Author: Suzannah Kolbeck

Cream of Mushroom Soup (Vegan)

Luscious and warming – just like me.

Edited: this was written prior to the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We have apparently now entered the meaty side of things.

Yes, I am aware that I said we would get into the meaty side of things – and we will.

Seems like much of life these days is waiting to get into the meaty things.

But in the meantime, the nights will be in the mid-40s for the next week, with sunny, dry fall days ahead. This vegan cream of mushroom soup is perfect for lunch, or with crusty bread and a big salad for dinner. It freezes well, so put some up for the rainy days ahead.

Cream of Mushroom Soup
(serves 6, with leftovers)

Luscious and creamy without a trace of cream, this silky soup is full of grounding, warming flavors and herbs. A perfect vegan lunch, or see Recipe Notes for meat-eating options. Use homemade chicken, vegetable, or beef stock (see recipes included below), or look for store-bought organic stocks with limited ingredients. Seasoning makes the difference here, so don’t shy away from salt and pepper. Taste as you go.

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews (see Recipe Notes)
¼ cup olive oil or ghee (divided)
1 cup onion, chopped (red, yellow, and white all work)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds mushrooms, roughly chopped (see Recipe Notes)
3 tablespoons fresh thyme (or 3 teaspoons dried)
2 tablespoon fresh sage (or 2 teaspoons dried)
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock (divided)
Salt and pepper to taste
Splash of apple cider vinegar for serving
optional for carnivores: ground beef, browned and drained (see Recipe Notes)
optional for serving: fresh thyme and fresh chopped parsley

Method

Cover cashews with boiling water and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Drain, then purée in a blender with ½ cup of chicken or vegetable stock. Set aside.

Heat olive oil or ghee in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to turn translucent and take on some color (about 5 to 7 minutes). Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Turn the heat to medium high and add the mushrooms, a handful at a time, allowing the mushrooms to color just a bit before adding more. You may need to add a little more ghee or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and add fresh thyme and sage. Add remaining stock and bring to a low simmer. Cook until mushrooms are tender (10 to 12 minutes), then add cashew purée, starting with a ¼ cup and adding to get the consistency you want. You may need to add more stock or less cashew purée.

If you are using ground beef, add it back in now and bring the soup back to a low boil. Remove from heat. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar, season to taste, and serve with chopped fresh thyme and parsley.

Recipe Notes

• If you have leftover Cashew Cream, it works well in this recipe. Simply add whatever you like for a nice creamy consistency.
• Select any mushrooms you like. In the fall, look for local chanterelles and porcini mushrooms, as well as year-round shitake and Portobello. A mix of mushrooms works fine here.
• If you are making the carnivorous version of this silky soup, start by browning one pound of ground beef in a stockpot. Remove the ground beef when browned and proceed with sautéing the onion, as above (no need to add ghee or olive oil). Make sure and scrape the browned bits of ground beef off the bottom of the pot as you sauté the onions. Add ground beef back in after you incorporate the cashew purée.

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.

The Renewal: Wild Salmon With Bok Choy, Snap Peas, Fennel, And Crispy Mushrooms

Salmon with bok choy, snap peas, fennel, and crispy mushrooms to greet the new moon.

2020 was the year we all became experts on how far a sneeze can travel in a grocery store.

It was also the year I learned that you cannot erase all of your “recents” documents without actually erasing the document completely from everywhere on your computer, and that because MacBook Pro’s default setting is to encrypt every document you produce, it is nearly impossible to recover anything once you have erased your entire desktop.

Sigh. Par for the course in 2020. Another continuation in a long line of personal losses – of people, of things, of writing.

But. There are still things to be done. Earlier this year I began doing some recipe development for my friend Martha of Full Moon Acupuncture for her School of Renewal.

This Renewal is not a detox or a cleanse. It is not intended to make you feel deprived or hollowed out. It is a chance to re-evaluate what it means to feel truly nourished in all ways – through food, practice, and creativity.

The Renewal begins this Thursday on the New Moon, an excellent time to turn in and reset, to begin something new and set intentions. There is time to sign up still – Martha is offering both self-paced and guided options – and I can tell you that this course (and the person offering it) is something special.

This recipe is one of a couple dozen I developed, the first one, as a matter of fact, and when I put it down in front of KWeeks his comment was, “This is part of a cleanse?!” It is rich and decadent and so very delicious but also good for you and soul-satisfying.

