Fideo

This is how I make it:

1 section of fideo nido (wrapped around itself, as opposed to fideo corto, which is cut)

1 vegetable bouillon cube dissolved in 2 C of water (or 2 C vegetable broth)

1 small can of tomato sauce

Chik'n style seitan

Water

Canola or corn oil

Salt and pepper

(You can add a little garlic if you like-I don't usually, but sometimes I add a can of diced tomatoes)

First, you must fry the fideo. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of your soup pot (a tb or two) and keep the fideo moving. It burns quickly.  When the pasta is golden and toasted, add the tomato sauce and cover.  That sauce will spit at you like an angry cobra. Make sure to shake the pot by the handle (like when you make popcorn) to keep the sauce from burning. When it turns orange-y and smells yummy, add the broth, pepper, seitan, and garlic if you choose to add it. Add water up to an inch from the top of your pot and bring to a boil. Give it a good stir, then reduce to a simmer. When the fideo is tender, it's ready to season and serve. I like eating fideo with golden, dark yellow corn tortillas. 

I've had it with limes and/or mayonnaise added as condiments (no clue about the Reason why people use mayo, but it does taste good). This doesn't keep well because the noodles absorb the broth, but it still tastes good the next day, so I'm advising you to make small batches. And the best part is that it only costs a few dollars to make a pot that serves four people.

IC Friendly Pozole

Pozole is a lot like menudo as it has hominy cooked in a spicy broth.  From what I've been told, the difference types of soup is the meat you make it with,  Menudo has tripe while pozole has pork and chicken.  Pozole can be red, made with red chiles, or green, made with tomatillo and green/yellow chiles.  If you want to make this recipe green, use yellow bell peppers that you've roasted, seeded, and peeled.



1 jar of roasted bell peppers (about 3-4 peppers)
1 large can of hominy (the really big one that looks like it's about a gallon)
Thyme (I used about 4 heaping tb dried)
Oregano (if you use fresh, start slow, you can always add more)
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
2 boxes of sliced mushrooms
(optional ) 1 C of your favorite chik'n substitute, sliced (unflavored wheat gluten/seitan works well.  I used +gardein Crispy Mandarin Orange Chik'n without sauce, but it has soy)
1/2 - 1/4 C maseca (masa harina)
Canola or corn oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Water or IC Friendly broth for cooking




Traditional IC Friendly garnishes include shredded cabbage, avocado, radish slices, oregano, and thyme. *

You're gonna need a big soup/stock pot for this quantity of pozole, but I guarantee it's worth it.  Everybody will want some too and it will last until the end of the next day.  **

The first thing I do when I cook with hominy is drain and rinse it.  Just dump it in a colander, run the faucet, and leave it to drain while you cook.  Then, put your mushrooms in a dry pan to sweat.  Cook them until they're soft.  They don't need to dry out, the juices will add flavor to your broth.

Add the bell peppers to your pot with a 1/2 C of water and bring to a boil.  Put the peppers with the water into your blender (or you can use a boat motor), keep the pulp or strain if you like, then back into the pot with 2 quarts of water.  Add your garlic, herbs, salt, pepper if you can tolerate it, and bring back to a boil.  Taste your broth to see if it needs more herbs or salt.  Add the mushrooms, chik'n, and hominy and cover with more water, about two inches over the hominy.   Boil for about 15-30 minutes, stir so it doesn't stick.  It;s ready for the roux when the hominy is tender, but still toothy (al dente).

While the soup boils, make your masa roux.  For masa roux, I like to use 1 part oil to 2 parts maseca. Heat oil in a saucepan, then sprinkle or sift in the maseca.  When it's cooked through, ladle some broth from your pot (about a cup) and add water to thin.  Work out any lumps and stir while you bring to a boil.  If your hominy isn't soft when the roux comes together, set the roux to warm and stir about every minute so that it doesn't burn or stick.

When, the hominy is soft add the masa roux and stir so that it mixes evenly.  Bring back to a boil, stir well, and serve with hot corn tortillas.  What you see in the picture is pozole topped with shredded cabbage and avocado slices.

*If any of the ingredients in this recipe are bothersome for you, substitute them for something else.  For example, parsley instead of oregano or diced zucchini instead of mushrooms.  

**to make a more manageable quantity, use these proportions:

1roasted, peelers bell pepper

1small can of hominy

1 tb thyme and 1 tb oregano

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 C to 1 C sliced mushrooms

(Optional)1/2 C chik'n, sliced

1 to 2 tb maseca

1 to 2 tb canola or corn oil

Salt and pepper to taste

The hominy and herbs will be cheaper at the Mexican market, and they may have better corn tortillas.  My favorite are dark yellow, grainy, thick, and smell like fragrant masa.  They steam very well.  I've seen hominy that has been frozen in supermarkets before, but I've never used it before.  If you have massive leftovers, freeze them in a zipper bag for no longer than a month. The Middle Eastern store may have large jars of roasted peppers at a good price.

