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But Make It Vegan: Chocolate Pudding
Recipe for Environment 911

Sometimes you have a craving for pudding (or chocolate in general), but don’t want to over-indulge. This recipe feels like the best of both worlds, as it will curb that chocolate craving and provide nutrition, and you’ll never guess there are avocados in it! You’ll want to adjust the taste based on what you prefer.

More or less banana, or maybe some more cocoa or spices. If you have some picky eaters that prefer a more milk-chocolate taste, you can add a bit of coconut sugar. Just try not to eat it all while you’re taste-testing!

PUDDING INGREDIENTS

  • 2 ripe medium avocados

  • 1 medium banana

  • 1/2 cup cacao powder (double check it’s vegan)

  • 6-8 dates (roughly 1/4 cup)

  • 1/2 cup plant-based milk

  • 1/2 tsp ginger

  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

  • 1/2 nutmeg, fresh is best if you have it

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

  • Non-dairy whipped cream

  • Fresh fruit

  • Mint

  • Sprinkle of fresh nutmeg, or cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Soak the dates either overnight or in a bowl with very warm water for 10 minutes. This softens them and makes them easier to blend. If your blender is high-powered enough, you might not even need this step.

  2. Put all pudding ingredients into a food processor, high-powered blender, or if you don’t have either, try an immersion blender. If the mixture is way too thick, add a bit more non-dairy milk, and if it’s too thin, add more banana or avocado.

  3. Pour into glasses (wine glasses will work) or small bowls.

  4. Optionally chill in fridge for an hour.

  5. Top with desired toppings and serve.

Makes 2 large or 4 small servings


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october162020_miso_soup_christine_mcavoy-0006.jpg

I find that in many sushi restaurants, the miso soup is about 95 percent broth with a few teeny-tiny bits of tofu, and maybe some seaweed if you’re lucky. Well, at home, you get to control how many extras go in when you make it from scratch, and it’s actually super easy.

The issue for me with most of the instant versions of miso soup is that they are full of MSG (monosodium glutamate), to which I'm allergic, so making it myself helps me control exactly what is going into the soup.

If you're not a purist (seaweed, tofu, green onions), you can load up your miso soup with other veggies. My next batch I might add mushrooms, but you can toss in lettuce, onions, clams, bean sprouts, carrots, eggplant, anything! Just make sure that you add anything that needs to cooked/softened before you boil the dashi (instructions below).

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 cups dashi (for vegan stock, follow this recipe)

  • 3 tbsp brown miso

  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced

  • Silken or medium tofu, cubed, at least 1 cup, more if you'd like

  • Wakame seaweed

INSTRUCTIONS 

  1. Make the dashi ahead of time (I made the vegetarian version with just the kelp, soaked in water overnight).

  2. Add 4 cups of dashi to a pot and bring to a boil, then simmer.

  3. Two options here: place miso in a small bowl and add a bit of the hot dashi, stirring to dissolve or add miso to the pot and whisk until dissolved. Make sure soup does not come to a boil.

  4. Add the tofu after the miso is broken down and heat through.

  5. In a pot or bowl, rehydrate the wakame seaweed (some packages have instructions) in lukewarm water for about 15 minutes. Then, drain and cut up into smaller pieces. Start with a small amount—you’ll be surprised at how much it grows.

  6. Place some of the seaweed in a serving bowl, and add approximately 1 cup of the miso soup with tofu. Top with green onions and you're ready to eat!

NOTE: The homemade dashi should last about a week in the fridge. If you double the dashi, you can freeze it for a quicker soup another day!

Makes 4 cups

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Pasta Fazool
from 3 Recipes for Soup Season - for BC Living
November 10, 2020

This soup is also called pasta e fagioli, but saying pasta fazool is so much more fun. It is hearty, full of veggies and beans, and tiny, tiny pasta pieces. If you need a solid dinner after a hard day at work or a workout, then this is for you. It's super easy, especially if you can chop your veggies in a food processor, and I had almost all the ingredients in my house already.

There are a ton of different variations on this recipe. Add in some sausage for protein, toss in some leafy greens, or maybe change up the beans if you have something different on hand (chickpeas, for example). If you're vegan, skip the sausage or find some vegan sausage to toss in and sprinkle some nutritional yeast on top or vegan Parmesan, instead of regular Parmesan, which is the usual topping. 
 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large can of crushed tomatoes, organic if available

  • 1 can of white kidney beans

  • 5-6 cups of veggie stock, homemade from the freezer is perfect for this

  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced

  • 1 onion, finely chopped

  • 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

  • 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

  • 2 mild Italian sausages, optional (vegan, if required)

  • Handful of kale or other leafy green, roughly chopped, optional

  • 1 tbsp of olive oil

  • 1 tsp of Italian seasoning

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 cup of ditalini (short macaroni) pasta (macaroni is a good substitute if you can't find ditalini and brown rice or gluten-free are also good options)

  • 1 tbsp of Parmesan, optional (vegan, if required)

  • Fresh basil, chopped for topping, optional

INSTRUCTIONS 

  1. Finely chop the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery (I did it in a food processor to save time).

  2. Heat olive oil in large pot, then add chopped onion, garlic, celery, carrots and seasoning and stir.

  3. Cook for 15 to 25 minutes until softened and reduced in volume by at least half (the water will evaporate).

  4. If using sausage, remove from casing and add to the pot, breaking it up with a spoon and cooking until it is no longer pink. You may need to use a splash of stock after this to deglaze the pan.

  5. Add crushed tomato and 5 cups of stock and bring up to a boil, then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes (with a lid on) until it reduces slightly. If you want a thicker soup, you can cook it down some more. If it needs to be thinned out some more, add more stock.

  6. In a separate pot, boil some salted water, and then cook the pasta until just al dente. Drain and cool with cold water, then drain again.

  7. In the main pot, add kidney beans, salt and pepper, and stir, cooking for a few minutes until the beans are heated through.

  8. Two options here: you can stir the pasta directly into the pot if you’re going to be consuming it all within the next few days. If you are going to freeze some of the soup, do not add the pasta as when you reheat it, the pasta will expand and become soggy. Instead, cook fresh pasta the day you’re reheating it.

  9. Serve in bowls with additional pepper on top, optional Parmesan, nutritional yeast (or cashew Parmesan) and fresh basil.

NOTE: If using kale or other leafy greens, add them when you add the tomato and stock.

Serves 6

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