Potato Soup

1 to 2 large Potatoes per person, Peeled & Chopped; I like Yukon Golds
Water
1 Medium Onion, Chopped; Optional

Almond Milk
Vegan Butter; I like Smart Balance Light
Salt & Pepper

This is very easy and can be made for any number of people without a real recipe change. Use 1 to 3 large potatoes per person. I like to make extra so I can have left overs.
Place large pot full of water on stove. Bring to boil while You and peeling and chopping the potatoes & onion. Boil the potatoes in water till they are fork tender but not falling apart. Drain.

Put onion in bottom of pot with a small amount of water. Let the onion cook till translucent. Then add potatoes back. Cover the potatoes with Almond milk. Let the almond milk be about 1 to 2 inches above the potatoes so you have enough soup for all potatoes. Let the milk heat up but not boil. Boiling could curdle the milk. Add a couple Tbsp of butter to the soup. About 1 Tbsp for every 2 people. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve with Saltine crackers.

• You could also wilt some kale down into the soup; Potatoes & Kale are always yummy together
  
• Or peas would be really good too
• You could also thicken the Milk w/ a roue of butter & flour or oil & flour and add the peas to have Peas & Potatoes in Gravy. Which is also really good.
  

Smoky Barley & Veggies - 4 ways, Crock Pot, Speedy, Bake, Pie

Crock Pot Smoky Barley & Veg Soup

This is almost basically a "rock" soup. Meaning you just throw in everything you have. This is a basic recipe. You can add or take out any of the veggies or barley. Add A little more paprika if you want a little more flavor. This will fit tight in a 5qt Crock pot.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Oil
6 Carrots, Chopped
4 Celery, Chopped
1 Onion, Chopped
4 Cloves Garlic
3 Potatoes, Chopped
1 Cup Corn, frozen or Canned
3 Cans Beans, Drained (I use Kidney & Black beans)
1 Cans Chopped Tomatoes
6 Cups Veg Broth
2 Bay Leaves
2 Tsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Hot sauce ( add an extra if you like it hot, I use the smoky Tabasco)
3/4 Cup Pearled Barley
Salt & pepper to taste

You could also fold Kale into this soup.

Cook covered.

Heat Crock pot for 15 or 20 minutes. Put oil in bottom of Crock pot. Chop up all veggies and put them in the crock pot with the oil, paprika, corn, garlic, & bay leaves. Mix up well. Then add the drained beans Tomatoes, Veg Broth, & Hot sauce. Let cook on High for 4 to 6 hours. Add the barley 15 minutes before you are getting ready to eat. But even if you leave it cook longer the barley will hold up pretty good. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Quick Stove top Fix

Heat pot on stove. Add oil. Add all veg, garlic, paprika, & bay leaves. Let cook till veggies are tender. like 15 minutes. Add Everything else including the barley. Cook covered. Let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

All Done!

I like to take toasted bread & let it soak up some of the broth. It is very yummy!

Bake/ Pot Pie/ or Shepards Pie
You can also turn this into a cake. Follow instructions as listed above. Except just let veggies start to get tender. Don't let them get totally tender. You can add the barley or not. It you add the barley. Add an extra 3/4 Cup. Let in soak up all the liquid.. Put in oven and cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Check done ness of veggies to know when it can come out. About 10 to 15 minutes before it comes out of the oven add the vegan cheese (such as daiya). Let it melt and slightly brown. Then it is ready.

• You could also cook it like the pot pie below. Have everything done and stick in oven just to melt the cheese. But this won't carmalize the tomatoes and cheese on the sides. And that cruchy top is yummy.

• You could also put biscuits on top to bake.

• Or Mashed Potatoes like a shepards pie! Add a little Boca crumbles or other crumbled vegan meats.

Pot Pie
You could also turn this into a pie. Don't add all the broth & barley if you are going to do this. Only use like 2 to 3 cups broth. Cook till veggies are done. If the broth hasn't cooked down and thickened from the potato starch add some oil & flour mixture. Heat the oil like 20 sec in microwave. For every Tbsp of oil add a tbsp of flour. For every cup of liquid you want to thicken add 1 tbsp each. After this thickens put into pie crust. With a bottom and top crust. And bake till crust is browning.