Chik'n Soup

1-2 C frozen peas

1-2 C frozen corn

1-2 C frozen cut green beans

1 bunch celery chopped

1-2 C shredded or diced carrots

1-2 boxes sliced mushrooms

1 bunch parsley chopped

1/2 C pasta stars or alphabets

1 package chicken style seitan (White Wave or Upton Naturals work well)

2 tb turmeric

Dried parsley

Dried tarragon

Dried thyme

Chopped garlic

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Sweat the mushrooms until soft, add a few tb of olive oil and add the celery and carrots. When the veggies begin to caramelize, add the seitan and herbs/garlic/spices. Stir and cook until the herbs start to release their aroma, then add the pasta and frozen veggies. When the veggies start to defrost, fill your soup pot with water (no more than two inches over the veggie mixture) and simmer covered until the pasta is tender. Season and serve with saltines or toasted bread. 

If you like your soup thick and hearty, you can add a roux to the broth. It does not keep for more than two days in the refrigerator (the pasta breaks down) but it freezes well enough to make a whole pot. The turmeric may stain your pit and dish mop, but soaking in sudsy water helps. 

Frozen Kale

At the beginning of my week, I have a nice selection of fresh fruits and vegetable to use in my meal planning and preparation.  I'm learning which ingredients last longer, which freeze well, and which ones to buy the morning before I make a specific dish.  One thing that has helped me to make healthier food in a convenient way is to use prepared food items.  These prepared foods are not necessarily processed, they may be pre-cooked or pre-washed and cut.  Buying ready to eat quinoa and shredded carrots/cabbage at +Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market has brought so much joy to my life.  I love my mandolin, but I'm also scared to use it more than I have to.  Frozen food is another great way to save time.  I wanted some greens for the end of my week so I bought frozen kale, spinach and butternut squash cubes.  I mixed those with some other ingredients I had in my kitchen and came up with a pot of soup and a pan of stir fry.  I portioned them into reusable containers and now I have meals for the week and meals in the freezer saved for later.

A note for IC people, always check labels for problem ingredients like the soy sauce in Upton's Naturals or my use of ginger.  Substitute with other ingredients like chopped garlic or unseasoned seitan/wheat meat.

Kale Quinoa Stir Fry

2 boxes of pre-cooked quinoa (3-4 C)
3/4 bag of frozen kale (2-3 C)
1/2 bag of frozen spinach (2-3 C)
1-2 C shredded carrots (and/ or red cabbage, green cabbage, bell peppers. anything you enjoy)
1 box of +Upton's Naturals Traditional Seitan
Sesame oil to taste
1 Tb olive oil
2 Tb molasses
2-4 Tb crushed ginger
Salt and pepper
Tarragon

Cook the seitan in the olive oil until browned and crispy.  You may need to cut the pieces into smaller bites.  Add your carrots (and other fresh veggies) and cook until they begin to caramelize.  Add the ginger, molasses, and sesame oil and stir, immediately adding the kale and spinach to keep the sauce from burning.  The water from the frozen veggies will help to deglaze your pan.  When everything is cooked through, add the quinoa and mix well.  Season to taste.

Serves 6-8, keeps well in the fridge for the week.

Cream of Butternut Squash Soup

1 bag of frozen cubed butternut squash
1 C frozen kale
1 C frozen spinach
2-4 C water
2-3 C plain unsweetened almond milk
1/4-1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour
2 Tb Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery Spread
2 Tb olive oil
Herbs and spices (I used sage and marjoram)
Salt and pepper

Cook the butternut squash and olive oil in a soup pot.  When the squash becomes soft, add the butter.
When the butter melts, add the flour and stir to make a roux.  Add the herbs and spices, and almond milk.  When the milk begins to boil, reduce heat and hit it with a stick blender to make it creamy.  Bring back to a boil and add the water.  When the soup boils again, add the frozen greens.  Simmer until it reaches the consistency you want, season before serving. You can also thicken it with bread crumbs or Daiya Mozzarella Shreds.  This sounds like a lot of work, but it only took 15 minutes from start to finish.

Serves 6-8 (or 4 if you have giant chowder bowls :D), freezes well. 

