BBQ Potato Chip Soup

Your Ingredients: 4 small cooked potatoes, 4 tablespoons of a smokey/paprika type salt-free seasoning, 2 cups of shredded kale, a dozen or so potatoes of your choosing, green onions, a bag of frozen carrots, 64 oz. of water.

Add Cooked Potatoes, Beans and canned carrots to the food processor

pulse or puree until it looks like this

Dice your potatoes into cubes about 1/2 to 3/4 inch each.

Add potatoes, water and frozen carrots to a stock pot.

Dice your green onions.

Bring potatoes to a boil and let simmer for 30 minutes or so. (The larger your potato cubes, the longer you will need to boil them. Until tender.

Add your bean/carrot/potato puree, your green onions, your spices.

Stir and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the kale, turn off the heat, stir and let sit for 5 minutes.

Serve with more green onions and a dusting of spices

Delish!

This hearty soup reminds me of BBQ Potato Chips.  I used to love BBQ Chips, haven’t had them in forever, but this soup hit the spot!

You will need:

64 oz. water

About 12 potatoes cubed – I used Sweet, Red, Yukon and Russet

2 Cups of shredded kale

10 green onions  – diced (save two for garnishing)

1 – 15 oz. can of great northern beans

1 12 oz. bag of frozen carrots

1 – 15 oz. can of no salt added carrots

4 potatoes that have been pre-cooked (steamed or baked is fine)

4-6 tablespoons of a smokey/mesquite/BBQ type seasoning – like Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle (I used a combo of smoked paprika, garlic powder, rosemary, lemon zest, oregano powder, black pepper and chives)

Puree the 4 cooked potatoes, canned carrots and beans in the food processor.

Wash and cube the potatoes, add them to a stock pot with the bag of frozen carrots and the water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for approximately 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Dice the 8 green onions.

When the potatoes are tender in the pot, add the puree, the onions, and your spice blend. Stir and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat, add the shredded kale, stir.

Wait 5 minutes.

Serve with onion garnish.

Variations: You can spice this however you’d like. The seasoning blend I made reminds me of BBQ chips. Most smokey/mesquite/chipotle seasoning type blends will give the same essence. Feel free to play with flavors you like.  I can see this working well with just about any Mrs. Dash blend.

Investigate herb blends that you may enjoy by visiting spice shops if you have one nearby.  So many amazing blends exist without you having to worry about how to get the flavor profile you are seeking.  Just add the pre-blended spices you like to your recipes.  If you are more confident in the kitchen, try making your own spice blends! Taste as you go, enjoy the process and experiment with flavors!

Cam for Vegan Athlete of the Year!

Me and Cam F. Awesome after his fight for the championship

Our very own Cam F. Awesome is up for Vegan Athlete of the Year!

Go show him some plant-strong love!

http://www.greatveganathletes.com/content/vegan-athlete-year-2013

A simple dinner

Friday night dinner

Roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes and Sweet Dumpling squash tossed with garlic and jalapenos with Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy Seasoning – served with forbidden black rice tossed with a few tablespoons of smokey BBQ sauce – garnished with a few baked Vidalia onion rings and steamed kale. Simple and delicious!

Sweet Potato Polenta

An easy way to change up your breakfast! Stir some puréed sweet potatoes into your oats or polenta, add raisins and pumpkin pie spice 🙂

The China Study Cookbook: A Review

Spend 5 minutes with me in my kitchen and you’ll learn that I am not a fan of recipes.  I am an improvisor.  I don’t measure anything. I am a fan of keeping it simple, but enjoy a good twist on an old favorite.  I love to eat! My whole foods plant-based lifestyle affords me the opportunity to eat a lot, try new things, like mustard greens and enjoy my food more than ever before.  I look everywhere for inspiration when it comes to plant-strong meals.  From Facebook and Pinterest to cookbooks and magazines. I love being a recipe scientist and flipping recipes on their head to make them plant-strong.

I had the opportunity recently to read and review The China Study Cookbook by Leanne Campbell, PhD. I use cookbooks for inspiration and ideas on what to make in my kitchen.  This one is full of ideas!  Campbell spends the first 33 pages of the book giving a brief summary of what following a whole foods plant-based diet entails.  With sections about nutrients, feeding children, transitioning from the Standard American Diet (SAD) to name a few, readers get a glimpse of why they should pick up The China Study if they haven’t read the book that started it all.  The book stands alone just fine to the casual observer and those who are looking for a healthier version of the currently popular vegan diets that are heavy on oils and vegan substitutes.  For those practicing a whole foods plant-based diet already, this book has a lot to offer.

There are many plans out there in the plant-based arena.  The recipes that Campbell offers in The China Study Cookbook should please most practitioners.  For those following a plan that doesn’t include nuts, there are less recipes to choose from, but most of the recipes can be modified.  Some of the recipes include coconut and or light coconut milk as well.  As a follower of Dr. Esselstyn’s plan, I generally avoid nuts, coconut and other high-fat plant foods.  For coconut milk, I replace the amount of liquid with unsweetened almond milk with a 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract.

For most, this cookbook offers a full array of recipes to please every palate.  The Mexican Jicama Salad is one of my favorites. It’s simple and works as a side dish or a great topping on burgers or tacos. The Spicy Pumpkin Soup will be gracing my table throughout autumn.  The Leafy Lentils recipe is a new favorite as well! I think it was even better the next day for lunch.  Some of the other notable recipes for fall include: Pumpkin Gnocchi With Italian Vegetable Sauce – super easy! – and the Apple Gingerbread Upside Down Cake will be the perfect way to celebrate my husband’s birthday.

Consider adding this cookbook to your plant-based book shelf.  Creative recipes with fresh flavors, great photos of plant-based foods, it offers something for everyone.