Roasted Carrot Onion Pureé Soup

I love sweet puree soups, they are the ultimate comforting sweet creamy dish. When it is cold and gloomy outside it is the perfect thing.

There so many different ways to prepare your vegetables for a pureed soup.
If I have a long amount of time and looking for something not to overbearing but sweet, cooking the vegetables (such as squash, carrots, yams or even cauliflower) Nishime style results in a soft subtle sweetness that is deeply nourishing .
But today I wanted something a little bit more rich. I decided to oven roast some carrots I had around with a little oil, salt and pepper. I also had a little bit of baked yams leftover that I wanted to add with it because why not!

While my carrots were roasting. I started some caramelizing onions. Then When the carrots were all done I added them and the yams to the pot with the onions added some water and seasoning and let it all cook together for a little while.
 Blended it up, squeezed a little grated ginger in, and enjoyed my self a bowl of delicious sweet carrot puree soup. The yams effected the color a little bit making it on the darker side. All in all I am very happy with how it came out!

For Lunch

Cous-Cous

with Quick Ume pickled Cucumbers

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Blanched Bok-Choy

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Lentils fried with Onions and Garlic

-

Squash Soup with Caramalized Onions

with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

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Leftover Grain Patties, White Rice, Barley, and Millet, Seitan Sausage. 

(of as my brother calls them "All the junk in the kitchen Patties")

whatever they were delicous.

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Blanched Broccoli and Carrots

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Kidney Beans

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Sautéed Bok-choy and Tofu

(watch and learn how to make Tofu here)

 Thanksgiving is coming up. To the be honest I don't have a big connection with this holiday and the meaning behind it. 

But I do love Thanksgiving food! 

I know Thanksgiving can be a difficult holiday for vegetarians and vegans.

 So I wanted to share some ideas that you could make this Thursday great! 

I want to share how I make Stuffing, which is my favorite dish on Thanksgiving. I cover it in gravy and just love it!

I also wanted to give an idea for a Side Roasted Veggie dish and a Baked Apple Dessert

The photos are from last years stuffing post. 

This year I am sharing the recipe plus a gravy recipe.

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Chop the Bread in small bite size pieces. and place in oven on low heat until the bread dries out.(you can do this the night before)

Chop up all your ingredients into small bite size pieces.

Saute Onions with the garlic and a pinch of salt, until they start to sweat then add celery. and a tiny bit of water.then cover. 

Add chopped up Seitan and a splash of shoyu in with the onion mix after the onions are cooked and provide a good about of liquid.

When the Seitan has halfway cooked (about 4 minutes) add herbs to your liking. 

Mix roasted nuts with chopped apples 

Then mix all your ingredients together, apples, nuts and bread in with the sauce mixture, and let simmer until bread has rehydrated a bit. (do not let the bread cook too much) 

Lay out the mixture out into a baking dish, cover and then put into the oven for a half of an hour (or until done) on medium heat (350 .F-160.C)

Gravy Recipe 

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Onions, 2 large ones

 Mushrooms, handful

Olive Oil, 

Salt, 

Flour 1/2 of a cup

Caramelize onions with plenty of olive oil and a good size pinch of salt for a 20 minutes until soft and sweet.  Then add sliced mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are cooked. Add flour little by little and whisk so that no lumps form. After the flour has mixed in well with the onions and mushrooms, add 4 cups of water/vegetable stock little by little while constantly whisking. Let cook on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

For a side dish. I made Roasted Potatos, with Brussel Sprouts, Onions, and Carrots.

with Olive Oil, Salt, Black Pepper. I drizzled on some Balsamic Vinegar and some Cilantro right after it comes out of the oven. 

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For Dessert: 

Baked Apples with a Raisin, Nut, Maple Syrup Mixture. Served with homeade Coconut Ice Cream 

The Mixture had Pecans, Rasins, Cashews, Rolled Oats, Tahini, Maple Syrup, Cinnamon, and Salt.

I hope this gives you some ideas for what you can make for yourself this holiday, or anytime you want some feastive food.

 For Lunch

Soft cooked Polenta

-

Nishime Squash,Daikon and Sweet Yam

(watch and learn how to make 

Nishime here)

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Carrots and Tops

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Leftover Blanched Collard and Carrots

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Garlic Fried Beans

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For Dinner

Barley

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Baked Sweet Yam

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Sautéed Kale with crumbled Tofu

(watch and learn how to make Tofu here)

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Vegetable broth, 

with Brown Rice Pasta, Squash, Carrots, Cabbage,Daikon,Shoyu,Salt,Vinegar 

For Lunch

Brown Rice

(watch and learn how to make Brown Rice here)

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Cucumber Dill Pickles

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Sautéed Kale with Tofu

(watch and learn how to make Tofu here)

-

Onions,Squash,Beets,and Carrots Sautéed together for a long slow sweet time

pretty much becoming my favorite way to have root vegetables.

