Happy Chicken Tortilla Soup 5/5 Spoons

Q. Why is the chicken happy?

A. Because it's alive!

Okay, I've never claimed to be funny. But this soup is cruelty-free so the chickens must be happy!

(Look how happy!)

This recipe is adapted from Brown Eyed Baker which has been adapted from Max & Erma's recipe. I've decided to go the way of other bloggers and just like adapt recipes myself and keep track of all of my findings. I mean that's the way forming recipes of your own happens, right? So I wanted this recipe to be vegan and I think with just some tweaks it was super easy to do. And delicious of course. It almost tasted like a dip but in soup form. So here is my adapted recipe:

Feeds 4-5

2-3 T. olive oil
1/2 c. onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, diced small
2 Anaheim peppers, seeded and diced small *
2 1/2 T. cornstarch
1 qt. Imagine Organic No-Chicken Broth
1 c. vegetable broth
4 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into small pieces
1 lime, juiced
1 ear of corn kernels cut from the cob or about 1/2 - 1 c. frozen/canned corn
1 - 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
3/4 t. cumin
3/4 t. oregano
1/2 t. cayenne
1/2 t. red pepper flakes (I like it spicy, so cater to your own needs)
Salt and pepper to taste

* Anaheim peppers are not hot like jalapenos, so don't substitute habaneros, etc. The point of these peppers is to get the flavor and not the heat so if you need to substitute use a Poblano or a Peppadew

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the minced onion, pepper, and garlic and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the minced onion begins to turn translucent.

2. Whisk the cornstarch into the broth, then add the broth mixture to the pot, along with the minced tortillas, lime juice, corn, diced tomatoes, black beans, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium and stir occasionally. The soup should not take too long to come together and heat through (about 10 minutes). Garnish with diced avocado, tortilla chips, green onions, extra lime juice, etc.

(Photo courtesy of Brown Eyed Baker)

From start to finish, this soup took 30 minutes. Honestly. From the first cut of my onion to ladling soup into my bowl, 30 minutes. So this is something that you can easily throw together especially since it is so versatile. Think of anything you love in your favorite Mexican food, salsa, guacamole, mole, etc. and you can toss it in this pot!

And I have some huge news to share, I have a job! And one that like, I really want! I will be working production with Upton's Naturals which is a Chicago based 100% vegan company that makes delicious seitan and seitan products. I will get the industrial kitchen experience I've been wanting and get to work for and with cool people who are committed to a cruelty-free lifestyle as much as I am. I've toyed with the idea of going vegan for a long time now but realize how hard it is to do while living with omnivores who basically pay for my groceries. This is one step towards living a truly vegan lifestyle and there are only more steps to come!

Up next, I will probably be reviewing my roommate's epic layer birthday cake that I will be making next week. Until then, enjoy the beginning of March my loves!

Vegetarian Corn Chowder 4/5 Spoons

The other day I was cleaning my room (pre-Spring cleaning?) and found my swimsuit. I held it in my hands and stared at it. I miss summer. Only a few more months, I can make it. I am also excited for juicy berries and fresh sweet corn. This soup would be amazing in the summer with freshly shucked corn cut right off the cob. Ahhhh, I'm drooling.

Well, it is February not July so I made this soup with frozen corn. It was really good but this would be bumped up to 5 spoons with the substitution of fresh corn.

(Photo courtesy of Two Peas and Their Pod)

Here are my notes:

-- I skipped the butter, it seemed a tad unnecessary.
-- I didn't have a red pepper, so I doubled the carrots and celery.
-- I omitted the poblano pepper but threw in a few dashes of red pepper flakes.
-- And instead of all skim milk, I had like 1 c. of half & half in the fridge and used that. It made it deliciously creamy.
-- The thyme was not enough flavor for me so I added like 1/4 t. cumin, a lot of black pepper and a dash of paprika.

I served this with a spinach salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette and some whole wheat dinner rolls. It was really delicious and all 3 of my guests thought so as well! I saw the end of the pot within like 45 minutes. So I would say that is a successful meal. It had a nice sweet flavor with a hint of smokiness from the added cumin. This is something really easy to make and a real "toss everything you have in the fridge" kind of soup. My favorite kind of meal!

