Therapy

Thankfully the weather is improving.  This has been a horribly long winter.  And though today was gloomy and rainy, spring is in the air.  The birds were out and about, things are looking a bit greener, and my daffodils are poking their little heads through the ground.  I could smell the change in the air!

And when I'm home on a Saturday, and I want a pick-me--up, I cook.  Today was no exception.

I started off making potato soup.  It was  kind of late anniversary celebration as last week was our 42nd wedding anniversary and potato soup is the first thing I ever cooked for us as a married couple.  Mike requested it this morning.  I've posted my mom's potato soup previously and it's VERY good.  I almost always use her recipe when I make potato soup. But today, I wanted a little healthier rendition.  How to get the thick, creamy quality of mom's soup without all the flour and milk and butter?  Then it dawned on me.  If you can thicken gravy (vegetarian that is) with white beans, why couldn't you thicken potato soup with potatoes?  Here's how it goes:

My Mom's Potato Soup with a Twist

• Good olive oil
• Potatoes cubed (as many as you want).  I used six large potatoes.
• onion (about 3/4 cup) minced
• water or vegetable broth to cover
• milk of your choice (I used soy milk)
• salt and pepper
• good soy margarine or butter

Decide how much soup you want to make and peel and cube about twice as many potatoes as you normally would.  I used six large potatoes today.

Pour about 1 tablespoon oil into a dutch oven and brown onions slightly.  Add cubed potatoes and just barely cover with water or vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil and cook gently for about 20 minutes.  When potatoes are done, use a potato masher or immersible blender to mash about half of the potatoes. Don't overdo it or you won't have any body left in the soup!

Gently pour in enough milk to make the soup creamy.  It should be thick.  Don't bring to a boil--heat just until warmed.

Just before serving, add a dollop of butter or margarine and swirl.

I guarntee this will replace your current potato soup recipe.

Potato Soup with a Twist

I just have to share this story.  When Mike and I got home from our honeymoon, I set about deciding what to cook for our first supper in our home together.  I couldn't think of a thing.  I called my mother and asked her what I should cook.  When she said potato soup, I felt great relief, because I had cooked it at home many times.  I made the soup, it was good.  One day down... how many more to go?  I realized on that day that I'd have to decide what to have for supper for the rest of my life.  It was scary.  I wonder if young women (or men) even give that a thought today? 

Chai Tea

I love tea.  I used to stop at Sheetz or Starbucks and treat myself to a Chai tea now and then... I realized they were chock full of sugar and they made me feel sluggish.  So I guess my dietary changes over the years have changed my tastebuds.  I really don't like sweet.

My daughter, Carrie, who has her own cooking blog, Cooking with Carrie, came up with this method so that I can enjoy my tea without guilt. I know Carrie sent me a link to this recipe, but since I can't find it, I'll just explain it.

Directions;

1. Brew yourself a cup of tea using a Chai teabag.  There is no exact ingredient list because it depends on the size of your mug.  Be sure to fill at least 1/3 full to brew.
2. In a jar, (an old jelly or mayo jar will work nicely), add about as much milk, or non dairy milk as you used to brew the tea.  Put on the lid and screw on tightly.
3. Shake vigorously for 15 to 20 seconds until liquid has doubled in volume and is foamy.
4. Heat for 1 minute or less in the microwave without the jar lid. 
5. Gently pour into tea mug and stir.
6. You can add a little sugar or agave if you like to have a sweeter tea.

Chai Tea

This happens to be my weakness.

I use West Soy unsweetened soy milk.

Salmon Chowder

While I profess to be almost vegetarian, I still find myself making some throw-back recipes like this one.  Mike loves it, and it gives him a break from some of the more "hard-core" vegetarian/vegan recipes that I like.  I have changed it up a little, but the fact of having salmon in it makes it ok with him.

Before the Internet one could send can labels (this was even before bar codes) to a manufacturer and get little recipe fliers that promoted a product.  This is from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Juneau, Alaska.  I did not record a date.  I've been making this for well over 20 years.

