Category: dinner

No Cap: Tortilla Soup

The garnishes seem overwhelming, but this is also delicious without a single addition.

I am going to share a top secret recipe today that is fail-proof, delicious, cheap, and vegan (if you skip some of the garnishes). It’s because I LOVE YOU, and I want you to have good things in your life. That’s why.

Not even going to make you sit through a story — just soup, soup, and more soup. Enjoy.

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 jalapeño, finely chopped (keep as many or as few seeds as you like)

 Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons puréed chipotles in adobo (see Recipe Notes)

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes (or two smaller cans)

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock (I used veg for the vegetarian)

1 can of corn kernels (or fresh, about 2 cups)

1 can black or dark red kidney beans

GARNISHES, ANY OR ALL

Avocado, chopped

Tortilla chips

Shredded Colby jack (or cheese of your choice)

Sour cream

Chopped fresh cilantro

Red onion, finely chopped

Method

Heat oil over medium heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add onion, garlic, green chilis/jalapeño, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is soft (5-8 minutes).

Add chili powder and cumin and stir to coat. Cook a minute or two until spices open up, then add chipotle purée and tomatoes. Season again with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to caramelize a bit on the bottom of the pot (the time for this varies depending on your pot, the heat, etc. But there will be less liquid and the tomatoes will brown slightly. Mine took about ten minutes).

Add vegetable stock, corn, and beans. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 15-20 minutes and taste for seasoning.

At this point, the soup is done. It can be set aside and reheated, and it’s even better the next day. It freezes perfectly.

Garnish the hell out of your soup, or eat it plain. Delicious either way.

This soup’s spice can be moderated by adding fewer seeds/veins from whatever pepper you choose.

Recipe Notes

  • When you open a can of chipotle chilis in adobo, dump in a blender and purée. Remove the amount you need for the soup, then place the rest in a Ziploc bag and flatten. Freeze. Break off chunks of deliciousness as needed.
  • Add grilled, shredded chicken (or rotisserie chicken from the store – EASY) for carnivores.

Riced Cauliflower With Basil Cashew Cream Sauce And Pretty Much Anything Else You Want

This unassuming little dish holds a tiny cloud of heaven: basil cashew cream sauce.

There is something incredibly comforting about a warm bowl of food. Since it seems we are living in season 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale, we need comfort and care now more than ever. Enter basil cashew cream sauce.

This sauce takes advantage of the late summer flush of basil on my back porch; it’s also vegan and packed with protein (hello, cashews!). If you don’t have basil, you can skip it or try some parsley or other mixed herbs.

Feed yourself (and your people) with love. And for fuck’s sake, VOTE.

Riced Cauliflower With Basil Cashew Cream Sauce And Pretty Much Anything Else You Want

You can make every component of this meal on a Sunday and have dinner on the table in 15 minutes any night of the week.

Ingredients

1 cup cashews

Boiling water

7 tablespoons water (ish. Maybe more, maybe less)

3 tablespoons lemon juice (ish. Also, see Recipe Notes)

Fresh basil leaves (a nice bunch – maybe an ounce or so)

1 head of cauliflower

2 tablespoons olive oil or ghee

Other stuff (see Recipe Notes)

Method

Place cashews in a jar with a lid and cover with boiling water. Let stand for at least 30 minutes (an hour or more is ok), then drain and rinse and put in a food processor.

Add water, lemon juice, and basil and process until everything is light and creamy and pourable. You may use more or less water and lemon juice to get the consistency you want.

The amount of basil you add depends on your taste and what you have. I like a bright, fresh, herbaceous sauce, so I added lots more than most people, but this isn’t pesto. You want to allow the subtle cashew flavor to come through, too. So add and taste and be judicious.

Also add salt and pepper to taste, then blend once more before putting in the ‘fridge. This sauce will last a couple of days chilled, more if you don’t add basil and just process with water and lemon. If you are using the sauce right away, no need to refrigerate.

Rice your entire head of cauliflower. This is most easily done in a food processor with a shredding disk, but you can also grate on a box grater or chop the shit out of it until the cauliflower is approximately the size of – wait for it – rice. You can also buy pre-riced cauliflower.

You’ll need two heaping cups for this recipe (one per person, with some leftovers). Pack the rest into two-cup servings in Ziploc bags and toss in the freezer for easy meals later.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, then add the cauliflower. Season with salt and pepper. You may need to add a little bit of water if the cauliflower absorbs the oil, but that’s ok. Cook the cauliflower on medium heat for about five minutes.

And here is where things get interesting. You can roast veggies separately and then add to the cauliflower and top with sauce. You can steam kale or other fall bitter greens in the pan with the cauliflower, then add cashew sauce and mix together (not pretty but YUM). You can use anything that you love in a bowl of food and bring it all together with the basil cashew cream sauce.