Up next, this will be epic. Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake!

African Sweet Potato Stew 5/5 Spoons

I thought this recipe was gone forever. After moving this past March, I figured I would never find this beautiful, delicious recipe ever again. The other day I was searching for a purse and a piece of paper fluttered to the ground. It was crumpled and dirty and I thought to myself, "God, I'm a slob." BUT NO! I was smart and kept this recipe (even if it was a dumb place). I think I found this recipe in a vegan newsletter somewhere sometime in my life but the details are kind of sketchy. It doesn't matter, I found the recipe again! I've seriously tried to find it online but it was all for naught. Now I do have some sweet soup making skills but I couldn't remember everything that was included in this magical stew. It has been found and now I can share it with all of you!

2 T. olive oil
1 red onion, diced small
2-3 garlic cloves, diced small
1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
Handful of celery leaves, chopped
1 jalapeno, cored and seeded, diced small
2 small zucchini, diced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
5 c. water
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. dried ginger (1 t. if you are using fresh)
1 t. cumin
1/2 c. quinoa
1/2 c. peanut butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste

Heat your olive oil on medium heat in a dutch oven or heavy soup pot and throw in the onion, garlic, celery and red pepper. Cook for 10 minutes until the veggies are soft and a tad golden. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the last three (PB, S&P and pepper flakes). Bring soup to a boil and lower the temp to a simmer and cover. Cook about 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are fork tender. Stir in peanut butter, salt & pepper and pepper flakes and simmer for another 5 minutes until the peanut butter is melted into the soup. Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy!

(That's how I feel about sweet potatoes too.)

So I have no pictures of this stew but TRUST ME. I dare say that this is my favorite soup. I do not take soup lightly, so I really think you should believe me on this one. Quinoa is amazing and a complete protein so it is great for us veg heads.

What are some of your lost and found recipes? Or favorite quinoa recipes? I'd love to know! And I'm still working on my one year anniversary giveaway, so keep reading. I will be reviewing something sweet next time you see me!

Vegan Hungarian Goulash 4/5 Spoons

I've never had goulash before. In fact, I don't think I ever once thought about it. My roommate told me she loves goulash but she had only had a meat-filled version and I was willing to try and make her a cruelty-free version. So since I had no frame of reference, I like to think this turned out pretty well. It wasn't my favorite thing in the world but it was hearty, delicious and made everyone in this apartment full and happy.

(Photo courtesy of Saveur)

Here are my notes:

-- I think I only used one onion, two onions kind of seemed insane considering the size of the ones I can find at the grocery store.
-- Instead of beef, I used Gardein's Beefless Tips. I think this was my favorite part. I actually fried them in a shallow pan separately and just added them over the goulash when I was about to eat. Since we aren't using animal parts that need to be cooked down for a long time to release their fat and make them tender (ew), this really cuts down on the cooking time. Make sure to fry these nice and crispy because then they really stand up to the potatoes and other strong flavors.
-- Paprika is what makes goulash well.... goulash. I was so freaked out to use 1/4 c. of any spice but it works, trust me. It imparts a spicy intense flavor that is not too overwhelming. Make sure to get Hungarian paprika too, I think it really makes the difference. Often times you can just find it at your grocery store and it's not crazy expensive, so go for it!
-- As for an Italian frying pepper, I used a Cubanelle. I think you can use whatever mild pepper you can find at your local store.

I served this goulash over a heaping pile of pasta but I've seen it being served over rice or mashed potatoes as well. Since there were already potatoes in it, I figured pasta would be a good addition. I really enjoyed this dish and probably will make it again (mostly because I have a bag of Hungarian paprika to use, ha). I have no idea if this authentic in any way but it sure was delicious. A lovely vegan friend of mine has a recipe for a Goulash with mushrooms instead of a beef substitute. I look forward to trying that as well, check out the link.

