At a breakfast buffet this past weekend, I accidentally wound up combining the two in a chocolate-in-my-peanut-butter incident; the combination was unexpectedly glorious. Not a recipe so much as a suggestion: a peanut-butter-and-blueberry sandwich could be a potential quick breakfast or school lunchbox item.

I started making this soup out of Anna Thomas's "Love Soup" cookbook and now my husband is completely addicted. I can't say the color is all that attractive, but if you like greens, you will like this. It's easy and fairly quick.

The type of greens you choose will make a difference. Choose from chard, spinach, beet greens, mustard greens, collard greens, watercress, turnip greens, etc. We found that turnip greens are very strongly flavored and made the soup somewhat bitter, whereas chard, spinach, and beet greens are on the sweeter end of the spectrum. My favorite version is made with spinach and collards.



I adapted this slightly from the cookbook version and I would expect whoever makes it to add their own touches as well.

GREEN SOUP

2 bunches greens, washed, tough stems removed, torn into pieces
2 bunches green onions (scallions), washed and the root ends trimmed
2 bunches cilantro, washed

Place all of the above in a large pot with 3 cups of water and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 30 minutes.

1 large onion, chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
olive oil

Saute the onion slowly until caramelized, about 25-30 minutes, stirring often. At the last, add the garlic and let it sizzle briefly. Then add the whole thing to the greens and let simmer another 10 minutes.

Let cool a few minutes, then puree in a blender or food processor in batches. You will need more liquid to do this and you can use water or broth, as you prefer.

Return soup to pot. Heat gently and add a tablespoon of lemon juice, a good sprinkle of cayenne, salt and pepper to taste. Then season as you think it needs it - a hit of balsamic vinegar, nutmeg, and some cumin can really make this soup sing.

Garnish with some feta or blue cheese or a drizzle of olive oil.

I hope nobody minds me posting this, please delete if inappropriate!

I run a popular vegetarian food blog called Amuse Your Bouche, which has been named as one of the UK's Top 10 food blogs. On 31st March I'm hosting my first ever supper club in London! I'm unbelievably excited. It's being held at a wonderful venue called Paradise by way of Kensal Green, and their amazing head chef is going to be serving up a three course dinner (all my own recipes), along with welcome cocktails, and there might just be a goody bag too ;)

The whole menu is vegetarian, and there are vegan and gluten free options too - but I've been told by a meat-eater that all the food was incredible, so don't be put off if you're carnivorous!

If anyone is in or near London and would like to come, you can find more details here: http://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/announcing-first-amuse-bouche-supper-club/

Thanks for letting me share! :)

I'm trying to include more veggies into my diet. I'm not very good at it. Can you share some of your favorite vegetarian/vegan recipes?

Hi all! So it has been suggested by my doctor that I try to do a dairy free diet for a while. I kinda thought that was no problem until I looked through my recipes and found dairy in 90% of them. Wow! Need new recipes!!!

I have a chicken stir fry that I am doing tonight, I have some ideas for tacos/fajitas, also have lots of non-dairy salmon recipes but we don't tend to eat a lot of salmon on the weekdays. I can also do spaghetti with marinara. I don't eat beef, but I eat everything else and we are not very picky. I don't mind putting almond milk in a recipe, but please no fake cheese... Yuk!

thanks in advance!

It's July! Here's a look back at all the simple vegetarian and vegan recipes on Amuse Your Bouche in June.

Click for the full list with recipes!

I am making a vegan gluten-free nut loaf, which calls for quinoa flakes. Alas! The store that I previously got them at no longer carries them. For those unfamiliar, they are the consistency of light fluffy snow, and you cannot get the same affect from grinding quinoa in a blender, from what I gather.

Does anyone know what would be a good substitute? I am thinking that ground flax seeds have a similar consistency, but I am very new to gluten free cooking. Or maybe oatmeal?

Thanks much :)

Last month I catered my sister in law's wedding. It was quite the challenge since they needed options all the way from Vegan to Steak and just wanted appetizers. Flatbread pizzas were the way to go! It was so fun coming up with different kinds of fancy pizzas. Here is my first installment of my Flatbread Pizzas - a Vegan Roasted Squash and Asparagus Flatbread Pizza. Even if you are a meat-eater, this is sure to satisfy your pizza cravings, while leaving the boring typical toppings behind.



For more check out my blog at: The Realistic Housewife Thanks!

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Hey! So, I'm making a vegan spinach artichoke dip, that I've made before, but am wondering if I can freeze it all mixed up together and ready to go in a crock pot for the day I need it. I'm pretty sure the package of Tofutti Cream Cheese says do not freeze, but have heard that's because of it separating, and well, it will be all mixed up with other things and I can always stir it while it's in the crockpot anyway. I was thinking of making my own Tofu Cream Cheese, but I'm catering a wedding and have way too many little things to do already and just want to buy it :)

I'm also hoping to try a new to me recipe with the same Tofutti Cream Cheese, a butternut squash dip/sauce, that I will need to freeze (making some flatbreads with it and need to make ahead of time!) so I hope someone has experience with these products! Thanks!

I was going to make a vaguely Thai stew tomorrow i.e. throw pre-made Thai red curry paste with coconut milk and assorted veg, and I have a question: would the coconut milk be enough for the steaming liquid or would I need to add some water in addition to prevent burning?

Thanks!

We all know those moments when we walk into a restaurant, look at the menu, and think to ourselves, "Well, gee. Great. A bowl of lettuce and a sliced tomato for only $8.95!" 

