World Wide Vegan

I'm experiencing a computer glitch so the photo will appear later on.

I love a good Broccoli soup with or without veggie-cheese. I have been ill with bronchitis for a month-and-a-half now and soup has been the only thing that hits the spot. Since I have limited energy the soups I make have to be fast and easy as well as healthy and filling. This recipe fits the bill. Sometimes I cream the soup with an immersion blender and often I add grated veggie-cheese. Any way it comes it is a pallet pleaser.

This recipe also freezes and reheats well, unlike some fancier cream-style soups. Top with croutons and serve with wilted greens with vinaigrette dressing and you have the perfect winter supper.

2 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine
1/4 cup celery, finely diced
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. Natural Yeast Flakes (or 1 to 2 tsp. instant faux-chicken broth powder)
Black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
4 cups plain, unsweetened soy milk

Steam broccoli florets in a zip-top steamer bag in microwave for 4 minutes or according to instructions on steamer bag.

In a soup pot, melt the margarine over medium heat being careful not to brown it.
Then add the celery and onion and saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Stirring, sprinkle the flour over the sauce and stir until absorbed into margarine, it will become slightly thick. Stir in the soy milk. Then add the bay leaf, natural yeast flakes, pepper, salt and Worcestershire sauce. Cook and stir until thickened. Simmer for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to mature.

Remove the bay leaf. Serve

Option #1 - If you want "creamed" soup you can blend the soup with an immersion blender right in the soup pot until vegetables are well blended.

Option #2 - If you would like broccoli cheese soup add 8 ounces grated veggie cheese to sauce after removing bay leaf. Stir to melt cheese.

Option #3This option is popular in the UK. I don't particularly like the taste that adding Worcestershire sauce adds but I know people who just love the spice blend in this soup. Just add 1 Tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce (I use Annie's Natural)to the cream sauce after adding broccoli.

Labels: black bean soup, broccoli, creamed, easy, fast, healthy, vegan vegetarian

So, I decided I wanted to try cooking with a solar oven. I thought, "why am I heating up my kitchen cooking when I could be using free energy from the sun to cook outside? First I spent several hours researching differing styles of solar ovens and then I went to my husband and asked him to make a prototype. Like me, he loves a challenge and so we set out to make our first solar oven. It was great fun.

We decided to make a sloped-top box oven out of cardboard and aluminum foil. We painted the bottom black to retain the heat and fixed a polycarbonate lid to keep in the heat. Although it cooked just fine at an average temperature of about 220 degrees I would like to have an oven that is a little hotter, so we are redoing our initial design - something smaller and double insulated.


Solar ovens are ideal for vegan cuisine. Because there are no animal products in our foods, slow cooking is both healthy and doable. The first day I made some vegan baked beans with veggie bacon, onions and BBQ sauce. They turned out great - hot and steamy.

The following day I decided to make a simple stew with veggie beef strips, potatoes etc. What I loved about the results was the way the potatoes and other vegetables retained their fresh original colors.



This weekend we are going to make our second prototype and I hope to bake cornbread in a can and black beans. My kitchen will remain cool, I will have reduced my carbon footprint by using less electricity and I still get a great meal - vegan style. Can it get any better than that?

Labels: baked beans, solar oven, stew, vegan vegetarian

I've only recently discovered Forbidden Rice and with the Beijing Olympics just around the corner I thought it would be fun to post a recipe for this sweet and nutty salad.

A few months ago I bought my first bag of forbidden rice on a whim. I had no idea what I was going to make with it but I was intensely curious about my new find. Because I live in the country I often have to create recipes with what I have on hand, and so it was when I first attempted to create a dish with this beautiful and nutritious Chinese delicacy. The salad came out so good that I can only conclude that this rice is so delicious that it is difficult to mess it up.

1 1/2 cups forbidden rice (cook according to package directions)
1/2 yellow or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green onion sliced thinly
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup canola oil
1 Tablespoon rice syrup (or raw sugar)
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon wine vinegar
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

While rice is cooking make dressing by combining oil, rice syrup, vinegars, ginger, salt and pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.

When rice is done rinse it with cool water. Place it in a salad bowl. Add bell pepper, onion, pineapple and dressing. Mix together to blend. Chill for at least 1 hour. Add almonds just before serving.

4 servings

Labels: black, Chinese, forbidden rice, salad, Side dish, vegan vegetarian

Well as summer is winding down so is my garden. Carrots however are still growing in pretty well and I want to use them up before too long. I still have fresh ginger left over from making tempeh and garden vegetables a couple of weeks ago so I decided to make this fabulous carrot soup with fresh ginger and apples. It has been so long since I made this recipe that I nearly forgot how much I love it.

I originally got my recipe from Whole Foods Market in Las Vegas, Nevada but I'm not sure if they still give out recipes there so I thought I'd post it here for you.

Fresh Carrot and Ginger Soup

1 pound carrots, cut in 1-inch pieces
1/2 pound parsnips, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 pound Braeburn or Fuji apples, cut in 1-inch pieces
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 quart vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger, more to taste
sea salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste

Put chopped carrots, parsnips, apples, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl and toss to coat chunks with oil.

Pour coated chunks into a large baking pan in single layer. Roast at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until the chunks are soft and slightly browned. Pour cooked chunks into a large saucepan. Add water and broth. Bring to a near boil on medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Add ginger and continue to cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Using an immersion blender blend until smooth. Add more salt and or pepper to taste. Top with garlic-ginger won-ton chips if desired.

Serve with fruit salad and French bread for a complete meal.

Labels: apples, black bean soup, carrot, ginger, vegan vegetarian