Ingredients
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) salmon
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 glove minced garlic
3 tablespoons butter or bacon fat I use olive oil now.
2 cups diced potatoes I like to use red-skin potatoes and leave the skin on.
2 cups chicken broth I use veggie broth or broth I save when I steam broccoli.
1 teaspoon salt Canned salmon is salty enough--no salt needed.
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1 can (13 ounces) evaporated milk I use lite coconut milk.
1 can (8 3/4 ounces) cream-style corn

Directions
Drain and flake salmon, reserving liquid.  Saute onion, celery, and garlic in butter or bacon fat.  Add potatoes, chicken broth, and seasonings.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add salmon and reserved liquid, evaporated milk and corn. I just add the salmon and liquid all at once and break it up in the pan as I stir it. Continue cooking until heated through.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

I usually double this because everyone loves it and it goes quickly.  The flavor is even better on the second day.

Sorry, no nutritional information.

Salmon Chowder

Another Snow Day

Roasted Cauliflower

I read this somewhere in my travels--a doctor's office, or a newspaper.  Unfortunately, I can't remember the source.  But last weekend, when Giant had cauliflower on sale, I thought I'd give it a try.  I really like cauliflower, but Mike isn't too crazy about it.  He still isn't.  But this is my favorite cauliflower recipe now.  I'll definitely do it again.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Remove all green parts from cauliflower and thoroughly wash.  Shake dry.  I used parchment paper sprayed with a little olive oil (I made my own little sprayer with a nozzle device from the dollar store) on a baking sheet.
Rub the cauliflower heads with a little oil and salt and pepper to taste. Bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, depending on your oven.  Cauliflower should be turning a little brown, but not burnt.  Also, cauliflower should be fork tender.

Serving:
You can serve as is.  The flavor is great.  I made mashed cauliflower with one head--just like you would mashed potatoes.  With the other, I made a Red Curry Cauliflower Soup.  It's Thai and it was very tasty.

Roasted Cauliflower

You know it's a snow day if I'm in the kitchen:

Chocolate Banana Pound Cake

Oh my, oh my.  So I'm looking for a different way to use of excess bananas.  We always have bananas on hand, and I usually make smoothies, or banana bread.  I was tasting for chocolate and so was Mike. My cookbooks were all old-fashioned spiced banana cakes with cream cheese frosting and I just wasn't in the mood for that.  A quick search on the Internet for Chocolate Banana Pound Cake came up with this amazing recipe.  It's from Food.com, and the contributor, Annie Michelle, said it was passed to her by her mother with "a "tad" of embellishment."
I tweaked this a little to try for a "little" healthier version.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
1 cup butter (room temperature) I used Earth Balance vegan margarine.
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 bananas (mashed)
1/3 cup buttermilk I used Kefir.
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups flour I used white whole wheat flour.
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt I didn't use any.
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1 cup boiling water
1-12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (This is optional.)
1 cup chopped pecans (Also optional.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour two 9x5x3 loaf pans.
3. Cream butter, eggs, sugars, bananas, buttermilk, vanilla, and cinnamon.
4. Mix together flour, baking soda, salt, baking cocoa, and pecans.
5. Add dry ingredients to creamed ingredients.  Mix well.
6. Add boiling water and stir rapidly for 2 minutes. I used my stand mixer on low speed to gently stir for 2 minutes.
7. Pour batter into loaf pans.
8. Bake 45 minutes.
9. Remove from oven (gently) and sprinkle chocolate chips over tops of loaves. Wow, this was a mess.  My pans were so full that the chips kept falling off.  So I actually ended up putting them on at the end after the cake at settled a bit.  It only took a few minutes for the chips to get soft enough to spread.  They actually spread better than the chips that made it to the oven.  Those got a little charred.
10. Return to oven for about 15 minutes, or until toothpick comes clean when inserted into center of loaf. Again, I'd just bake it through and add the chips at the end.
11. Remove from oven when finished and place on cooling rack.
12. Use spatula and spread melted chocolate chips in even layer over the loaves.
13. Let cool and remove from pans. I sliced in place.  It came out nicely.
14. You can warm or serve as is.
15. This recipe could also make 48 small cupcakes.  Bake for 20 minutes and substitute a chocolate frosting.

Nutrition (This is following the original recipe.)

