The Perfect Fall Soup: Celeriac, Leek and Potato Soup

     Oh so creamy, without an ounce of cream! Can you believe it? Well I can!

     This recipes features one of the so called 'monsters' of the garden -- Celeriac. Celeriac is gnarly looking root vegetable that can get to about the size of your head. Typically this veg is harvested late in the fall, after the first soft frost, but before a hard frost (just in case you feel like growing some yourself next year!). Celeriac is a really cool root, also known as celery root, it has the texture of a potato but tastes like the most delicious celery imaginable! We cut one up raw on the rooftop garden the other day, and it was amazing! So don't let the crazy appearance dissuade you from picking a celeriac up from your local market or grocer.

     I've been waiting to cook up this soup all season! Ever since I saw the roots sticking out from under what I originally mistook as celery. Through in some Rye's HomeGrown leeks, garlic and my last couple potatoes, and we have the makings for a delicious soup. The hardest part of making this soup is cutting up the celeriac, once that's done, it's smooth sailing. Spice up this soup a bit with some pesto or an herb oil.

Serves: 8

Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 celeriac, peeled and cubed
• 2 large (4 small) leeks, white and light green only, roughly chopped 
• 2 large white or russet potatoes, peeled and chopped 
• 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• Black pepper and salt to taste 

Preparation

1. In a large, thick bottomed soup pot, heat oil on medium heat with the bay leaf.
2. Add celeriac, leek, potato and garlic. Let sweat for about 10 minutes.
3. Add vegetable broth. Cover, increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until celeriac is tender.
4. Let cool for 20-30 minutes. Remove bay leaf, and blend soup in blender (may need to to blend in batches). If I have to blend in batches, and I know that there is going to be left overs, I usually put the first batch into Tupperware containers for tomorrow night's dinner.
5. After blended, return the soup to the pot, and warm over medium heat, for about 20 minutes, or until warm.
6. Serve will a dollop of pesto or a couple drops of an herb oil.

Green Goddess Soup (Hearty Leafy Green Soup with Green Lentils)

       Last night I decided I hadn't had enough greens for the day, so I decided to make a soup PACKED full of greens. I figured I was better off making soup than turning the oven on to make a lasagna. My fridge was filled with a variety of greens from my CSA basket from Rye's HomeGrown. I've been loving my weekly helping of fresh veg. It's really cool. Every Wednesday I work a shift selling the produce at Ryerson's Farmers' Market, and I go home with my bike basket overflowing with local organic produce. We've barely had to do groceries these past couple of months, besides our staples.

      The trick to this soup is putting pretty much every green you have into it. Seriously, I put turnip greens, spinach, swiss chard, kohlrabi, and a bit of kale. (I had to use up last weeks bounty before I get more goodies tomorrow!) Throw those luscious greens with a delicious stock, some lentils, onions and potatoes, and you have yourself a scrumptious soup. And for those trying to watch their waste line, eating more greens is a great way to start. One 2-cup bowl of this hearty green soup will cost you under 250 calories (and it's totally worth every calorie).

       I topped  my hearty green soup with a mixture of microgreens from Rye's HomeGrown, including basil and cilantro microgreens along with pea shoots. So tasty!

Serves: 6-10
Time: 1h 10min

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp red chili flakes
• 2 medium-large onions, roughly chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander 
• 1 cup green or french lentils
• 4 cups water

• 2 medium potatoes, diced
• 1 medium kohlrabi bulb (about the size of a fist, alternatively use turnip or an additional potato)
• 1 small bunch of swiss chard ( about 7-8 leaves), stems and greens separated and chopped
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 cups stock + 4 cups water or 1 bouillion cube with 6 cups water

• 10oz/280g spinach, kale and/or turnip greens, stems removed, chopped 
• Kohlrabi greens (or about 2oz/56g more greens, such as collard greens or kale), stems removed, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 2-3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil with chili flakes over medium heat. When hot add the onion.
2. Let the onion saute for a couple of minutes before adding the minced garlic, cumin and coriander. Let saute for about 2-4 more minutes or until onions are transleucent.
3. Next, stir in the dry lentils, add the 4 cups of water and cover. Raise the temperature and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile chop the potatoes, kohlrabi (discard stems) and chard stems, and the rest of your greens.
5. After 10-15 minutes, add the diced potatoes, kohlrabi and chopped swiss chard stems and let simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes before adding the greens.
6. Add the chopped fresh greens in batches, stirring in between.
7. Add seasonings, including salt and pepper, nutritional yeast and lemon juice. Let simmer for about 10 minutes before removing from the heat.
8. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving with toasts, microgreens, sauteed mushrooms, whatever you feel like!

