Recipe: Josiah's Simple Gazpacho

Jess and I stuck to a raw diet for a few week period. We've gone back to cooking some of our foods, but our brief raw experiment allowed me the opportunity to make one of my favorite soups that I usually only make in the hottest months of summer. This gazpacho, we found, is just as tasty even in the chilly months of winter!

Ingredients:

5 medium tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 medium cucumber, finely diced
1 large carrot, grated
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp cumin
3-4 dashes hot sauce
3-4 drops liquid smoke (optional)

Cut the tomatoes into large pieces (knife precision will not matter on the tomatoes). Place the tomato and garlic into a high speed blender and blend until silky smooth.

Transfer the mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour for the flavors to meld together.  Serve and enjoy!

Recipe: Chocolate Apple Chipotle Chili OR The Cure for the Common Chili

What do you do as a vegan when participating in a friend’s chili cook-off party? What do you do when you know a number of people in attendance think more meat makes a better chili? Blow their minds with some creative deliciousness, that’s what!

A friend of ours held a Mad Men / chili cook-off party this past weekend. So, we put on our finest 60’s era business executive/housewife attire, placed a pot of chili in the car, and drove across town to get our party on. After the drinking of much scotch and other equally classy beverages, of the six chilis in the informal competition... there was a four way tie for first place. But our Chocolate Apple Chipotle Chili was one of the four, at least. And with no meat. Go figure!

Before making this recipe, keep in mind that I made this for a large party of people, so this is going to make one big batch of chili. If you’re just looking to make dinner for your family you may want to consider halving--or perhaps even quartering--the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
4 medium apples, peeled and diced (I used Gala because we had them on hand)
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt
4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 28 oz. cans whole tomatoes, hand crushed*
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 oz. vegan dark chocolate (80% cocoa or higher)
1 Tbsp. brown sugar

*If you are adamantly opposed to getting your hands dirty by hand-crushing your tomatoes, you can use cans of diced tomatoes. Be aware, though, that the texture just won’t be the same.

1. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, carrot, apple, and garlic to the pot along with a heavy pinch of salt. Saute for 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have begun to soften.

2. Add chipotle peppers with their sauce, bay leaves, chili pepper, cumin, and cinnamon. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes, stirring.

3. Add tomato and beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the chocolate and sugar, stirring until they have dissolved completely into the chili. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

It’s all ready! Enjoy it with some vegan corn bread or some tortilla chips.

Recipe: Leek, Potato, and Celeriac Soup

This soup is very simple and very delicious. The addition of celeriac (also known as celery root) adds some amazing character that does wonders for the dish. If you can’t get your hands on some, though--or you desperately need a way to put a dent in a potato surplus--you can substitute the celeriac with additional potatoes.

Ingredients:

1 tsp. olive oil
3 large leeks, chopped and washed
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt
6 cups water
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. white pepper
2 lb. potatoes, peeled and diced 1/2”
1 celeriac (approx. 1 lb.), peeled and diced 1/2”

Ingredients ready for the stockpot.

1. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic along with a healthy pinch of salt. Saute about 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the leeks are translucent.

2. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes until potato and celeriac are tender.

3. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Add salt to taste. By either transferring soup to a blender or using an immersion blender, puree the soup. It can be blended until uniformly smooth, but I prefer to only blend about half of the soup so that there is still some hearty potato and celeriac pieces to bite into.

There! The soups all ready. See! Told you it was an easy recipe!

Bowl up the soup and dig in with a nice piece of multi-grain baguette.