Servings per recipe-24

Calories-214.7

Calories from Fat 76

Total fat 8.4 g, saturated 5.1 g, cholesterol 35.9 mg, sugars 20 g, sodium 209.9 mg, total carbs 32.9 g, dietary fiber 1.3 g, protein 2.5 g

Chocolate Banana Pound Cake

SHOULD I SHARE?

"The Best" Brownies

These might be the best brownies ever!  So when I found myself unable to get out due to the horrible storm of 2014, Mike requested a batch for Valentine's Day.  Then he said, "and I'd like them with peanut butter.  And no fake stuff." (Sometimes I try to veganize my recipes and use flax seed egg replacer... it works fine, but Mike is old fashioned--and I decided to treat him.  Like my daughter-in-law UnKyong said, "Dad can deserve that for a special day."

So here goes... Valentine's Day Brownies with a peanut butter twist.

From:  Hershey's Coca Cookbook (This was a mail-order cookbook.  You'd send in so many labels and you'd get a little cookbook.  It is copyrighted 1979. And it has been used hard.)

Hershey's Cocoa Cookbook

"The Best"  Brownies

Original Recipe

1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter (I always used oil)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)  Mike does not like nuts.

Blend oil, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl.  Add eggs; beat well with spoon.  Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture until well blended.  Stir in nuts if using.  Spread in a 9-inch square pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan.  Cool in pan.  Frost if desired; cut into squares.  16 brownies

This is a recipe that I'd make quite often when the kids were little.  And I could either make them plain or add the frosting for a special little treat.  I almost always doubled it.  The frosting is a nice consistency and is easy to add a little swirly decoration.  It was a go-to for when I needed something quick to take to a picnic or covered dish.

Creamy Brownie Frosting

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons Hershey's Cocoa
2 tablespoons light corn syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk (I prefer to use soy milk.)

Cream butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla in small mixer bowl.  Add confectioners' sugar and mik; beat to spreading consistency.  About 1 cup frosting.

The Peanut Butter Faction:

To achieve Mike's request for peanut butter brownies, I used half the oil  or butter called for and half peanut butter in both recipes.  That's it.  They were so good--unfortunately, we can't leave them alone!  Not good for two people watching their waists.

Peanut Butter Brownies for Valentine's Day

Pot Sticker Miso Soup

I was looking for something quick and hearty for a cold, snowy, winter night.  Then I remembered my PDQ cookbook. I picked one up for Justin in 2007.  He was eating vegetarian and these were super easy.  I tried out a few recipes and it was so good I got one for myself.

From:  The PDQ (Pretty Darn Quick) Vegetarian Cookbook
By:  Donna Klein

Makes 4 servings
Vegan

"Miso is a fermented soy paste that is used frequently in Japanese cooking to flavor and thicken soups and sauces.  While just 1 tablespoon of miso contains 2 grams of protein and 1 gram of dietary fiber, it also contains about 800 milligrams of sodium.  If you are watching your salt intake, use the lesser amount in the recipe.  Vegetarian pot stickers, a ravioli-like Asian pasta, are typically filled with a combination of cabbage, carrots, and radishes.  Both miso and pot stickers can be found in Asian markets as well as specialty and health food stores; I got mine at Trader Joe's."

• 2 1/2 cups water (*I used whatever vegetable broth I have on hand)
• 1 14-ounce can low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon freeze-dried chopped chives
• 8 ounces frozen vegetarian pot stickers
• 1/2 cup canned straw mushrooms, drained (optional) (*I love these.)
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons miso, preferably the brown variety, mixed with 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon toasted dark sesame oil

In a medium stockpot, bring the water, broth, and chives to a boil over medium-high heat.  Add the pot stickers and mushrooms; stir and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until pot stickers are softened but still firm to the bite, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and add the miso mixture and sesame oil, stirring well to combine.  (If not serving immediately, keep warm over low heat, but do not allow the mixture to boil.) Serve hot.

Nutritional info:  Calories 135, Protein 9 grams, Total Fat 2 grams, Saturated Fat 0 grams, Cholesterol 0 grams, Carbs 21 grams, Dietary Fiber 2 grams, Sodium  629 milligrams

Variations:

1. Miso Noodle Soup-- Substitute 2 to 3 ounces somen noodles, broken in half, for the pot stickers.
2. Miso Soup-- Omit the pot stickers and mushrooms.  After the broth mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the miso mixture and sesame oil.  Serve hot.

