Creamy Miso Soup

My grandmother is in the hospital.  This is difficult to comprehend.  It shouldn’t be – I mean, she IS in her early 90′s.  But, she has always been healthy.  She only takes one pill a day.  One.  And that one is a very small dosage.

And, her mind is INCREDIBLE.  (Her secret:  Daily Crossword puzzles.  Seriously.  WITHOUT fail – every.day.)

She is (was) a farmer’s wife.  They raised their own meat and milked their own cows.  She has served her family chicken that she raised and killed.  I told her that if I was the one that had to provide the meat for my dinner table, we would have been vegan from the beginning.  When I informed her of my intentions to alter the course of my family’s health and declared myself a vegan, she was one of my strongest supporters. She sees how my family is growing and is very proud.

She eats hummus and edamame.  She loves Chai tea with soymilk.  For being in her 90′s, she is one hip, happening G-ma.

But, last week, she ended up in the hospital and now no one seems to know what is going on.  It has almost been a week.  They have run tests and drawn blood and still nothing.  She is tired.  She is not hungry.  The hospital tried giving her beef broth and jello.  My mother and I had fits.

So, my mother (her daughter) has made it “our” mission to get her eating again.  Armed with only her immersion blender, my mother mounted her white horse and rushed to her side.  She presented me with the task of finding/creating easy foods for her to eat.

I wanted to create a miso soup using silken tofu.  Miso because is it So.Good. when one doesn’t feel good, and silken tofu for creamy, protein-filled yumminess....

Creamy Miso Soup

• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 2 Cups water (or veg broth)
• 2 T. miso paste
• 1 14-oz pkg Silken tofu, drained
• salt to taste

1. Saute the onion, garlic, and carrot 5-10 minutes.
2. Add the water, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Add 2 T miso to soup.  Let soften for 2 minutes.
5. Add silken tofu and blend with immersion blender till smooth.
6. Add salt to taste.
7. Reheat gently and serve.

Beans & Rice, Rice & Beans

Today was a good day at home…Football on the computer (we don’t have cable or local tv) and Legos all around.  Playing and laughing with The Kid always makes for a great time.

There was also a late afternoon nap for me.  I never take naps unless my sweet hubby is home.  (Sadly) The Kid has not been interested in naps for years… but started feeling dizzy and cold, so I thought I would try to rest a bit.  I do feel better (thanks for asking), but that didn’t leave much time for the dinner I wanted to prepare.  So, I decided to make the big dinner tomorrow night, and keep it easy tonight.

I am sure that everyone has their own version of Beans and Rice.  I am not inventing the wheel here.  This version came about because of a recipe I started making when The Hubby and I were first married.  That version included eggs, but we loved the flavors and the ease in which it comes together, so I modified it after becoming vegan.  This is a quick dish that uses pantry items.  The other bonus is that it isn’t that expensive to make.

Quick & Easy, Rice & Beans

• Your favorite rice (Brown or Saffron)
• 15-oz can of Italian diced tomatoes
• 15-oz can of your favorite beans – tonight was cannellini

Cook the rice (or pull the rice out of the freezer that you prepped earlier in the week).  Once the rice is cooked, add the tomatoes and beans and warm through.  Tonight, I spiced it up a bit by adding fresh salsa and Daiya mozzarella cheese once I put it in the bowl.

Adding some fresh broccoli and apple to the plate rounded it out.

Nothing fancy – but yummy all the same.

Thanks for reading~

Kale, Glorious Kale

So green and so leafy…Kale, Wonderful Kale….So good and so tasty…

I love kale (and sing regularly in homage, apparently), and lately the local stores have been out of it.  Which is, of course, devastating, as I have been CRAVING it!  So, when I shopped on Monday, I bought some.  Well, more than some.  A lot.

So – I thought I would start off this blog with some kale in all its glory – just a simple soup.  (Please be kind…I am a Baby Vegan…and am just learning.)

Kale & Kasha Soup

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 C kale, rough chopped
• 1 15-oz can cannelini beans, rinsed & drained
• 2-3 C vegan stock or broth
• 1/2 C kasha

Saute the onions, garlic & carrot in the olive oil till translucent.  Add the kale, beans and broth.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Add kasha.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Serve.

**I used “Organic Better than Bouillon” and having cooked with it before, I knew it had a tendency to be salty, so I did not add any additional salt.

I thought this was pretty good.  I was surprised that I was still craving the kale this evening, even after I tried making kale chips today.  (Just a tip – do NOT set your temperature at 450.  This is NOT good for the kale chips – you know…just in case you were wondering).  I did make a batch with the oven set at the correct temp of 350.  MUCH better!

Now, I am not sure how to link to all that I am supposed to, but I am with the Vegan MOFO in spirit!

Night all!