Salmon with Bok Choy, Snap Peas, and Fennel (and Crispy Roasted Mushrooms)
(serves 4)

This decadent dish takes a little time and so works best when you are able to slow down and savor not only the final meal but also the process of making it. Packed with nutrient-dense salmon and vegetables, the Five Tastes, from sweet to sour and a crucial part of the traditional Chinese medicine school of nutritional support, are well represented here.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon coriander seed
3 tablespoons ghee OR olive oil
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces snap peas
1 pound bok choy, washed and cut into 2” pieces
1 fennel bulb, top cut off and bulb cut into ¼” pieces (see Recipe Notes)
4 skin-on wild salmon filets, or one two-pound whole filet (see Recipe Notes)
Olive oil (for salmon)
Salt and pepper (for salmon)
Lemon wedges (for serving)
Crispy Roasted Mushrooms (optional, see recipe below)

Method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line one large baking sheet with parchment paper (you can use lightly greased aluminum foil if you prefer) and another large sheet if you are roasting the mushrooms. Set aside.

Heat a dry sauté pan and add coriander. Swirl coriander in the pan until it becomes fragrant, just a minute or two. This is not required but brings more flavor out of your spices.

In a small bowl, combine coriander, ghee/olive oil, ginger, garlic, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix and set aside.

Place snap peas, bok choy, and fennel in a large mixing bowl and pour the coriander dressing over them. Stir vegetables to coat (you can use your hands). Taste to check for salt and pepper.

Pour vegetables onto baking sheet, saving space for your salmon. It is ok if the vegetables are on top of each other. Slide into preheated oven and set the timer for 10 minutes.

At 10 minutes, it’s time to put the salmon in the oven.

If you are brining your salmon, pat dry and place on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Give your veggies a stir, then place salmon on baking sheet to cook, skin side down. Total cooking time is around 20 to 25 minutes (20 minutes for veg, and ten or so minutes for salmon).

When the fish is cooked the way you like it, remove the sheet from oven.

Serve with lemon wedges and top with Crispy Roasted Mushrooms.

Recipe Notes

• To prepare fennel, cut the tops off and freeze for vegetable stock. Cut the bulb in half from top to bottom and remove the core (it’s tough and not tasty). Place the flat side on your cutting board and cut into ¼” pieces.
• A few notes on salmon. Wild salmon in season is always more economical than out of season. The most affordable kind of salmon, with less fat and a milder flavor, is keta. Coho, sockeye, Copper River, and King salmon are intensely flavorful fish but can be quite expensive. Most are available frozen year-round.
• Salmon releases albumin when cooked. This harmless protein can be unappetizing to look at. If you would like to minimize this in your fish, brine salmon for 10 minutes before cooking in a solution of 1 tablespoon of salt per cup of water. When ready to cook, pat salmon dry and proceed to cook as directed.

Crispy Roasted Mushrooms

These are easy and delicious, good for snacking and adding texture and umami to food. They can also be added to salads and lunch wraps; the recipe easily doubles.

Ingredients

One pound assorted mushrooms, sliced (shitake, oyster, cremini, etc)
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
½ cup olive oil
Salt, to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss mushrooms, marjoram, and olive oil until thoroughly mixed.

Pour onto baking sheet, making sure the mushrooms have plenty of room.

Roast for around 15 to 20 minutes until crispy.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt to taste.

Breakfast Cookies

My office window, viewed through a breakfast cookie filter.

I don’t know about where you live, but here in Maryland we have just gotten our first glimpse of fall.

This past week overnight temps hovered in the mid-60s, and daytime highs were just around the upper 70s. Dry, clear blue skies, and the beginnings of leaves drifting out of the tops of trees.

I am predicting it here, though: we are in for a big winter. Lots of cold and snow.

This may be dire news for you, but I am here to console you with breakfast cookies. I like a warm, good-smelling house in the fall, and I also like an easy and comforting breakfast in the morning. If we were all rushing off to work and school as in the past, these would be an ideal way to get some food in you on a busy morning, too.

You can also tell yourself that these are good for you – there is very little added sugar, and really, less than that doughnut or French toast you may have been having.

Plus, even though we aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, these breakfast cookies are portable bundles of goodness. These days I like to take them with me on hikes. Quick and easy nutrition that’s not filled with preservatives.

And, in the spirit of my Depression-era grandmother, you can use whatever you have on hand for these, pretty much. Make your own granola (Best Granola Recipe included in Recipe Notes), or finish up the dregs of multiple boxes of breakfast cereal, whatever kind you like.

They are simple and ready in about 15 minutes, start to finish.

Breakfast Cookies

This recipe makes 12-14 cookies. I portion them with an ice cream scoop and freeze. Pop them in a preheated oven and you have fresh cookies in 12 minutes.

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable/canola oil

2/3 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups flour (see Recipe Notes)

3 cups cereal (granola, multigrain flakes, anything you like – see Recipe Notes)

Method

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking tray with parchment (or silicon sheet) and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine oil and brown sugar and whisk to combine.

Add baking soda and eggs and give it a sturdy whisking until the mixture lightens slightly.