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Raw Arugula,Carrot,Cucumber Salad with a Lemon Tahini Dressing garnished with toasted Sesame Seeds.

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For Dessert 

I recently received a cookbook written by my friend Eric named

Love, Eric: Delicious Vegan Macrobiotic Desserts

 it is a vegan, macrobiotic dessert book. and I am so excited to make every single thing in it. 

"This is the first vegan macrobiotic self-published cookbook by world renowned chef, Eric Lechasseur. This book contains stunning full-color photographs, taken in Eric and his wife Sanae Suzuki's garden by photographer Yoshi Ueda. "Love, Eric" contains recipes that were created by Chef Eric Lechasseur as he studied vegan and macrobiotic cooking to help his wife overcome serious medical problems. In the cookbook, Eric tells the story of his love-inspired pastry recipes, and how his pursuit of macrobiotics eventually healed his own crippling allergies. As a bonus, Eric has also included five macrobiotic beverage recipes and helpful tips for making your own macrobiotic masterpieces."

Sounds pretty good right? 

So I started my journey through this book with making the 

Peach Cobbler 

with Coconut Milk,Apple Juice, Rice Syrup Ice-cream 

I didn't have an Ice-cream maker so I had to make do with freezing it then taking the egg beater to it a couple of times. But it came  out amazing! 

 For Lunch 

MIlllet with Onions 

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Arame Citrus Arugula Salad with a Brown Rice syrup and Mustard Dressing

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Blanched Collard Greens

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Steamed Tofu with a Ginger Shoyu Sauce

(watch and learn how to make Tofu here)

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For Dinner

Brown Rice with Almonds

(watch and learn how to make Brown Rice here)

-

Tofu Stirfry with Onions, Bell Peppers, and Parsley 

-

Leftover blanched Collard Greens and Cauliflower

-

Pressed Napa Cabbage Salad with Carrots and Apple

(watch and learn how to make Pressed Salad here)

-

White navy Bean Soup with Tomato and Onion

 For Lunch

Cous cous

-

Chickpea Masala

-

Blanched Bok-choy

-

Boiled Corn

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For Dinner

Tofu and Seitan Sushi Rolls

made with White Sushi Rice mixed with Brown Rice

(watch and learn how to make Brown Rice here)

Cucumber

Carrots

Scallions

Umeboshi Paste

Mustard

Sesame Seeds

Tofu panfried with Mirin and Shoyu

(watch and learn how to make Tofu here)

Seitan Panfried with Olive Oil and Lemon

(watch and learn how to make Seitan here)

-

Salad 

made with Lettuce, Tomato, Left over Sushi Mix 

dressing made with Lemon, Salt,and Dark Sesame Oil.

-

Wasabi Dip

So I am running out of ideas for foods for the hot hot afternoons here in Asheville North Carolina.   It doesn't come natrual to me to just eat raw salad every day. 

I need a whole meal, Grain, Green, Bean combination! 

Have any ideas? I would love to know what you are eating this Summer!  

For Lunch 

Soba Salad 

with 

Arugula ,Soba, Carrots, Clover Sprouts, Toasted Sesame Seeds, Cucumber, pan fried Tofu

(watch and learn how to make Tofu here)

(watch and learn how to make toasted Sesame Seeds here)

with Toasted Sesame Oil ,Shoyu, Lemon, Dressing

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Sauteéd Bok-Choy

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For Dinner

Brown Rice 

(watch and learn how to make Brown Rice here)

-

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

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Fried Black Beans with Onions and Garlic

-

Steamed Napa Cabbage with Lemon

-

Sautéed Broccoli and Green Beans 

For Lunch

Brown Rice

(watch and learn how to make Brown Rice here)

with toasted Pumpkin Seeds

-

Shreded Apple, Carrot, Kale Salad 

-

Fried Wakame with Carmalised Onions and Mirin

-

Kimchi

-

Pinto Bean soup.

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For Dinner

White Basamati Rice

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Vegetable Stirfry with Tofu,Onion,Carrot,Broccoli, Bell peppers,

with a Ginger,Garlic,Shoyu,Arrowroot sauce.

(watch and learn how to make Tofu here)