So, blogging in 2012 is feeling pretty good. I can't wait to continue reviewing awesome recipes for you all and I swear the giveaway will be coming up soon!

Dilly Stew with Rosemary Dumplings 5/5 Spoons

Whoa, totally back. Hi again. Although I have about 15-20 recipes I have probably made since the last time I really posted, this is the most recent and really worth writing about.

I have a fall back dumpling soup but it was not vegan and that's what I was looking for. Lo and behold the PPK came through for me! It's nice to make a totally vegan meal and with soup it is often really easy to do. This recipe makes enough for 3 super hungry mouths perhaps with some left over for the next day. The only complaint I have is the addition of the fresh herbs. I love fresh herbs but I really think it was lost in the heartiness of the soup. Next time I might use dried dill and thyme. Herbs are great but I'll save them to finish off a soup, or knead into bread or sprinkled over pasta. Here are my notes:

-- I love the way brown mustard lends its flavor to a dumpling soup, so I squeezed about 1 T. in with the carrots/roux mixture.
-- I didn't use baby carrots, I used regular ones. I think it's pretty self-explanatory to use whatever you have on hand.
-- Once again, I would probably try out the dried herbs (maybe like 1 1/2 t. of dill to 1 t. of thyme and adjust as I go?)
-- Instead of navy beans, I used Great Northern (white) beans. I think any white bean would nicely here.
-- As for the dumplings.... I was kind of scared to use so much rosemary, but don't be. I only used 1/2 T. and it was not overwhelming. Do not use fresh rosemary, it is far too medicinal tasting for such a light broth.
-- I always use So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk now (and love it!) instead of soy/almond milk. I like that is thicker and really doesn't taste like much.

(Photo courtesy of the PPK)

Don't be like me and serve this with sourdough bread.... because you will want to burst! But in a great way. I have a problem stopping at one bowl of soup and I plan on having another for lunch today. This was hearty and cruelty free! My two favorite things in a soup. I think the beans were a nice touch even if they weren't necessary. Once the beans start to simmer with those dumplings the soup became very thick and stew-like.

It feels so good to be back and stay tuned for the One Year Anniversary No Meat Mama giveaway (after the holidays)! No matter how you celebrate, I hope you have a great holiday that is spent with the ones you love and is filled with delicious food.

Vegetable Barley Soup 5/5 Spoons

Who freakin' doesn't love soup? I mean, seriously? You can literally make anything into a soup. I had a recipe for Veggie Barley soup but just decided to wing it on my own because I've made enough soups in my life now to know what to do. The results were FANTASTIC. It was jam packed with wholesomeness and a lot of love.

(Soup is ugly but it tastes so good. Check out my photos, not bad huh? I got a new phone.)

Here is my recipe:

2-3 T. olive oil (I don't really measure this stuff)
1 onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, diced
2 carrots, diced small
4-5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, about 2-3 cups worth
1 c. shredded kale
5 c. water
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes (I run mine through the food processor to have a little chunk and a little sauce)
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 t. paprika
1 c. pearled barley (do not use quick barley, it will cook too fast for all the other veggies to catch up)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook all veggies over medium high heat with olive oil for about 10-15 minutes. You don't want to brown the veggies but get the onions translucent and tender. Add everything else and crank it up until it boils. Once it is boiling, turn down to medium and let cook for about 30-40 minutes or until barley is cooked yet firm and a knife inserted into the potato comes out easily. Serve with French bread and enjoy!

The kale was the best ingredient in the whole dish. Although the potatoes were creamy and the carrots were sweet, the kale really stood out in this dish. I like any healthy vitamin packed green that can stand up to hot soup. And a big chunk of bread with Earth Balance is a dream come true. I'll definitely make this again and hope this inspires you to really soup it up this fall!

I have been missing in action once again but I promise to be back again soon with a dessert recipe. Take care and stay tuned!

Vegan Refried Bean Soup 5/5 Spoons

Oh my gosh, it is totally fall right now. I'm wearing leggings and a cardigan and I finally had to bust out my light jacket for the commute to work this morning. I get giddy in this weather even though I adore summer. It is like you can almost smell the firewood and spices in the crisp air.