Veggie Pot Pie

Veggie pot pie is one of my favourite go-to recipes for every holiday: christmas, thanksgiving, easter, So I thought it was about time to share with the world my delicious pie recipe. It's a veggie pot pie, stuffed with all the classics: potatoes, carrots, tofu, mushrooms, greens... Delicious.
I've featured this pie at at many holidays and everyone enjoys it, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

Serves: 4-8

Ingredients

Pie Crust

• 2 1/2 cups white flour (you can use a bit of whole wheat if you like)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening
• 3/4 cup cold margarine, cut into cubes
• 1/4-1/2 cup ice water

Pie

• 1 block of firm or extra firm tofu*, rinsed, patted dry and cubed
• 1 tbsp soy sauce, diluted with 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp olive oil to pan fry
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp thyme

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup, or 2 medium-small onions, diced
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup, or 3 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 cup, or 2 medium-large carrots, diced
• 1 cup, or 3 medium potatoes, diced
• 8-10 sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped kale, spinach, green cabbage or napa cabbage
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/8-1/4 cup water
• 1 cup frozen or fresh green peas

*To get a more "chicken-like" texture, try cutting the tofu the night before, then thawing it in the morning

Gravy

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp oregano and/or thyme
• 1/4 freshly ground pepper, or to taste

Preparation

Pie Crust

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt.
2. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture then add the cubed margarine and mix until you get a crumbly mixture, like a coarse corn meal.
3. Slowly incorporate the ice water, until the mixture comes together as a dough. Start with a quarter cup and only add more if the dough is too dry.
4. Form the dough into a ball, then cut into two halves, one roughly larger than the other.
5. With plastic wrap, cover each ball and refrigerate until you are prepared to start filling the pie, at least 20 minutes.

Pie

1. In a vary large pan or wok, coat with the olive oil and heat on medium.
2. Drizzle the soy sauce mixture over the cut tofu, then add it to the pan.
3. Fry the tofu, rotating it to so that most sides of the cubes are golden brown.
4. In a medium bowl, mix nutritional yeast, flour, garlic powder and thyme.
5. When the tofu is cooked, coat it in the mixture and set aside. Whatever doesn't stick to the tofu can be added the gravy later.
6. In the same pan you used for the tofu, sauté onions, garlic and celery in the olive oil until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
7. Add the carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms to the pan and sauté for a couple minutes before adding the cabbage or greens.
8. Add the soy sauce and water to the mixture, cover and steam until all the veggies are al dente, about 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile you can start the gravy (see below).
9. Add the tofu and peas to the veggie mix and combine, then remove it from the heat.

Gravy

1. In a small pot or sauce pan, toast the nutritional yeast and flour until aromatic.
2. Add the olive oil and whisk until smooth.
3. Slowly incorporate the water into the gravy, stirring until thickened.
4. Stir in the soy sauce and seasoning.
5. Remove from heat

1. Roll out the larger portion of the dough onto a floured surface to about an 1/8". Place the dough in a 9" pie plate, leaving edges uncut.
2. Mix the gravy in with the vegetable-tofu mixture, then pour onto the bottom pie dough, it will be heaping.
3. Roll out the rest of the dough large enough to cover your pie.
4. Roll the pastry onto the pie, and curl up the edges, crimping them with a fork or your fingers, removing any excess dough.
5. Prick the top with a fork or knife.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, uncovered, until the top is golden.
7. Let the pot pie cool 10 minutes before cutting into it.

Serve with your favourite fall or winter side dishes and enjoy!

Southern Comfort Food

I absolutely love comfort food! A few nights ago, we whipped up a batch of mac 'n' cheese with some garlic collard greens, sweet potato mash, vegetarian chicken fingers (store bought) and some tasty biscuits.
We've made mac 'n' cheese many times, however the recipe below is are go-to. It's rich and creamy, and really easy to make. As for the collard greens, the trick, as we've found, is to steam them, then quickly sautée in warm oil with garlic.
This meal is perfect for when you're having a craving for southern dinner food. All the goodness, but without all the animal products and butter! Yum!

Mac 'n' Cheese

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 pound or 450g of pasta, cooked al dente

1 1/2 cup water

3/4 cup plain soy milk, or dairy-free milk

3/4 cup nutritional yeast

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt + more to taste

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp onion powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

Put all ingredients in the blender and pulse until smooth.

Taste for seasoning.

In a large pan, on medium heat, add all the cooked pasta to the cheesey-cheeseless mixture.

Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the mixture has thickened.

Serve immediately with fresh ground pepper and salt if needed.

Add the remaining uncooked sauce to any leftovers so that tomorrow's leftovers will be as creamy as tonight's.

Garlic Collard Greens

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

1 large bunch of collard greens

olive oil, about 1/8 to 1/4cup, enough to well coat the bottom of your pan

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced or sliced

pinch of red chili flakes

salt to taste

1 tsp lemon juice

Preparation

In a large skillet, heat olive oil with the garlic and chili peppers on low heat for 10-15min.