Broccoli Chowder

1 head or bag of broccoli, chopped into small pieces
1-2 C of shredded carrots
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 bunch of chopped parsley
Olive oil
1-2 Tb Margarine
1 pint plain unsweetened almond milk
1/4-1 C whole wheat pastry flour
1-2 pints water
Herbs of choice
Salt
Pepper

In a sauce pot, make a roux with the margarine and flour.  When the roux is ready, add 1 C of the almond milk to make a bechamel like sauce.  bring to a boil, then reduce to warm.  In your soup pot, cook the veggies olive oil to taste, maybe 1 to 2 Tb.  Add the garlic after the veggies are cooked then add the remaining almond milk and water.  When everything comes to a boil, add the bechamel.  Watch your pot, it may boil over.  Season before serving.

Your soup will be only as thick as the amount of flour you used to make the roux.  1/4 C will make it thin and 1 C will make it chunky.  If you make it too thick, you can always add more water.  If it's not thick enough, you could add leftover mashed potatoes or make more roux. 

Serve with saltine, oyster cracker, wheat toast, and top with non-dairy cheese.

Miso Ramen

I do not at all claim to be knowledgeable about the subtle art of Japanese cuisine.  This soup is my Asian inspired version of American comfort food.  Miso Ramen at a proper Japanese restaurant will be made with dashi, miso, and good noodles.  I don't eat seafood so I made my own broth:  bouillon cubes, ginger, soy sauce, sesame, white pepper, sometimes I use lemongrass too.  Usually I prefer white miso for this because it's sweet and mellow.  Your toppings can be anything you like, here I used LightLife Smart Bacon, greens, and peas.

If you use dry noodles, soak them in cool water to rehydrate them and remove some of the sodium and starch.  Make sure to separate the noodles so that they can absorb as much as possible and change the water if it gets cloudy.  If you use fresh noodles, they should probably be blanched before adding to the soup, but follow whatever instructions come on the package.

Make your broth and bring to a boil.  Add miso and stir to dissolve.  Add the noodles and warm them through.  Serve the noodles in a bowl and pour broth on top.  Add warmed toppings and slurp away the cold weather.

Udon--My Favorite Comfort Food When I Have a Cold

When you're sick you want something hot, nourishing, soothing, and nutritious.  Udon is easy to make if you have access to an Asian market or your local grocery store has a good selection of Asian goods.  A large pot of this soup makes 4-6 servings.

2 packages of individually portioned Udon noodles.

If you don't use the included seasoning packets, 2 cubes of Vegetarian bouillon and water to cover noodles and fill a soup pot a little more that half way, or broth in the same quantity if you don't like bouillon.

Soy Sauce to taste, maybe a splash.

Rice Wine Vinegar to taste, also a splash or two.

Ginger, your choice of fresh sliced or chopped.  You can also use dried or candied slices.  I like to use Christopher Farms jarred ginger.

Something sweet, like agave or raw sugar, just a touch.  If you used candied sliced ginger there is no need to sweeten any further.  If you're not a vegan used honey.

Black and white pepper to taste.


After bringing the stock and noodles to a boil, turn down the heat to warm and add:

1 C baked tofu slices or cubes.
3 fresh red chiles, sliced.  Seed if you don't like searing heat.
1/2 small head of napa cabbage, sliced.
2-4 C small baby bok choy, well rinsed and halved.
1 box of sliced mushrooms, cooked separately or fresh.
Bean sprouts, for topping when you serve the soup.

This soup does not keep well overnight.  The noodles get soggy and the vegetables wilt.  If you are making this only for yourself, make the stock ahead of time and freeze the extra.  Buy and prepare less of the other ingredients and only add what you are going to eat at that time to the stock and save the rest for later.  I know it's hard to buy fresh veggies in small quantities, but napa keeps well if you peel the outer layers and save the heart.  Baby bok choy will keep longer if you don't wash it until you're ready to use it.  The noodles will keep well; some brands are shelf stable.  Chiles keep well in the fruit bowl and baked tofu can always be washed and scrubbed by hand if it gets a little slimy.  

Vegan Stew

This is very easy to make, especially if you buy everything pre washed/sliced from Trader Joe's or +freshandeasy .  I got a craving so I added olives and kale, but here's the basic recipe.

1 bag of fingerling potatoes

1 bag or box of sliced mushrooms--any kind

1 large can of crushed, pureed, or steamed tomatoes

1 can or cup of diced tomatoes

1 bunch of your favorite herb--parsley, thyme, oregano etc.

Veggie ground beef

Stock, bouillon, or seasoning

Any other vegetables you might like--carrots, cabbage, celery, peppers, etc.

Paprika

Vinegar

Dry white wine, red wine, or vermouth

Olive oil

Chopped garlic

Salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste--add sugar if it's bitter

First sweat the mushrooms, add potatoes and other vegetables with olive oil and stir.  Add beef and cook through. Then add tomatoes, bouillon, herbs, spices, garlic and stir.  Add wine and when it starts to bubble add enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are tender.  Top with your favorite non-dairy cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, or butter.  Serve with a good piece of bread.