeast if you want some cheesiness, but personally, I thought this was delicious as it was.
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Easy (and Very Free-Form) Creamy Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
Oil
Your starchy vegetable of choice (potatoes, winter squash, corn, etc.)
Other vegetables (think of what goes well with your starchy vegetable! Potatoes and broccoli are an easy match; corn works well with bell peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini; I chop in greens and even apples with my squash; onions and garlic taste delicious in everything)
Spices (same idea - potato matches well with rosemary/thyme/sage or even just an herbes de provence mix; corn works well with cumin/chili powder/cayenne pepper, or you can add some liquid smoke; butternut squash is delicious with curry or a little cinnamon)
Salt and pepper
Cooking liquid (I would use at least some vegetable stock for flavor, but water can get you the rest of the way)
Unsweetened non-dairy milk (optional, and only if you accidentally over-reduce your soup)

Method:
1) Heat oil in a stock pot over medium or medium-high heat. I usually start with about a Tablespoon; if you are cooking for a crowd, you might add a touch more, or be prepared to add some cooking liquid to deglaze the plan if veggies start to stick.
2) Saute veggies with spices, salt, and pepper until veggies start to brown (about 5-7 minutes). Deglaze the pan or add oil as necessary if there's sticking.
3) Add cooking liquid to just cover the veggies.
4) Bring to a boil and cook until the starchy vegetable is soft - about 12-15 minutes (though corn will probably only need ten minutes).
5) Blend together using a stick blender, or cool down soup for 15 minutes and run soup through a blender. If the mixture is too thick, loosen it up by adding small amounts of non-dairy milk (about 1/3 cup at a time) until the consistency is as desired.

Enjoy!

The Farmers' Market Love Affair Continues

I've talked about how farmers' markets are to me what shoes are to Carrie Bradshaw: it's fundamentally an intense love affair and a scary proposition all at the same time.

I've taken the love a step further; my friend Katie introduced Greg and me to Newleaf Grocery in Rogers Park, and it is now officially all over. Newleaf delivers weekly, organic produce boxes that include almost entirely local produce with some an additional surprises thrown in. For example, I was thrilled to see mangoes this week; I popped it in the blender with the raw ice cream recipe, and a wonderful concoction was born - and devoured. Even better - Newleaf delivers year round, which means my madness can continue well into the winter months. Oh happy day!

Of course, adding Newleaf into my farmers' market mix means that I am really setting myself up for produce overpurchasing. Don't get me wrong; the boxes from Newleaf are plentiful and a great deal, especially considering the contents. Unfortunately, because I have no willpower when it comes to fruits and veggies, each time I walk past any kind of farmers' stand (which are all over Chicago now), I end up taking something home.

I've talked before about herding those veggies together and making soup, but sometimes I want to change it up a bit. Greg loves stir fries; I think they're fine, but I don't necessarily seek them out. Thank you Shape magazine for featuring a recipe for Indian Vegetarian Curried Fried Rice. It gave me the best idea for putting together a base recipe to help me clean out some vegetables - and some grains, too! Yes, sometimes I have a variety of leftover grains lurking around my house, from rice to quinoa to millet, and this stir fry is a great way to make those disappear as well. Depending on the grain you pick, you can also make this dish gluten free as well.

Finally, if all of my talking about farmers' markets leaves you wanting more local fresh produce, but you don't know where to turn, check out Local Harvest. It's a tremendous resource for finding anything you could possibly want, from stands to CSAs.

Clean Out the Pantry Stir Fry (adapted from Shape magazine)
Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:
Grain of your choice (be creative, or just clean out what you have! Our favorite is quinoa)
Vegetable oil (use something with a higher burn temperature, like vegetable, canola, or grapeseed) or spray
Onion, diced, if you're using it
1 tsp. powdered ginger (or 1 Tbsp. minced fresh, if you have it)
1 1/2 -3 cups vegetables (favorites include garlic, green beans, carrots, celery, peppers, corn, broccoli, but seriously anything would work)
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 -2 c. beans (take your pick; I usually use ones I'm cleaning out of the fridge. I've used chickpeas, black beans, red beans, and pinto beans)
1 - 1 1/2 c. tomatoes, if you're using them (fresh, sliced, or canned; even crushed works)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
A couple cracks of black pepper

1) Prepare grain according to package directions. When you are within 10 minutes of finishing the grain, start the stir fry in a separate pan or wok.
2) Heat oil or spray in pan; add onion, if using it, and ginger. Stir fry for about 30 seconds; add your vegetable mix. Stir fry for about 2-3 minutes, until vegetables are crisp tender but cooked.
3) Add in curry powder; cook with other ingredients for about 10 seconds.
4) Add beans and tomatoes; cook for 2-3 minutes, or until all liquid is reduced (whichever happens second).
5) Mix in soy sauce and pepper; cook for one minute.
6) Serve over grain.

Ask Veg Baker, J.D.: Why Does Making Eggplant Scare the Pants Off of Me?

Okay, perhaps my title is a little goofy, but it's supposed to cut to the chase about a series of questions and misconceptions that people tend to have about eggplant. So, I thought I would just systematically attack the myths and fearmongering that accompany eggplant prep so everyone will be more likely to enjoy this wonderful farmers' market staple.

Question One: How do I pick a good eggplant?

As with most produce, knowing how to select the proper eggplant can really make or break your cooking experience. This isn't meant to be scary, though; picking a good eggplant is actually quite easy to do. It simply requires that you ignore marketing and confidently follow the proper steps to picking the right one.

