Better Than Panera Vegan Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

I love black bean soup!  Today I took a break from making super cute heart-shaped memory matching games to whip up a double batch of my Better Than Panera Vegan Black Bean Soup.  With the addition of pumpkin, it really is the best black bean soup recipe ever.  And, it's gluten-free!  This soup is in our regular dinner rotation, we like it THAT much.

The cutie pie heart memory matching games I have been working on today can be found in my Ivy Lane Designs Etsy shop:  HERE.

BETTER THAN PANERA VEGAN BLACK BEAN SOUP

Printer-Friendly Recipe

INGREDIENTS

3 - 15 1/2 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 - 15 1/2 ounce can drained canned tomatoes
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
4 garlic cloves minced (Tip:  I use the stuff in the jar)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 stick (2 tablespoons) Earth Balance butter
4 cups vegetable broth
1 - 16-ounce can pumpkin pureé (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup dry Sherry

DIRECTIONS 

Using a food processor, coarsely pureé black beans and tomatoes.  In a large pot, cook onion, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper in Earth balance butter over medium-high heat, stirring until onion is softened and beginning to brown.  Stir in bean pureé.  Stir in veggie broth, pumpkin and Sherry until combined and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.
 
Taste.  Season soup with salt and pepper.  Taste again.  Serve with a dollop of Tofutti sour cream and crusty bread.

This is even better the second day.  I plan to make a big pot to take to a Lenten supper at our church.

Enjoy!

~Merrill ❤

Vegan Roasted Eggplant and Chickpea Soup

I made the yummiest soup for dinner, and could not wait another day to share the recipe with you.  My beloved described it as "KILLER!"  I know that eggplant soup sounds weird, but it truly was delicious.  

This morning I visited the Cluster to plan the menu for the next Community Meal.  If you are new to the blog, I cook for the homeless.  While there, I trash-picked an eggplant that I used to make this killer soup.  Okay, it was in a box headed to the dumpster so it wasn't technically in the trash - yet.  

Watching the documentary "Dive!" (Netflix) made us think about food waste.  The filmmaker and his friends dumpster dive in the back alleys and dumpsters of supermarkets in Los Angeles.  In the process, they salvage thousands of dollars worth of edible food.  Great guerrilla journalism.  You should watch it.

You can find more meatless recipes HERE.

Without further ado, Roasted Eggplant and Chickpea Soup.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

 INGREDIENTS 

• 1 large eggplant (about 2 pounds total), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 
• 1 medium onion, diced medium 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (I used the minced garlic in a jar from Costco) 
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• Kosher salt and ground pepper 
• 1 can (15-ish ounces) chickpeas, rinsed, drained and patted dry 
• 4 cups vegetable broth (I use the stuff in a carton)
• Oregano (I didn't measure - sorry - but I would guess that I used 1 tablespoon)
• 1 lime (or lemon), juiced (I had a lime, but a lemon would be just as tasty)
• Dairy-free sour cream (Tofutti is FABULOUS!)

DIRECTIONS 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together eggplant, onion, garlic and 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a foil-lined cookie sheet, leaving a wide strip of empty space at one end. In the same bowl, toss chickpeas with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Transfer to empty space on cookie sheet. Roast until eggplant is golden and cooked through and chickpeas are slightly crunchy, about 40 minutes. 

Set chickpeas aside. Add eggplant, onion, broth and oregano to a medium pot. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high. With a potato masher or back of a wooden spoon, mash about 3/4 of the eggplant until soup is thick and chunky. Stir in chickpeas - TASTE - then season with salt and pepper. Add juice from one lime (or lemon).  To serve, top with a healthy dollop of dairy-free sour cream.  YUM! 

Serving suggestion:  Serve with crusty bread.  We like the green olive bread topped with fresh rosemary and salt from Costco.  

Enjoy!

~Merrill ♥ 
 

36 Diet Cookbooks: Lose Weight and Feel Great!

I love cookbooks!  Healthy vegan cooking is my latest interest, ever since my beloved jumped feet first into a plant-based diet.  He's now lost 40 lbs. without even trying!  Rather than take my chances and buy cookbooks that I may never use, I audition them, thanks to my local library.  Test drive before you buy.