The sarcasm triggers start firing in your brain, and it's only a deeply-rooted sense of civility that prevents you from saying so to your oblivious waiter or waitress.

I face this dilemma all the time with sushi--especially, I've discovered, vegetarian-friendly sushi. I'm not a fan of any other kind of sushi, frankly, and I'm never too thrilled about dishing out a stack of greens for something that's so easy (and fun!) to make at home.

A great dish for a summer potluck or picnic! A cold noodle salad, full of fresh vegetables and full of flavor, Wherever I take this salad, it is loved by all. Vegan too.

Recipe and more over at The Alchemist.


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Hullo. I was wondering if any of you fine folks had any tried and true recipes for making cream cheese from silken tofu. Looks like dairy is off the list of things I'm allowed to eat and I really don't want to spend nearly $4 on an 8 oz tub of vegan cream cheese. Any ideas?

I couldn't resist...I love this stuff. It's thick, sweet, and rich. Shown here combined with some whipping cream and candied ginger, it's a perfect sweet ending. And, yes, this may look like a huge glass, but it's actually a mini glass - a perfect 3 tablespoons of dessert.

For a printed recipe, or a few more ideas for this liquid gold, please check out my blog. For the recipe, clicky clicky below.

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I've given up meat for Lent. This is a big deal for me - I trained as a chef and a butcher, so meat is like my thing. Dedicated carnivore over here.

Fortunately I think perhaps I may have found a way to get through some of my self imposed temporary vegetarianism without going mad. After all, if there's one thing the UK has proved to be really good at, it's stocking all the bits and pieces that make for really fantastic Indian and Pakistani food.

So, this is what I'm cooking today for lunch tomorrow (first day of Lent), mostly because I spotted taro root pretty cheap at the supermarket yesterday and I've got some tamarind paste to use up. Why yes, I do feed my toddler curry. He seems to like it :P

As a side note, the quantities I've given here are only enough for me and a toddler - generous serves, because the child eats like there's no tomorrow and I love my food, but definitely not a full-house meal. If you want to feed more than one or two people, you may want to double or triple the ingredients.



Lassoon Arbi Chi Bhaji

You've probably seen taro root before and haven't been bold enough to try it - that gnarly, hairy thing next to the root vegetables, can't decide if it's a particularly ugly tumour or a potato that's joined the Hell's Angels?

Yeah, it's ugly. But it's also pretty tasty, and surprisingly versatile - it's good pan-fried, braised, deep-fried, steamed, boiled or mashed. Texture-wise, it's quite slippery (no matter how much you wash it this isn't going to go away) but otherwise a lot like potato or fresh water-chestnuts. People who know they have sensitive skin should wear gloves when preparing it, since the skin has calcium oxalate toxins that will make you really itchy. I'm okay with my bare hands, but if you're not certain wear gloves anyway.

INGREDIENTS
- 225 grams of taro root (roughly half a pound)
- About a teaspoon of coarse kosher or sea-salt
- Half a teaspoon of cumin seeds
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- One or two fresh green chillies. This really depends how hot you want it, and you can add more if you like your curries with a kick. Thai, cayenne or serrano chillies are best, with the stems removed.
- A touch of ground turmeric, no more than a quarter of a teaspoon
- Half a teaspoon of tamarind paste or concentrate
- Half a tablespoon of canola oil
- Half a teaspoon of black or yellow mustard seeds
- Tablespoon of finely chopped coriander (cilantro), leaves and the more tender stems

INSTRUCTIONS
Peel the taro root. If you've got a swivel peeler, feel free to use that, but for most people a good sharp paring knife would be simpler. Give them a good thorough rinse under running water; like I said before, they'll be extremely starchy and slippery, so be careful.

Cut your taro root into roughly one inch cubes - you don't need to be precise, but about that size is good. Drop them in a saucepan, add enough water to cover them and bring the whole thing to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn it down to medium-low, cover the pan and let it do its thing until the pieces are tender to stab with a fork. This should take about ten minutes. Drain.

While the taro root is cooking, combine the salt, cumin seed, garlic and chillies in a mortar and give it a good pound with the pestle until you get a sort of blended pulp. Pause to sniff this, it will smell great.

Combine the tamarind paste with about half a cup of water and whisk them together to dissolve the tamarind.

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover the pan and cook until you hear the seeds stop popping - it's a bit like making popcorn. This takes about thirty seconds. Immediately add all the stuff you were pounding up and stir-fry it for about a minute until the garlic browns and bits of the paste are sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Pour in the tamarind water and scrape the bottom of the pan to get at any bits of garlic, chilli and cumin that are stuck to it. Stir in the drained taro root and bring the curry to a boil - it will look dark brown and sort of watery to start with, but as you lower the heat and cook for about three to five minutes (stir it occasionally) the sauce will thicken up a bit, turning viscous and velvet-smooth.

Fold in your coriander leaves and stems. Serve. Weirdly, this is dynamite with plain old buttered toast!

Fairly good for you as far as desserts go, but certainly not skimping on pleasure - the fruit syrup dipping sauce is packed full of flavour. See my blog post here for my write up and another photo :)




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I had two sources of inspiration for this - Corner Burger and leftover quinoa. It is something you can throw together in a matter of minutes and get a beautiful light lunch or dinner. It is one of those meals that are disproportionally rewarding for the effort you put in.


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This cream of mushroom soup is vegan - so no cream! Instead, blended cashew nuts made this soup creamy without overpowering the delicate flavour of the mushrooms. I really enjoyed this and I'm not even vegan - more protein, less saturated fat and less cholesterol than normal cream-based soups!

The recipe and another photo are here




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