Wash the collard greens and cut into 1" strips.

Steam all the collards in a steamer basket in a covered pot with an inch of water at the bottom.

Steam for about 5 minutes, until bright green then drain, trying to remove as much water as possible.

Toss the collards in the warm olive oil mixture and sautée on low for 3 minutes. 

Mix the collards with the lemon juice and serve.

Sweet Potato Mash

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

4 medium-large sweet potatoes or garnite yams

3 cloves of garlic

water

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup molasses, or to taste

pinch of allspice or asian 5-spice

1/2 tbsp paprika

scant 1/4 cup margarine

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

In a large covered pot, bring salted water to a boil. 

Wash the sweet potatoes and cut into 1" chunks. Husk and remove the ends of the garlic, keeping the cloves whole. Add the garlic and the sweet potatoes to the boiling water.

Boil for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft enough to mash.

Reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid, and drain the rest.

In the pot, mash the sweet potatoes adding the spices, and the margarine and cooking water until a smooth texture is obtained. You may also use an immersion blender to quicken the process.

Season with salt and pepper and serve along side your mac'n'cheese, collards and biscuits.

Red Potato Salad

Big fans of garlic here! big fans. The first few times we made this recipe, or a more pungent version, we woke up tasting it. Not exactly the kind of properties you want in a potato salad. No worries, we've scaled it down 3 or 4 cloves :). 

The perfect accompagniment to a burger or
marinated tofu with a side of sautéed greens

If there is one thing I've learned when using raw garlic in cold dishes, it is to let it sit before adding more garlic or serving. As a salad or a sauce sits, the garlic flavours intensifies. So, whenever using raw garlic, taste and season before and after refrigerating. 

By letting the oil, garlic and
herbs sit for a while, the oil
absorbs the flavour of all the
 fresh ingredients, making for
a tastier salad

Ingredients

• 10 medium red potatoes, cut into large chunks 
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp red onion, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs, such as my favourite, thyme
• 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
• 1tsp sea salt* + extra to taste
• 4 Tbsp white wine vinegar 

Preparation

1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook potatoes for about 10 minutes, until just cooked. 
2. While potatoes are cooking, in a medium mixing bowl combine 1/4 cup olive oil with garlic, onion, salt and herbs (see picture aside).  PRO TIP: Slice the garlic in half, prior to mincing and remove the very center structure of the garlic. This little nubbin gives the garlic that spicy sulfurous property, and as tasty as it is, it can leave you tasting like garlic for hours.
3. When potatoes are ready, rinse with cold water in a colander then toss in mixing bowl with garlicky mixture. 
4. At this point add the vinegar, and more oil and salt as needed. 
5. Refrigerate until cooled. Adjust seasoning as needed. 
6. Serve and dig in!

* fun fact: Although health Canada has rules that all " table" or household marketed salts need to be iodized, many salts, including, but not limited to, finishing salts and sea salts tend to not be iodized. So, take a look at the labels before you buy your sea salts. Although goitre isn't that common in Canada or the US, those not consuming adequate amounts of iodine, especially the elderly can be at higher risk of mild or moderate iodine deficiency, and thus goitre.  

A Side of Rustic Roots

Man, the aroma of this dish in the oven is amazing! These fall/ winter vegetables are perfect baked in a duch oven, but I've also baked them in a Pyrex dish for more caramelized roots.
Did I mention that all you have to do is cut a few vegetables, toss with olive oil and spice and cook? One of those dishes that you can throw in the oven while you work on something else, in my case it was studying for nutrition class.

Serves: 4-8

Ingredients

3 medium large carrots, scrubbed clean and chunked
20 fingerling or baby potatoes, scrubbed clean
10 crimini or button mushrooms, washed
1 large onion, chopped into large wedges or 5 peeled shallots
1 head of garlic, whole cloves crushed
Olive oil to coat
3 tsp French herbes, or a blend of your favourite
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Preparation

Place all vegetables in your ditch oven, coat with olive oil and add seasoning. Mix until well combined.
Place lid on Dutch oven and place in oven.
Turn oven on to 400 deg.F.
Bake for about 40 minutes.
Like I said, you're going to smell it.

Broccoli and Potato Soup

This recipe is my all time favourite blended soup from a great vegetarian site, vegangela.com. It consists of ingredients that can commonly be found in the fridge or pantry and can be whipped up in less than 40 minutes.

Serves: 2 large servings, or 4 small

Perfect with sautéed mushrooms & a dollop of vegan sour cream

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and diced
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups vegetable broth
1 head of broccoli florets (2 cups)
3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/4 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté onions and garlic for 3 minutes.
Add potatoes and broth. Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce reduce and simmer until potatoes are cooked, about 15 minutes.
Add broccoli and thyme andcover for 5 minutes, until fully steamed, but still bright.
Purée the soup with a stick blender.
Season with salt and pepper as desired.