That Was Vegan?

(Updated 11/2015 – the original blog this recipe is from has since gone dark, so I’m sharing the recipe here!)

This Black Bean Coconut Soup is wonderful, you guys.

I first discovered this recipe on Vegan Yum Yum back in… 2008? 2009? I made it once and fell in love, then I made it like 17 more times over the next two months.

Then I never made it again.

Well, for a long time, anyway. When I finally got around to making it again last week, I sure was kicking myself in the pants for waiting so long! This soup is amazing, it’s rich (but not too rich!) and thick and kind of creamy. Best of all, it’s simple to make and uses ingredients you already have in your pantry and freezer!

It’s basically beans, corn, coconut milk (the culinary kind), some diced tomatoes and smoked paprika! I wasn’t sure how coconut milk would taste mixed with black beans, but it’s perfection. Perfection in a bowl!

It takes just a few minutes to throw everything into a pan and then let it simmer on the stove while you wrangle kids/dogs/dirty laundry. It’s pretty much the perfect weeknight meal for when you don’t feel like cooking! Plus it’s delicious and healthy. And it doesn’t have any “weird” ingredients, so it’ll please even the pickiest eaters.

MAKE IT! You wont be disappointed.

Tell me: Do you have any recipes that you just LOVED, then stopped making and forgot about?

Coconut, Corn, and Black Bean Soup

2015-11-23 14:34:59

Serves 4

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Ingredients

1. 2 cans black beans
2. 1 cup purred stewed tomatoes (canned)
3. 1/2 cup coconut milk (the culinary kind)
4. 1 vegetable bouillon cube
5. 1 cup frozen corn
6. 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (yes, you *must* use the smoked kind!)
7. 1/4 teaspoon salt
8. 1+ teaspoon of your favorite herb

Instructions

1. Add both cans of beans with their liquid to a heavy soup pot. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, bouillon cube, paprika, corn, and herbs. Simmer for at least 20 minutes, but it can cook on low, covered, for much longer if needed. A few minutes before serving add the corn.

By Vegan Yum Yum

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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Image from: www.sienacr.com

Going just by Happy Cow, a person could be forgiven for thinking Castle Rock is a vegan wasteland. Seriously… they list one restaurant and two grocery stores, and that’s it. The next closest listings are in Parker and Lone Tree! Even a general Google search doesn’t turn up much. So, based on that… how much would it surprise you to learn that there’s a restaurant in Downtown Castle Rock that offers (wait for it… wait for it…) a special vegan menu!?

Well it’s true! Siena at the Courtyard offers two separate menus at dinner, one of which is entirely vegan! They have pizzas (greek and thai, both cheeseless), pastas and a quinoa dish. They also have a vegan sorbet for dessert. And while there’s no actual vegan menu at lunch, they do have plenty of dishes that are easily veganized. For some reason there’s no mention of the vegan menu on their website, but I promise it exists!

I recently spent a sunny Saturday afternoon lunching on their beautiful patio (dog friendly!) where I enjoyed a Greek Pizza (hold the cheese), and the Pear and Arugala Salad, a delicious concoction of lettuce, fresh berries, toasted crostini and spiced almonds tossed with a vanilla pear viniagrette (hold the brie!). Oh, and some wine too…

The salad was amazing, the berries were perfectly ripe:

The pizza was great too, covered with grilled zucchini, roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, olives and fresh rosemary:

They also have a grilled rosemary bruschetta that’s great, but keep in mind that they bring you tons of bread while you’re waiting for your meal, so you don’t necessarily need to order a bread-based appetizer.  Even without it, I still stuffed mah face…

So please keep this spot in mind if you find yourself in Castle Rock! It’ll never be listed on Happy Cow because they do serve that extra sad meat dish that starts with a “v”, but I don’t believe you should let that stop you from ordering off their delicious vegan menu!

Want more Denver-area restaurant reviews? Check out my Mile High Vegan Eats page!

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When cold wintry weather calls for a hearty, warming soup, this is the one to reach for! My Vegan Taco Soup combines everything you could need or want: it’s healthy (beans and peppers and onions, oh my!), it’s easy (you can even make it in the slow cooker if you want), and most of all, it’s delicious. And you can make it as decadent as you want! I added some Daiya to mine, but you could also go with avocado or sour cream, or whatever you might usually put on your handheld tacos. How about some jalapenos?

Side note: Did any of you ever watch Trailer Park Boys? I’ve seen every episode (although not in years) including the movie and all the specials. I even bought the extra special version of the movie that came with its own Conky finger puppet! What does any of this have to do with my soup? I’m physically incapable of pronouncing jalapeno the right way anymore, at least in my head. In my head it always comes out the way Ricky says it, with a hard “j”, like “jalopy”.