This is a whole lot better than me talking about farts. But oops, here we are. I'm going to just come out and say it, vegetarians and vegans fart a lot. Now I'm sure no one wants to hear about gastrointestinal distress on a food website but it is a part of my life and a result of my diet. I freakin' love beans. And cauliflower. And broccoli. And cabbage. And all those other things that make me a totally gross smelly person. I try to keep it to myself but we all know that is impossible. Anyhow, I just want to warn you what will come of eating this soup. You will be a fart machine but it will be totally worth it. (This is now the end of my gross talk. Now for the delicious food!)

(Photos courtesy of Love and Olive Oil)

This soup was SO EASY TO MAKE. I came home from work determined to eat something delicious and healthy and this took me 30 minutes flat from start to finish. It had a nice warming, spicy heat but with some sweetness from corn. And it is chock full of protein and fiber, you won't even know what to do with yourself. Here are my tiny bit of notes:

-- Can I just say, why haven't I used fire roasted tomatoes before now? They are amazing.
-- I definitely put in more hot sauce than was called for and then had some red pepper flakes. So yeah, spice it up however you want.
-- As for accoutrements, I put out green onions, sour cream and tortilla chips. The tortilla chips really made it though, so perfect.

I am putting this on my very long list of soups to make over and over again. And when it is this cheap, easy and delicious... why the heck not?

Hopefully I will be back again soon with a dessert recipe. Maybe something pumpkin-y? You will have to wait and see! xoxo

Pasta Fagioli 4/5 Spoons

Hey lovers! Sorry that I've been missing in action but I actually have a temp job right now and that means that I barely have time to cook good meals or eat good food. It sucks but I manage! And now I'm heading out to New York City and Boston for a week and I could not be more excited. Things are crazy but it feels really good to be tired from being busy all day, it's rewarding to say the least.

So I had my apprehensions about this soup at first. The picture looked great (down below there) but that isn't always an accurate representation of course. I will say, this soup was pretty darn amazing and ended up looking like the picture. Go figure. This had such a nice hearty tomato flavor and the pasta and pureed beans really added something extra. It would be ideal for winter nights or just when you need a serious "soup hug". Soup hug = a big bowl of soup that just melts all your daily worries away. It works, trust me.

(Photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)

Here are my notes:

-- I ended up using two cans of cannellini beans because I thought the soup was a little thin for my taste at the end. And I pureed the whole soup with my immersion blender. It seemed like it needed to be zapped a few times to get that rich and thick tomato soup from a can vibe that is so great. And it doesn't hurt to have more protein and fiber in your diet.
-- I used a can of diced tomatoes but ran it in my food processor until it was smooth. And I always use sodium free tomatoes just because I do. I'm sure I make up for it in added a lot of kosher salt but oh well. We only live once.
-- And as for herbs, I honestly didn't even measure them. And I didn't even add a bay leaf. I worked with what I had. But I did use fresh parsley because that stuff could make a toilet seat taste fresh.
-- Of course, I used veggie broth.
-- As for the ditalini (which I love), I cooked it separately and then added it in my soup as I went back for more. If you leave the pasta in the liquid and refrigerate it overnight, you will end up with a big poofy thick pasta mess on your hands. It's really not the worst thing ever, but it tastes so much better when you have that pasta saved away from the soup.
-- And since I'm a sucker for parmesan, of course I put some on the top. Obviously this is vegan if you leave that out and still just as good.

This review is short but sweet (or savory) and of course, I put my No Meat Mama stamp of approval right on this recipe. I will be back again soon with more reviews and another giveaway. So thanks for reading and have a great Labor Day!

Peanut Noodle Vegetable Soup 5/5 Spoons

I bet you all get really sick of me reviewing 5 star recipes. Actually, why would you? Don't you want to know that I'm constantly eating amazing meals? I would like to wish wonderful meals for everyone in the world. Well if you want to see me break and get mad about something I ate then this post is not for you.