So. Freaking. Delicious.

Recipe Notes

This might seem a little thing, but when I first used this, I tossed a section of preserved lemon in the processor instead of lemon juice, and I also used stock instead of water. I had both of these things lying around. If you do, too, I encourage you to use those substitutions for a richer, more complex experience.

When it comes to “other stuff,” the sky is the limit. This is great with leftover (or freshly roasted) veg, grilled meat, or all on its own. You can really add what you like or what’s left in your ‘fridge (hopefully they are the same thing).

Stuffed Sweet Potato with Lots of Things, Plus Avocado Cream

A little boat of delicious: sweet potato, roasted broccoli, quinoa,
chopped cashews, and avocado cream.

So this was supposed to post on Wednesday, except I posted Monday’s blog on Tuesday.

Monday was Yom Kippur and KWeeks was home from school. These days, the only way I have been able to keep track of time is through other people. Because I am a freelance writer, every day can be pretty much like the next in the sense that I set my own schedule and can work whenever so long as I meet my deadlines. I have taken to working on the weekends so that I can enjoy the out-of-doors without dodging non-mask-wearing joggers and people who don’t think leash laws apply to them.

But I digress.

This is ostensibly a food blog, but it is having a crisis of conscience. Yes, we all need to eat, and this here is some excellent vegan food that you won’t believe is actually good for you (but it so is), but there are things happening in the world that make it hard to post pithy blog posts about food.

I am not one of those people who is moving on with the news cycle. #Blacklivesstillmatter

And it is luxurious in my life to be able to put aside whatever is trouble and whip up some food. A luxury that so many don’t have.

And I am not here to justify any of that.

But I am here to say this: here is something delicious that I created with loved and shared with people so they can feel good in their bodies.

It doesn’t erase or negate my feelings about what is happening in the world, and it’s not the only action I am taking.

But it’s the small thing I can do – feed people – that I know makes a difference.

I am trying to figure out how to make this more of love in action instead of love online. If you have thoughts, let me know. I am open.

Stuffed Sweet Potato With Roasted Broccoli, Red Onion, Chopped Cashews, and Avocado Cream
(serves 4)

Make this on Sunday night for delicious lunches all week. Quinoa is a densely nutritious seed – a so-called “false grain” – that pairs well with sweet potatoes. Together they provide a sweet-bitter balance of taste set off by the sharp tang of the lime juice.

Ingredients

4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed well
2 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup quinoa, rinsed in cold water (see Recipe Notes)
1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets (about 4 cups)
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe avocadoes
½ cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon lime juice (more to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup chopped cashews
optional: fresh chopped cilantro (see Recipe Notes)

Method

Preheat oven to 400. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Scrub sweet potatoes and remove any blemishes. Prick each sweet potato with a fork, then place directly on the oven rack to roast (put a piece of aluminum foil under them to catch any spills). Set your kitchen timer for 25 minutes.

Bring stock to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add ½ cup of onion, quinoa, and a pinch of salt. Return to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed – about 15 to 20 minutes.

After your quinoa is covered, prepare the broccoli. Place broccoli, olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper in large bowl and toss to coat. Pour onto baking sheet. When the timer for the sweet potatoes goes off, put broccoli in the oven with the sweet potatoes and roast for 20 minutes. The broccoli will be done in 20 minutes, and sweet potatoes should be, too, but check by poking with a fork. They should give easily all the way to the center. If not, roast until done.

While the broccoli is roasting, make the avocado cream. Place avocado, coconut milk, and lime juice in a blender or food processor. Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed – consider more lime, salt, or pepper as needed.

When everything is ready, serve family-style with chopped cashews and cilantro (if using), or assemble and pack into portable containers for lunch on the run. Leave avocado cream on the side until ready to heat and eat.

Recipe Notes

• This makes extra quinoa to use in quick salads, in lunch bowls, or as a side. If you want just enough for this meal, cut amounts in half.
• If you are a fan of cilantro, you can add it to the avocado cream. It is optional here as some are not fond of the taste, and a little goes a long way.
• Carnivores can add the meat of their choice to this meal. Think leftover chicken or grilled steak.

Sweet Potato and Sausage Hash with Preserved Lemon

The steam made this picture fuzzy, I swear.

So it’s maybe a little strange to start a food blog writing about death, but isn’t it all related in the end?

My beautiful friend Mark Garner died a year ago on October 23rd, 2019, and he opted for a green burial – doing more good than harm in death as in his life.

And KWeeks’s father died six years ago on September 20, 2014, two days after his birthday.

And fall is a natural time to think about death, I think, as the leaves plummet from the trees and all of the outward signs of life begin to fold in and shrivel up.

