Easy Improved cream of mushroom soup II

Cream of mushroom is generally pretty mediocre from a can, but it's a good base to make a great soup from.

In a large pot, saute 1 medium onion, sliced thinly, with a variety of mushrooms (I use portobello and white) sliced thin. When the onions are translucent, turn the heat down and add the condensed soup + 1 can of water or milk. Whisk the onions, mushrooms and soup until fully blended. Add 1/2 package frozen cauliflower and 1/2 package frozen broccoli. Keep heat at medium, cover until soup is bubbling. When soup is bubbling gently, season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve, garnishing with cheddar if desired.

Broccoli soup inspired by Colleen!

This soup was originally made without the onions, beans and sour cream by my friend Colleen. I love cream soups, and here is a lovely way to do one without dying from all the heavy fats. Minus the sour cream and queso fresco, this is vegan (and mozzarella vegan-rella would go really well with the soup too).

Get a large soup pot with a cover ready with a steamer in the bottom and about 1/2" of water in the bottom of the pot. Cut up 1.5 large or 2 medium heads of broccoli and steam until tender but crisp (or use a bag of frozen). Blend in blender (2-3 batches) with (plain) soy milk (enough to cover) and some sliced almonds then return to the soup pot. Thinly slice a small onion and peel 2-3 garlic cloves. Add 1 C cooked great northern beans to a pan and heat up. Add the onion, garlic and almonds and gently saute until the onion is transparent. Blend in batches with soy milk if necessary and add to the soup pot. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a lot of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste. Simmer until thick and slightly reduced. Garnish with sour cream and queso fresco (or mozzarella).

4/21/09: Udon with broccoli, tofu and shiitakes

Basic recipe is from the New York Times: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F05E4D81730F935A35751C0A96F9C8B63

Get a large pot on water boiling, and chop a head of broccoli (about a pound) into florets. Cut a half pound of firm (or dry) tofu into squares, bite sized. Cut your shiitakes (~6oz, but if you're low on shiitakes, cut up some creminis to add) into slices. Now would also be a good time to get out your sambal or red chiles, peel a couple garlic cloves, grab some ginger root and a grater and make sure you've got your udon (or soba) noodles ready to go, with a couple big bowls for putting stuff into.

First, the broccoli - blanch for a minute in the boiling water and remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl, but keep the water hot as you'll need it for the udon.

Get a deep saucepan heating on high with about a tbsp of oil (I like peanut) in it. Once the oil is hot, saute the shiitakes for a few minutes until they begin to soften and look translucent. Turn the heat down to medium, add 4-6 chopped scallions, about a tsp of sambal (chile and garlic paste), some grated ginger (about a tablespoon, and I freeze the ginger beforehand so it's super easy to grate) and a couple crushed garlic cloves. Saute until fragrant and add to the broccoli bowl. Udon takes about ~12 minutes to cook (soba takes 8), so add it to the boiling water now.

Keep the temp hot on the pan and add the tofu. A little sesame oil or soy sauce would go well here, and stir fry the tofu until it is lightly browned, then add all the mushrooms and broccoli back into the pan. Grab some stock, or stock concentrate and dissolve about a tsp into a cup of water and add to the pan with mushrooms and broccoli. Let simmer on medium low while the udon is cooking.

When the udon is done, drain the noodles and put into a big bowl. Pour the broccoli/mushroom/tofu mix on the noodles, toss a bit and enjoy.

4/16/09: Fast lunch, leftover pilaf with vegetables

I had some of that pilaf I made the other day left over, and wanted to turn it into a lunch.

Cut up 1/4 lb of hard tofu into chunks (squares, triangles...) and toss into a hot pan with some sesame oil. Chop maybe 1/3 of a head of broccoli and a few shiitake mushrooms (or other good mushrooms) and add to the pan once the tofu has begun to brown. Cover for a couple minutes to allow the broccoli to steam and soften slightly, then uncover and splash with soy sauce (maybe 1-2 tbsp) and turn heat off. Allow to cool, and add to rice. This is a dish that can be elaborated on immensely, but when you need to leave for work and want to bring in lunch, this gets you food in under 10 minutes. If you've got extra time, consider adding a bit of ginger, some green onions at the end or some nuts to garnish. You can also do the tofu and vegetables separately, and dress the tofu with soy sauce and sprinkle with nutritional yeast, which is just delicious.