I feel that most people gravitate towards the largest, most purple-y eggplant they can find, because whenever they see pictures of this pretty bulbous beast, that's what it looks like. Resist my friends - these eggplants actually tend to taste the worst. The bigger an eggplant, the more likely it is to be bitter. Instead, I recommend you buy smaller (or several smaller, depending on your cooking agenda) eggplant instead; it is far less likely to be bitter or brown inside.

You also want an eggplant that is firm to the touch and that has smooth, non-blemished skin. If it feels even the slightest bit soft when you touch it, put it back. Yes, I realize most eggplant at the grocery store feels soft to the touch. That doesn't mean you should buy it! Eggplant has a very short shelf life, so if you can find it fresher, like at a farmers' market or your local CSA, I'd go that route. Also, don't buy an eggplant unless you are going to make it that night or no later than the next day. Yes, they really do go south that quickly.

Finally, don't let the color throw you too much. There are many different varieties of eggplant that all taste great but that are different colors. I just made eggplant last night that was purple and white speckled, and it was fantastic. Just follow common sense - does the color look like it could just be a different variety of eggplant? Then grab it. Is it brown and moldy and gross looking? Then keep walking. Trust me, this is very easy to do in practice.

Question Two: Do I need to salt my eggplant, or, how do I get rid of the bitterness of an eggplant?

This question is actually more controversial than you might think. Intellectual minds differ on whether salting is required.

For those who have no clue what I'm talking about, salting an eggplant is thought to pull the bitterness out of an eggplant. You cut the eggplant into slices, sprinkle salt on the pieces, and lay them in a sieve for 30 minutes. Rinse, and you've got workable eggplant.

The short answer: salting will never hurt an eggplant, so if you're nervous about it or treat salting as a security blanket, go nuts. Personally, I never salt, for a number of reasons. First, I'm lazy. Second, as addressed in Question One, if you buy a fresh, smaller eggplant, bitterness is likely not an issue. Third, a lot of the bitterness of an eggplant is actually in the outer skin. As a result, I tend to just slice off the skin and cook the goodness that is inside.

So short answer: there is no real wrong answer. If you follow the basic steps in selecting an eggplant, salting is likely not necessary, but it will never wreck your final product.

Question Three: Why bother with eggplant if there is no nutritional value?

Sigh. This stereotype is perpetuated by eggplant haters, and I'll never understand it. It is true that, in the scheme of fruits and vegetables, eggplant is probably the most nutritionally lacking, in the literal sense - it's pretty much just water. That said, that doesn't mean that eating eggplant is like eating donuts or something. Quite the opposite; it barely has any calories and I believe it is really high in one of the vitamins...I just can't recall which one. Maybe A? Regardless, worst case scenario, eating eggplant is like drinking a glass of water, so don't let it throw you.

It's this nature of eggplant that makes it so popular and a favorite of mine, frankly. I feel like it is the tofu of the vegetable world; you can prepare it pretty much anyway you like and it will take on the fabulous flavors of whatever you mix with it. This provides an almost zero calorie way to bulk up your meals to fill you up without adding anything horrible.

In fairness, this sponge-like quality of eggplant means that it also has a tendency to absorb a lot of oil, too. Although delicious, that could quickly convert eggplant into a high fat food, so be careful. I tend to head this off at the pass by using spray if I saute eggplant, or I broil or grill it instead.

Question Four: Why is preparing eggplant so complicated?

Making eggplant in and of itself isn't complicated. Like most any other food, it is as easy or hard to cook as you make it. I think when most people think of eggplant, they think of eggplant parmesan. Don't mistake me, I love eggplant parmesan. Greg and I had it served at our wedding! That said, I never make it at home. I find that it is very expensive and labor intensive to do, and I just don't think mine tastes as good as the wonderful dish the fine people at Maggiano's prepared for our reception. In fact, eggplant parmesan is one of those rare dishes that, if I want to serve it, I have it catered - it's just better taste-wise and more cost effective.

Eggplant parm isn't the only way to make eggplant, though. There are a number of ways to make it, including cutting it into slices and grilling it or broiling it, frying it or sauteing it on the stovetop, adding it to a stew or Moroccan tangine, or tossing it in a stir-fry.

The recipe that follows is one of my new favorite ways to make eggplant; it is so easy and quick to do, you can't mess it up. I wouldn't recommend eating the final product of the eggplant from this recipe. It will, frankly, be kind of bland. Rather, I use this method to prep the eggplant for use in another dinner recipe, like adding it to a sauce or a curry, or even just cooking it up with other vegetables to go over rice, or to spice it up and put it in a salad. The point is: this recipe is a great first step to help you get the eggplant ready so you can feel free to be creative with eggplant in other recipes while knowing that you have properly cooked the eggplant in the first place. Enjoy!

Versatile Steamed Eggplant (adapted from The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet)
Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced
Approx. one pound of eggplant, skin removed, cut into matchsticks
Salt and pepper

1) Combine onion and 1/4 c. water in a wok or deeper pan on high heat; reduce to simmer, cover, and steam for 3 minutes.
2) Mix in eggplant with another 1/2 c. water. Cover and steam, stirring every 90 seconds or so, until the eggplant is tender but not mushy or falling apart. This could take anywhere from 5-8 minutes. If there is any extra water in the wok, drain through a sieve and reserve onion and eggplants.
3) Sprinkle scant amounts of salt and pepper. It's ready to move on to its recipe du jour!

Note: The onions are also quite tasty in this, so I tend to keep the eggplant and onions together and omit or reduce any onions that might be in the final dish.