I should maybe be embarrassed to admit all that, but I have a wonky sense of humor and oh lordy does that show make me laugh! Okay, fine, back to this yummy, gooey, spicy soup?

Oh! And check out this beautiful bowl my sweet bestie Jamie brought back from her recent vacay in Old Mexico, it’s handpainted and I just love it! All my souvenirs were plates and bowls and all are wonderfully bloggable. Does that girl know me or what?

Vegan Taco Soup (makes 4-6 servings)

If you want to make this in a slow cooker, prep the veggies and mix everything together in there and cook on high for about 4 hours. Leave out the final cup of hot water until it’s done and you’ve checked the consistency.

Ingredients:

• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 package Gimme Lean hamburger (or your vegan crumble of choice… or just replace with an extra can of beans!)
• 2 15oz cans diced tomatoes
• 1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15oz can hot chili beans (don’t rinse or drain!)
• 1 cup sweet corn (frozen or canned)
• 1 smallish jalapeno, diced (plus more for topping if desired)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Vegan cheese shreds (I used Daiya cheddar)
• Tortilla chips
• Avocado, green onions and/or sour cream for topping

Directions:

Water saute the peppers and onions for 2-3 minutes in a large stock or soup pot, then crumble in the Gimme Lean. Use a wooden spoon to break it down into little bits. Increase heat and stir in the tomatoes, beans, corn, jalapenos, seasoning and 2 cups of water. Simmer covered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can let it simmer for longer if you want to, you’ll just need to add a bit more water.

When you’re ready to serve, you might want to stir in an additional cup of hot water. It just depends on the consistency you’re going for. If you’re using cheese, sprinkle it over the top now, and give it another minute or two (covered) to let it melt.

To plate, line the bottom of your bowls with chips, and cover with the soup. Top with avocado, sour cream or green onions… all work perfectly!

Enjoy!

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After nearly 8 years of living in Colorado (holy crap does time fly!), I finally made it to The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenseburg! This place is amazing! They have lions, tigers, wolves, bears, coyotes, leopards and even a camel, all living in large habitats with plenty of room to enjoy their lives. The best part is that, unlike zoos and many other sanctuaries, you view the animals from a large overhead walkway. Because these animals don’t have any natural airborne predators, they don’t feel threatened by people up above them. This means they just do what they do and aren’t bothered by all of us gawking at them, and you don’t see any of that really sad pacing that you often see when viewing them from ground level.

Remember the lions that Bob Barker helped rescue from the Bolivian circus? They’re here!

I’m not sure why that fella was inside, but he was the only one I could get a good picture of. Because the enclosures are so large, the animals do sometimes wander off away from the viewing area… but that’s okay! These animals are here because they were lucky enough to be rescued and they can do whatever the heck they want! They’re finally free to enjoy their lives, ya know? Speaking of which, they had signs up all over, sharing many of the rescue stores. Gut-wrenching, that’s the only way to describe them. So sad. There are some horrible people out there. But, thankfully, there are some truly wonderful people out there as well, who are giving their time and money to help save these gorgeous animals!

I think these guys were my favorite:

They were having so much fun with that tire swing! Hilarious! But then, this dude walking around with his tongue out was also pretty darn adorable…

His ears looked so soft, I just wanted to love on him! (Or her????)

So why did I finally make the trip? Because October is a birthday month for me and Emily (Jamie’s daughter) and we both wanted to go there! We also wanted to wear fake mustaches…

I look like a creeper for sure, but Jamie wins because she looks like a cross between Salvador Dali and the original Zorro! #embarassingpictures

Sorry for that strange and probably disturbing disruption… we now return to our regularly scheduled programing…

After a morning spent oohing and aahing over the critters, we headed to City O’ City for lunch. Now, I always said I’m not going to review COC (or it’s sister Watercourse) for my Mile High Vegan Eats series because I’m focusing on lesser known spots with yummy vegan options (and let’s face it, every veg-head around CO already knows about those two spots!). But. I had to share this lunch with ya real quick because it was so good.

We had the tempura battered shishito peppers with a garlic, sesame and sweet soy dressing to share:

And for my lunch, I went with the Fork and Knife sandwich, which is a big soft pretzel covered with a “meatless” loaf covered with french fries covered in gravy. Oh yah, and there was some kale there too. You know, for healthy.

And that was that. Have you been to any amazing animal rescues or sanctuaries lately?