(Photos courtesy of thursday night smackdown)

So I woke up this morning with the full intended desire to make some coffee, sit on our patio and read. Then as soon as I got dressed and my coffee was waiting for me, it started to rain. Dammit. I sat around feeling sorry for myself and then realized I have a lot of veggies to eat up and whoa, I should make that Peanut Noodle Vegetable Soup I had a recipe for. I thought this was also one of those throwaway recipes that I wouldn't end up making and I would have a sad, floppy head of cabbage just rotting away in my fridge. Nope, I wouldn't allow that to happen to this most honorable of vegetables! I'm so glad I made this, especially on such a drizzly dark day. It was warming, creamy but light and full of spice and tart sharpness. A lot of different wonderful flavors play together and sing in your mouth. Plus, it is SUPER healthy. Here are my tweaks and notes:

-- I'm really bad at remembering to grab fresh ginger when I'm at the market, even if it is on my list. So like many other recipes, I used 1/2 T. of dried ginger instead.
-- I definitely used more than 1 t. of red chili flakes. I would guess about twice that because I like it spicy.
-- Did you know that sweet potatoes are different than yams? I used a sweet potato here, there are not a lot of yams floating around in Chicago.
-- When I use canned tomatoes, I puree them in food processor because I don't like chunks. I think the tomato puree in this was perfect.
-- I used vegetable broth over water just to add more flavor.
-- I'm pretty loyal to Jif or Peter Pan peanut butter, so I used that instead of natural. I honestly don't think it would make much of a difference here.
-- So I cooked some cellophane noodles and they like grossed me out once they were done. I know it sounds weird but the texture made me nauseous. At the end here I threw in about 1/2 box of thick spaghetti broken into small pieces. It was perfect.
-- The lime in here is SO GOOD. I would suggest just squeezing the whole lime into the soup and mixing it a bit right before you serve. And I didn't add anymore hot sauce, but it would be nice to cater to each individual person's taste and have it on the side.

Okay, so it seems like a lot of notes, but really I don't think I deviated too much from the original recipe. So yeah, go out and make this now. It is chock full of vitamin C and beta carotene (from the sweet potato, carrots and cabbage) and protein from the peanut butter (although adding some tofu in here would be even better.) All I'm saying is that I love you guys and you need your vitamins. Mama is just watching out for you.

Vegetable Soup with Dumplings 5/5 Spoons

Ugh, you guys. I am still not in the Christmas spirit. I woke up early this morning and wrapped presents, still didn't work. I'll be making Christmas cookies on Thursday, not sure if that will do the trick either. Luckily I am not talking about Christmas with this meal, Vegetable Soup with Dumplings.

Yup, this is a Rachael Ray recipe. I may not love the woman either but this is a wonderful vegetarian soup and I can't hate on anyone who takes my food choices into consideration.



(picture courtesy of She's in the Kitchen)

Ok, I know I really need a camera. And this picture is probably the closest to what my soup ended up looking like (sans chicken).

Let's see here.... My tweaks to the recipe:

-- I used two dried bay leaves instead of one fresh one. I know you are supposed to halve dried ingredients in replacement for fresh ones, but whatever. I live on the wild side.
-- Instead of Dijon mustard, I used brown deli mustard because that is what I use on my sandwiches. I'm sure any kind of mustard is fine but if you use yellow, I would probably drop it down to 1/2 T. instead.
-- I made my own dumplings from scratch using this recipe. If you like a lot of dumplings, make the whole recipe. I would advise halving it if you are more into the veggies than the dumplings. And put the parsley in as RR suggests, it really gives it a fresh flavor! PS - Making these vegan would be a cinch, I used soymilk in my mine and they turned out wonderful. I'll try making the dumplings with Earth Balance next time to make this dish totally vegan.

This soup is thick and satisfying (that's what she said?) along with being chock full of vegetables. I realize there is quite a bit of butter strewn throughout but whatever, it's winter, right? You need the butter in the dumplings though for them to be tender yet firm, so don't skimp on it people!

I give this recipe:

5/5 spoons!

See you again VERY SOON.