• If you are topping with crust, bread, or potatoes it is a good idea to take out the barley so that there are not as many carbs in the meal.

I will be back to add some links to some crust & biscuit recipee....

Crock Pot Chili or A Quick Chili

Crock Pot Chili - 5 QT

3- 15oz Cans Chili Beans w/ liquid
2- 15oz Cans Chili Beans w/ liquid
2- 15oz Cans Mixed Beans w/ liquid
6 Carrots, Chopped
4 Stocks Celery, Chopped
2 -28oz cans Chopped Tomatoes (1 w/ liquid & 1 w/o)
2 Simply Organic Mild Chili Packets
1 Tbsp Chili powder
Paprika- Optional to taste

Put all the ingredients in the crock pot and set on High for 4 to 6 hours. Its done as soon as the carrots & celery ate tender & the flavors have combined.


Quick Pot chili

Same ingredients but add 1 onion. and 1/2 a small can or tomato paste.

Place chopped carrots, celery, & onion into pot w/ a small amount of oil. Cook till tender. About 10 minutes. Add Tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes. Then add all the other ingredients. Let cook on stove at a simmer for about 30 min- to 1 hour. Just long enough for the seasoning to grow and share its flavor. Then you are ready to eat!

Chili is even better the 2nd day. The flavors have time to come together some more and the sauce thickens a little more. It is so good!

• You can also add pasta, rice, quinoa, barley, etc.If you do this make sure you don't let it cook for to long after wards.
  
• Kale & other hearty green would be good to wilt in at the end as well.
• You can also turn left overs into pot pie!
• You can also pot ground flax in this recipe for some Omega-3
• Or you could add some Vegetable puree like sweet potato or chuncks of sweet potato to add to the nutrient spectrum.
  

Kale & Potato Enchiladas w/ Chips Plus Potato & kale soup

There are tons of recipes for Potatoes and Kale and I know why.. Because they go so well together.

Kale & Potato Enchilada's
Make sure you buy the book it is Great!

This recipe came from Veganomican..... and it is really good. It takes a little time but it is worth it. This was the first time I have ever had enchiladas so I am sure you figured out that this is the first time I have made them. The mix in Potato and Kale mix was so Yummy and the sauce was a good topper. But It can be kinda messy... But like I said well worth it.

We also made chips out of the rest of the corn tortillas. They were a nice salty & crunchy extra.

Tortilla Corn Chips

Just cut the tortilla
Spray with oil
Sprinkle / salt
Put in the oven at 350F
and bake till browned and crispy.. Between 7 and 15 minutes..

There are also so many different toppings you can add. The possibilities are endless.

Kale & Potato Soup

I loved this recipe from Vegan Vittles. It turned out awesome. It was supper easy and I made it two days in a row when I was sick. It is definitely a comfort food..! I don't know what else to say about this one.. Just TRY IT! You will love it... Buy the book!!!! All the comfort food you could ever want... Plus potatoes and Kale are both super cheap and you can make a ton of it. I think I will have this for dinner today.

Soup, Home Fries, Sage "Butter" & Pasta, & Quick unPot Pie

I have been very busy lately. But I have still been cooking so here is some of our dinners. Sorry It has taken me so long to update. I was staying at a family members house while my Grandfather had surgery. So here are some of the quick easy meals I made while there.

Rock Soup- Which basically means everything but a rock will do.

• 1 to 2 Tbsp Olive oil
• 2 to 3 Medium Potatoes
• 2 to 3 Carrots, Chopped
• 2 ribs Celery, Chopped
• 1 diced Onion
• 1 1/2 Cups Green Beans
• 2 Cans Beans (Great northern, kidney, black beans, garbonzo, etc.)
• 1 1/2 Cups Corn
• Or use a bags of Mixed Frozen or canned veggies - I always just add a bag if I need extra to fill the pot.
• 6 Cups Vegtetable broth or no- chick broth
• 1 or 2 Cubes No- chick Bouillon cube- to taste- not necessary
• 1 to 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 15 oz Can diced or stewed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Chipotle Tabasco sauce
• 3 Cloves Garlic- Fresh or in jar

This soup is really easy. Get a big put. Chop onion ans throw in on medium heat till translucent. Add the Chopped Carrots & Celery and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add chopped potatoes. (remember after you add the potatoes you don't want to over cook them and make them mushy). Let cook 3 minutes and add the paprika, garlic, beans, frozen veggies. Let cook till carrots slightly soften. Add the Broth, tomatoes, and hot sauce. Bring simmer. Take small about of broth out and add the bouillion cube and let it dissolve and add back to pot. You can also add extra cubes & water or broth. Just make sure you don't water the seasoning down to much. Let simmer till potatoes are soft. I like to eat this with toasted bread or buns. They soak up the broth so you can taste it so much more in every bite.