This morning I found this article on mushroom coffins, an excellent idea if there ever was one, and I got to thinking about how we all eventually become food (or energy) for the earth that we took food and energy from in our lifetime.

Perhaps that’s why in the fall we reach for comfort food – familiar ingredients and easy, warming meals. We are returning, in a sense, to our beginnings as we move irrevocably to our end.

This could be a sad and depressing thought, or it could be a meditation on how we care for ourselves and each other in these transitions: with love and kindness, or anger and impatience?

The sweet and the sour. Life and death. Here’s some dinner to mull it over with.

Sweet Potato And Sausage Hash With Preserved Lemon
(serves 4 to 6)

Comfort food at its finest, with leftovers for lunch the next day. Hearty, salty sausage is balanced with the sweetness of sweet potatoes and the deeply satisfying sourness of lemon. Adjust cinnamon and cumin to taste and season lightly.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil or ghee
1 12-ounce package of kielbasa, cut into ¼” coins (see Recipe Note)
1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced into ¼” slices
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼” cubes (see Recipe Note)
1 ½ teaspoons cumin
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon pepper
8 wedges preserved lemon, chopped small (see Recipe Notes)

Method

In a large frying pan with high sides and a lid, heat one tablespoon of olive oil or ghee over medium heat. Add kielbasa and brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add remaining oil or ghee and then add onions. Cook until onions begin to turn translucent.

Add sweet potatoes and toss to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally until brown, about ten minutes.

When the sweet potatoes are browned, add spices, preserved lemon, and sausage. Turn heat down, cover, and cook until the sweet potatoes are cooked through. This could take between 5 and 15 minutes, depending on the size of your vegetables.

Remove from heat, check for seasoning (salt and pepper), and serve.

Recipe Notes

• The smaller you cut your sweet potatoes, the faster this will come together.
• Look for kielbasa with no sugar, nitrates/nitrites, or other artificial ingredients
• If you don’t have preserved lemon, you can use 1 ½ lemons, cut into wedges. Unlike the preserved lemon, though, do not eat the fresh lemon.
• If your sausage is lean, drizzle the dish with ghee before serving.

How to Stop and When to Die: Sweet Potato, Broccoli, Mushrooms, and Kale in Coconut Broth

It’s hard to take a good picture of this, but I can tell you with utter certainty that it is fucking delicious.

One of my favorite artists, Marina Abramovic, said this in the documentary Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World:

“It’s important as an artist to know how to stop and when to die.”

I am not sure why this strikes me as so profoundly true, but it does. I have long planned to take up smoking again when I hit 80, and I am adamantly opposed to overstaying my welcome here on this earthly plane.

But the time to stop (and the time to die) are not yet here. Even in this garbage fire of a country, with literal fires in the west and metaphorical fires everywhere, there is still much work to be done.

Here’s some fuel for your good work.

Sweet Potato, Broccoli, Mushrooms, and Kale in Coconut Broth
(serves 4 to 6)

There is a lot of chopping here, but don’t let that scare you off. Use pre-chopped veggies as needed to make this largely hands-off, and feel free to swap out vegetables that you prefer. Optional but recommended is fresh cilantro for serving. See Recipe Notes for optional additions for carnivores.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seed
½ large yellow onion, diced (about ¾ cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¼” cubes (about 3 cups)
2 cups of chopped mushrooms (see Recipe Notes)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 16-ounce bag frozen kale (or 3 cups fresh, chopped small)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Lemon wedges (for serving)
Optional but highly recommended: fresh chopped cilantro for serving

Method

Heat ghee/olive oil in a large frying pan with high sides over medium heat.

Add mustard and coriander seeds and stir. When they begin to pop, add onion, garlic, and ginger and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften.

Add sweet potato, mushrooms, and broccoli. Stir and sauté for 6 minutes, or until the sweet potato just begins to soften slightly.

Add coconut milk, kale, and walnuts and season with salt and pepper. Lower heat, then cover and cook for 10 minutes. Sweet potatoes should be cooked through but not completely mushy, so check at the halfway point.

Check for seasoning and add salt and/or pepper to taste.

Serve with lemon wedges and freshly chopped cilantro.

Recipe Notes

• You can use any type of mushroom in this, so pick which ones you like. They are chopped fine and so the shape does not matter. Portobellos give a great flavor and texture and are recommended, but cremini mushrooms work just as well.
• Feel free to substitute your favorite vegetables here or play with amounts above. Love mushrooms and just tolerate broccoli? Think cabbage might be delicious, or want to try snap peas or butternut squash? Adjust accordingly.
• It’s always an option to add your choice of animal protein to any recipe. In this case, sliced, fried sausage coins would be a delicious addition.