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It’s a blogger’s dilemma: You make a meal and the flavor is so fantastic that you absolutely have to share… but the pictures you took just don’t do the dish justice. Sure, you could make it again, but (and I’m speaking for myself here – although I’m sure a lot of food bloggers are in the same boat) you probably have a list of dishes you want to make and blog about a mile long! Who has time for repeats? <sigh> And this is where these totally delicious Zucchini and Tofu Soft Tacos come into play. The flavor is just wonderful: Agave and Chinese five-spice (ohmygawdsogood!) mixed with just the right amount of salt = heaven in your mouth. I also went with the whole wheat tortillas cause they’re healthier. They just don’t photograph as well. There’s a whole lotta the same color going on here.

That picture doesn’t really speak to how bright the flavors are, so please use your imagination a little, because if you don’t make these tacos we will all regret it forever and ever.

Also? Sriracha. #justsayin

And finally… If you haven’t cooked with Chinese five-spice before, you simply  must get your butt to the store and buy some immediately!

Zucchini and Tofu Soft Tacos (makes 2 servings)

Adapted from non-veg recipe at Chatelaine

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1.5 Tablespoons agave
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice
• Dash of sea salt and black pepper
• 1 package firm tofu, well-pressed
• 1 small zucchini, washed
• 4 taco flour tortillas
• Chopped lettuce
• Aluminum foil and non-stick spray

Directions:

1. Mix oil, agave, five-spice and S&P in a large bowl. Set aside. Chop the tofu and zucchini into bite-sized cubes and add to the bowl, mixing well. Let sit for 15-20 minutes.
2. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray, then lay out the tofu and zucchini in a single layer. Drizzle with any remaining liquid. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, then flip and put back in. I pulled the zucchini out after another 10, but left the tofu in for the full additional 15 minutes (30 minutes total).  If you want to give the tofu a little bit more color, give it a minute under the broiler.
3. Serve on flour tortillas with chopped lettuce. Maybe with a drizzle of Sriracha. #justsayin.

Enjoy!

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Ahhh, it’s finally autumn in Colorado. The aspens are a gorgeous glowing yellow, the nights are chilly, and I can finally start dressing my dogs up in ridiculous sweaters again. Oh, and it’s also time for PUMPKIN RECIPES! The last two weeks have been a blur of pumpkin, but I had to pick one to be the first, and this creamy Pumpkin Soup with Toasted Coconut is it!

This soup is perfect for pumpkin purists… there’s not a ton of nutmeg or cloves covering up the pumpkin flavor, just some maple syrup and a hint of coconut! This recipe allows the pumpkin flavor to really shine, and is perfect for lunch or dinner on a crisp fall day.

I enjoyed mine after a hike, and with some pumpkin and Daiya Jack quesadillas…

Can you tell I’m excited about pumpkin? I ate it twice in one meal! Now, some people (like my pal Hannah) think that pumpkin is over-hyped, and while they’re entitled to their opinion, I’m also entitled to think they’re a little cray cray. I mean, IT’S PUMPKIN! It’s yummy and delicious and we really only cook with it a couple months out of the year.

What do you think? Is pumpkin over-hyped or are you as excited as I am? What’s your favorite way to use pumpkin in a recipe?

Pumpkin Soup with Toasted Coconut (makes 4 servings)

Don’t have toasted coconut flakes but still want some crunch? Throw on some seeds or croutons!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
• 15oz can pumpkin
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup So Delicious coconut milk
• 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt (you might want to add more… I did…)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
• Ground pepper
• Toasted coconut flakes

Directions:

1. Water saute the onions in a soup pot  for 6-7 minutes, then add all other ingredients (except coconut flakes and extra cinnamon). Simmer for 15 minutes (uncovered), stirring frequently. If you want a perfectly smooth soup, use an immersion blender to take care of the onions (I left mine whole).
2. Check for seasoning, then plate and top with freshly ground pepper, cinnamon and the toasted coconut flakes.

Enjoy!

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This giveaway is now closed, and the winner is… Megan of Fitting into Vegan! She’s down with the pledge and the coupons… and really, who wouldn’t be? Congrats Megan, and thanks to everyone who played!

Hallo! Some exciting news to share… Nasoya (makers of extraspecialsuperyummy tofu) has launched a new program called Tofu U, and guess who made the Dean’s List? Moi.

This means I get to share some great new recipes and blog posts over on their site and help spread the word about tofu! Here’s a sneak peek…

Some ahhhmazing appetizers that’ll spice up your next party:

And a pumpkin cream sauce that’s just perfect for this time of year…

Hmm… what else? How about some beer battered green chile tofu??