This will also freezes well. Just do not fully cook potatoes. That way when you unfreeze it you can finish cooking it without the potatoes getting mushy.


Home Fries

• 1 1/2 Medium potatoes per person
• Olive oil
• salt
• Paprika or other spices if wanted. (endless options)

Heat oven to 450 F
Bake for about 30 minutes- flip half way through- bake till browned

Cut into wedge. make sure they are dried off good. Coat well in olive oil. Add salt and spice to taste. Play around with these. They can go with so many different meals. And are better for you then those frozen fries that are cooked in oil.

Sage Butter w/ Pasta, Cabbage, Potatoes & Onion

• 1 onion
• 1 head savory cabbage, cord & chopped
• 1 box Rotini whole wheat Pasta
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 4 Sage leafs
• 2 large or 4 medium Potatoes
• 8 tbsp Smart Balance light or other vegan Margerine
• 1 tsp Pepper
• Save 3/4 cup water when cooking the poatoes

Dice onion and cook on medium till translucent. Do not burn or brown oils they will be bitter in this dish. In a separate pot boil chopped potatoes for 3 minutes than add pasta, Cook till almost done about 8 minutes, set aside. Add chopped cabbage to the onions and cook till tender then add the potatoes, let cook for around 5 to 8 minutes. In the pot that the potatoes where in melt down your margarine and add the garlic, bay leaves, pepper, and about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the potato water. Let simmer for 5 minutes then strain while adding it to pasta mixture. Mix thoroughly. Make sure potatoes and pasta finished cooking through. And now your ready to eat!


Quick unPot pie

Ever want the pot pie but don't want to take the time to make it homemade. Well this will give you that pot pie taste with out all the time.

Pot pie mix

• 4 Cups veggie stock or no chick broth -boullion cubes & water will work as well just add an extra cube for more flavor. So Like 5 or 6 Cubes to 4 cups water.
• 1 Bag Frozen or canned veggie mix, the kind with carrots
  
• 1 can or 1 1/2 cups Canned or frozen corn
• 1 can or 1/2 cups Canned or Frozen green beans
• 1 or 2 cans Beans (your choice)
• 1 pack Tempeh ( Can up protein)
• salt & pepper
  
• 6 tbsp Flour
• 6 tbsp oil or Margarine
  

Biscuits from scratch or bisquick is fine too. Follow instruction just use soy milk, make a double batch.

Add stock, all the veggies, beans, & tempeh. Let simmer for 15 minutes. about 3 minutes before the end of the 15 In a separate small pot heat oil and add the flour to it. You are making a roux. Make sure it is not thick. Let cook a 1 or 2 minute to get rid of the floor taste. Add a half cup of your broth from the other put to your roux. Let thicken do this a couple more times till it is not really thick. The add to your veggie mix. Let the broth thicken. Pour on top of biscuits. and you have an unpot pie.. :) Enjoy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

You can also make you rough in a coffee sup. Just mix the flour and oil. Put a little stock in it. then pour into your veggie mix try to make sure the roux does not clump when you pour it in.

• You could also make dumplings directly in with your veggies near the end of cooking. Just don't over cook the dumplings.

• Or use drop biscuits. Preheat oven to desired temp. When the timer has about 7 or 8 minutes left to cook put pot pie mix into a casserole dish. Put drop biscuits on top. Put into oven and follow biscuit instructions.
  

• One last one. Make pie crust chips. Make your pie crust. Cut it into wedges and throw onto cookie sheet. Follow instructions on heat. But watch because they will be done a lot faster then the instruction say. This is a really great option. I love the recipe from Vegan with a vengeance. That pie crust is flacky, buttery, and just yummy!!!