Click on the titles listed below for a description of each cookbook.  Our library allows us to reserve books online for free, which is one of the best deals around!

Stack #1:

• The Kind Diet 
• You Won't Believe It's Vegan
• This Crazy Vegan Life
• Blissful Bites 
• The 30 Minute Vegan
• Vegan Indian Cooking 
• New Vegetarian Cooking
• Vegan Cooking for Carnivores (this is the first book from those auditioned that I bought.  It's written by Ellen's personal chef.  Other than it being a little light on the spices, everything I have made has been delicious).  
  

Stack #2:

• Vegan Holiday Kitchen
• Short-Cut Vegan
• Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons
• The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East 
• The Vegan Table 
• Simple Vegan 
• The Inspired Vegan

Stack #3:

• The Accidental Vegan
• Refresh 
• Vegan Family Meals 
• Sweet Vegan 
• Babycakes Covers the Classics 
• How it All Vegan 
• Quick and Easy Vegan Bake Sale 
• Appetite for Reduction 
• The Sexy Vegan Cookbook (This is my daughter's favorite of the bunch.  She made the pumpkin roll, which is to die for!)
• Vegan Soul Kitchen 
• Vegan Lunch Box

Stack #4:

• 125 Best Vegan Recipes 
• The Vegan Family Cookbook 
• The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet 
• Main Street Vegan 
• Let Them Eat Vegan 
• Sweet & Easy Vegan 
• Speed Vegan 
• Gluten-Free Vegan Comfort Food 
• Great Chefs Cook Vegan

Here's to healthy cooking and eating!

~Merrill ♥    

Creativity: Chicken Soup *Muffins* and SMASH!

I am a little sad because the guy with the caterpillar eyebrows left Debra Messing last night on SMASH.  Granted, she should never have had an affair (or affairs, as the case may be) with Joe DiMaggio.  I do hope they reconcile.  So, chicken soup to lift my après SMASH spirits is in order.   

Earlier this week, I roasted the moistest chicken ever (learn the secret HERE).  My beloved used part of the leftovers to make chicken soup because he knows it's one of my favorite lunches.  There was such a big pot that I decided to freeze some for later enjoyment.

CHICKEN SOUP *MUFFINS*

This is the easiest thing ever!  You'll need:  homemade soup, a silicone muffin pan (I chose cheery hearts), a cookie sheet and a ladle or large spoon.  Oh, and a freezer.  That is it! 

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Place silicone muffin pan on cookie sheet.  If you try to do this later in the process, soup will undoubtedly slosh all over your counter.  Nobody wants to clean up sloshed soup. 


2.  Ladle soup into muffin pan.


3.  Carefully place cookie sheet with filled muffin pan on level shelf in freezer and wait.  Whistle while you wait (or, is it work?) if you like, but I typically craft nifty gifites (HERE) while I wait.  Note to self:  Learn to whistle.


4.  Once frozen solid, remove *muffins* and place them in freezer zippered bag.  


5.  Freeze for later use.  When you have a hankering for homemade soup (Alton Brown recommends avoiding canned soups at at all times.  Read about it HERE), pop a frozen soup *muffin* or two into a bowl or mug and microwave, stirring every so often.  Easy and good.  Enjoy!

Now that I have my bowl of comforting soup, back to SMASH.  I stumbled upon the awesome TV series while cruising the OnDemand offerings.  I watched one episode, then another, then had a SMASH marathon and am now completely hooked!  It's wonderful!  It's all about the development of a Broadway show centering around the life of Marilyn Monroe.  There is much more drama behind the scenes than on stage.  

Katherine McPhee (from American Idol fame) and Angelica Huston are my favorites, so far.  Katherine has a beautiful voice.  Really.  If you haven't heard her sing, you must.  Angelica Huston is a gifted actress (and, I really hope she gets together with the dreamy bartender).  I am trying to decide if Derek, who plays the director, is scrumptious in real life or if it's just his British accent that makes me look twice.  Click HERE to learn more about the show.  It airs Mondays at 10:00 pm on NBC.  And, the soundtrack is coming out May 1.  Mother's Day gift, perhaps? 

Make soup.  Eat soup.  Freeze soup.  Eat more soup.  Love life.  Watch SMASH. ♥

 ~Merrill ♥