Some spicy sriracha goodness:

And, to round out the meal, a little strawberry-coconut mousse for desert!

Looks yummy, yes? Well head on over there and check out the recipes, plus more from the other Tofu Experts. So much healthy deliciousness going on over there right now! And speaking of right now… it’s time for that giveaway!

The Giveaway

One lucky reader will win FIVE free product coupons from Nasoya! These are good for tofu or any of their other products.

This contest is open until Midnight (Mountain time), Tuesday 11/15. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced the following day. To Enter: Go visit the new Nasoya Tofu U site, then leave a comment below sharing what your favorite thing is… could be one of the recipes or blog posts from any of the Tofu Experts, or the classroom or heck, maybe just all the pretty colors! It’s up to you!

Contest is limited to US only. Good luck!!

*The sponsors provided me with free product to review, but the opinions are 100% mine!

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I know, I know… another pizza. But this one is different, I promise. It’s got butternut squash! And crispy sage!

I love this pizza. I might make it again next week. Or this afternoon. I might make it and not tell anyone and eat the whole thing.

I realize this is a pretty non-traditional pizza… I mean it has (vegan) ricotta cheese on it for crying out loud, and who the hell ever heard of frying sage? Not me, not until I spotted this baby on Pinterest just begging me to healthify and veganize it! There are definitely a few steps to making it, so it’s not a last-minute meal but believe me it’s totally worth it.

I grilled mine, but of course you can bake yours!

Yum.

Butternut Squash and Crispy Sage Pizza

Adapted from non-vegan recipe at Alexandra’s Kitchen

Note: I used a very skinny b’nut squash so I was able to keep mine in nice neat circles. If you use a larger squash, just try cutting them in half!

Ingredients:

• 1 pizza dough (store bought or homemade), rolled out and ready to go
• 1 small (skinny!) b’nut squash, peeled and sliced into thin circles
• Olive oil
• Sea salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic
• 1 batch Vegan ricotta
• 1+ teaspoon dried thyme
• 10-15 sage leaves
• Canola Oil
• Daiya mozzarella shreds (for sprinkling)

Directions:

1. Lay your slices of butternut on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, flipping once. Depending on how thick or thin your slices are, yours might need a few more minutes.
2. Brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with just a pinch of sea salt, then top with the ricotta. I used almost the entire batch (literally, like 9/10ths of it). Make sure it’s pretty smooth, then add the dried thyme and b’nut slices, and top with a handful of the Daiya. Bake (on a pizza stone) at 425 for 10-12 minutes. While it’s in the oven, fry the sage. Fill a small frying pan with the canola oil, and fry the leaves (3 or 4 at a time) for about 5 seconds each. Add them to the pizza and put it back in the oven for just 2-3 minutes, and voila!

Enjoy!

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I have much to share and most of it isn’t recipes! Firstly, I’ve announced the winner in the Whole Giveaway, so go check that out and see if it’s YOU! I also want to give you a heads up that next week we’re having another giveaway, one I think you’ll all be excited about… The China Study Cookbook! Pretty sweet, amirite!?

I’ve been traveling a lot lately and haven’t really had too much time to cook. I went to Portland with my mama:

There have been so many PDX/Vegan write-ups that I’m gonna spare you the deets except to tell you that A.) The Modera is a kickass hotel with an excellent happy hour ($5 drinks yo!), but the best bar that we went to was Departure, the rooftop bar/restaurant at The Nines. Vegan and gluten free menu and some seriously delicious drinks. Not cheap, but totally worth it!

We also went to the ocean…

And made the requisite trip to Voodoo donuts. I’d like to make one thing very, very clear to you all… I wanted to buy six donuts. It was HER idea to get a dozen!

Less than a week after that I met up with her again in FL for my cousin’s wedding… this time my Grandma and brother joined in the fun. And what fun it was! Especially when brother starting mixing drinks for Grandma at like 9:30 in the morning… And these weren’t some wussy little drinks either – We’re talking whiskey here, people.

And yes, I joined in.

And, tired liver or not, I still gotta eat. I threw this together the other night in just a few minutes. I opened a package of tempeh and let it sit in a bowl with some bbq sauce while the grill heated up, then I cooked it for like 5 minutes on each side.

Add a bun with some veganaise (or creamy slaw would be really good too!) and an avocado, and it was dinner! You could also bake the tempeh or even fry it up in a pan.

Sometimes you just gotta get dinner on the table in a hurry, ya know?

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