Add flour and mix well with a spatula, the add cereal and mix well with same spatula until well-combined.

Scoop onto a cookie sheet (ice cream scoop works here, or use two heaping tablespoons per cookie). Flatten slightly.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until brown and set. Cool on the pan for one minute, then move to a wire rack and cool completely. OR eat them warm, which is what I do because they smell so good when they are cooking that I cannot wait.

Recipe Notes

Best Granola Ever: Preheat oven to 250. Line baking sheets with parchment. Combine 3 cups oats, 2 cups nuts, 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes in a bowl. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup maple syrup, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt, then pour over oat mixture and stir to combine. Spread on cookie sheets and bake for an hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Remove from oven and add 1 cup dried fruit, any kind, mixing well. THAT’S IT. Substitute any kind of nut or dried fruit, add spices (cinnamon, clove, pumpkin pie spice, etc). Whatever you like.

Feel free to use any flour that floats your boat here, literally. I use my gluten-free AP flour, but I have also used oat and, when still eating gluten, wheat flour. They all work.

As for cereal, use the Best Granola Ever from above, or add literally any other kind of cereal you can imagine. Go as trashy or as healthy as you like.

MAKE THESE VEGAN: Use whatever egg replacer you normally use to replace the two eggs here.

Let’s Just Make It Easy, Shall We? Mixed Citrus Drizzle Cake

Sliced citrus drizzle loaf cake with red grapefruit and orange wedges on a wooden cutting board
Go easy.

FRIENDS. The Great British Bake-Off (The Great British Baking Show in the U.S.) has finished filming their next season, and GOOD LORD do we ever need some GBBO camaraderie.

The Great British Bake-Off is the nicest competition on TV. If you have been living under a rock, you might not know that this show pits 12 or 13 bakers in three specific tasks, one weekend a month for two months until the final baker is crowned the winner and receives…

A cake plate.

That’s it. All the final contestants get the same bouquet of flowers, but the winner gets a cake plate.

Yes, the winning spot comes with some amount of prestige and visibility, but the relatively low stakes means that these genuinely nice-seeming folks are supportive and wonderful with each other. There have been some controversial moments, but in general, the show has maintained its lovely manner.

The Great British Baking Show also gave us Mary Berry.

She likes to drink, and she eats out the side of her mouth, biting the fork every. Single. Time.

Annoying as hell, but one of the things she does that is incredible and revolutionary (besides knowing more about baking than most people forget) she calls the “all-in-one” method.

When it comes to cake, Mary Berry doesn’t cream the butter and sugar and then fuss about alternating dry and wet ingredients. She dumps everything into the bowl and beats the shit out of it, and it all works out fine.

This method, my depleted state, and my belief that we all really need a fucking break, has inspired this cake.

Also, the fact that I have excess citrus in my ‘fridge even though I am not a fan of citrus. You can use whatever you have, to taste.

AND. This cake comes together in less than ten minutes. Seriously. So like the lovely people across the pond, you could theoretically have fresh cake ready by teatime. If you are currently entertaining children at your home or trying to figure out WTF to do with them, this is a great cake for them, too.

Mixed Citrus Drizzle Cake

I am a big fan of using what’s laying around, especially now that going to the store is not always possible. This recipe is all about pantry ingredients. If you choose to use gluten-filled flour, don’t beat the cake batter as much or it will be tough. Otherwise, have at it.

Ingredients

For the cake:

10 tablespoons butter, very soft

1 3/4 cups gluten-free AP flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 eggs

6 tablespoons milk (any kind – I used oat twice)

Zest of one grapefruit (see Recipe Notes)

Zest of one orange

For the drizzle:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup citrus juice (see Recipe Notes)

Powdered sugar (see Recipe Notes)

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter (or spray with cooking spray) an 8″ x 4″ loaf pan and set aside.

Ready? Dump all cake ingredients in one bowl and beat with a hand mixer (or a whisk – your choice) until it becomes light and fluffy.

Pour/shovel/scoop into prepared tin and smooth the top.

Place in oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cake is baking, dissolve sugar in the citrus juice. When the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes in the top with a skewer and brush, pour, or spoon the drizzle on top.

Let the cake cool completely in the tin, and then unmold. Sift powdered sugar on top before serving. If you’re fancy and want to be very British, melt chocolate (milk or dark) and drizzle on top instead of powdered sugar.

Recipe Notes

The citrus zest combo is all up to you. I used all grapefruit, one grapefruit and one orange, and lemon for this cake. Mix and match with whatever you have. You are looking for a tablespoon or two of zest for a nice punchy flavor.

Juice is also up to you. If you have straight orange juice, lower the sugar a tad to balance the sweetness. All lemon? Bump it up to make it sharp (as Paul Hollywood says) without searing off your tastebuds.