My note:  I use low-sodium miso.  It still has plenty of of sodium.  I like to serve it with some sort of thick crusty bread or biscuits--though that isn't very Asian.  It's best to use it all up at once.  Trader Joe's pot stickers come in a 16 ounce package.  That makes a lot of soup.  The pot stickers get a bit droopy on the second day, but the flavor is even richer as the miso has time to blend and mellow.

Miso Pot Sticker Soup

*My note.

Chana Saag

From:  Everyday Happy Herbivore
By:  Lindsay S. Nixon

I really love this cookbook.  Some things that I thought I'd never eat as a vegetarian are very tasty and filling.  Nixon uses no fat (except in what she calls occasional "cheater" recipes).  She is vegan.  I cheat sometimes and eat eggs and cheese and other "bad boys".  This is one of the most recent attempts from her book.  I'm posting this for my son and his wife who are really trying to eating healthy.  I served mine with the tofu yogurt and brown rice, cooked in my rice maker.

Serves 2

"Saag is a traditional North Indian spinach dish that is usually served as a side.  Here I've made saag into a meal on its own by pairing it with hearty chickpeas (chana).  For a complete meal, serve with cooked brown rice, whole-wheat roti, or naan."

• 1 small onion diced
• 4 gloves garlic minced
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger minced
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 3/4 teaspoon mild yellow curry powder
• 6 cups baby spinach rinsed and drained
• salt and pepper to taste
• Tofu Yogurt (Recipe to follow)

1. Line a large pot with a thin layer of water and bring to a boil.
2. Add onion, garlic, and fresh ginger.
3. Continue to cook over high heat until onion starts to become translucent, about 3 minutes.
4. Add tomato sauce, coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, and cardamom.
5. Stir to coat the onion mixture.  Add a splash of water if necessary--you want there to be a good bit of sauce.
6. Add chickpeas and mix again.
7. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring to cat the chickpeas for a minute or so.
8. Mix in curry powder, stirring to combine.
9. Add another splash of water, if necessary, and the spinach.  Stir the spinach around until it turns dark green and wilty.
10. Add salt and pepper to tast and serve with a dollop of tofu yogurt if desired.

Chef's Note:  Add cayenne with other spices if you like heat.

Chef's Note 2:  2 teaspoons ground ginger may be substituted for fresh.  Add with other spices during cooking.

Nutritional Information:  493 calories, 0.4 grams fat, 15.9 grams carbohydrates, 1.9 grams fiber, 9.6 grams sugars, 2.5 grams protein

Chana Saag

Tofu Yogurt

• 1 12-ounce package Mori-Nu tofu (any firmness)
• 1 cold banana
• 2 tablespoons nondairy milk
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons sweetener (agave) (optional)

1. Combine tofu, banana, nondairy milk, and lemon juice in a blender or food processor and whiz until smooth and creamy.
2. Taste, adding sweetener such as maple syrup or agave. (I didn't use sweetener--it was already sweet enough with the banana.)

Chef's Note:  Add fresh or frozen fruit (such as strawberries or blueberries), 1/4 cup at a time, for fruit-flavored yogurts.

Chef's Note 2:  Bananas turn brown when they oxidize, meaning the yogurt will turn brown if you make it ahead and leave it in the fridge.  It hasn't gone bad, it just doesn't look as pretty.  If you do a fruit flavor, you don't usually notice the color change. You can also blend without the banana and add it later, right before serving.

Chef's Note 3:  Probiotics can be purchased at health food stores and added to homemade yogurts.

Nutritional Info:  128 calories, 1.4 grams fat, 17.3 grams carbs 1.6 grams fiber, 9.1 grams sugars, 13.4 grams protein--for the unsweetened,

192 calories, 1.4 grams fat, 34.6 carbs, 1.6 grams fiber, 26.3 grams sugars, 13.5 grams protein--for the sweetened.

DILYLOPR'S note:  This yogurt recipe makes a lot!  It's very good, but I couldn't use it up fast enough--so plan ahead and use it in another recipe so as not to waste it.