October Favorites

Hey all! It's November (where the hell did time go?!). Here are some October favorites:

1. Vegetable Pot Pie Stew + Mini GF Biscuits 

This stew is from the Happy Herbivore meal plan and I just love it! There's no chopping involved, but the meal is so comforting and delicious. It thickens as it sits, which makes it all the better. I made some GF mini biscuits to dip into the soup//Happy Herbivore

2. Slow-Cooker Peach Blueberry Oatmeal 

Another meal plan recipe! This seriously tastes like peach blueberry pie. I will have to make it when these fruits are in season, but oh man was it good. And there's nothing better than waking up to oatmeal in your slow-cooker.

3. Blueberry Chai Oatmeal 

This is yet another meal plan recipe, but I have to share it. It's too good. Steep a chai teabag in 3/4 C of hot water for 5 mins. Remove bag, put water in a saucepan and boil. When boiling, add 1/2 C GF rolled oats, 1/4 C frozen blueberries (if fresh, add at the end), a dash of cardamom and 1 tsp of cinnamon. Mix and cook until cooked to your desired consistency. At the end, stir in about a TBS or more of maple syrup. This is the best!!

4. Chipotle Cakes with Lime Crema 

Oh, man. Chipotle chilis in adobo sauce: where have you been all of my life? They seriously bring the right amount of heat and taste better than artificially flavored chipotle stuff. I can't find the recipe for this, but if anyone wants it, leave a comment below! These cakes come together quickly and are topped with a cooling lime chipotle vegan crema.

5. Chai Snickerdoodles

Two of the best things combined: chai and snickerdoodles. I used all brown rice flour here and only 1 tsp of xanthan gum. These cookies will go fast, so be careful! The spices are so perfect and smell exactly like chai//The PPK

6. Brooklyn Style Home Fries (with decadent eggs)
I'm always trying to step up my brunch game, and these home fries are it. They are definitely a labor a love, but well worth it. The potatoes are boiled, then pan fried in canola until golden, along with green peppers and onions. Oh man, these were great. And I highly recommend Isa's book in general. I made some "decadent" eggs to along with them, but a tofu scramble is a great vegan alternative!//Vegan Brunch

7. Miso Soup with Tofu + Kale
This soup is awesome, easy, and great for when you're sick (which I've been dealing with a lot here lately). Nourishing kale meets delicious tofu, amazing sweet potato noodles, and lots of spices. You will be amazed at how easy miso soup really is.//here!

 8. Chunky Celery Soup with Celery Leaf Pesto
Mike and I have both been sick for a couple of weeks now, so when I had energy, I made us soup every night. This one is a keeper. It's dead simple, delicious, nourishing, and all topped with a pesto made from celery leaves. I know, I know. What does it even taste like? It makes a delightful, garlicky pesto that compliments this soup in the best way. I promise it's worth the 30 seconds it takes to pull together!//101 Cookbooks

 9. Thai Hummus-Dilla with Mango Chutney
Okay, so I've been kind of harassed to share this recipe. I made it specifically to serve alongside this soup (which is fabulous), which is why it's Indian/Thai flavored. Here we go:
Preheat a decent sized pan to medium high. Get a brown rice tortilla (soften in microwave if frozen). Spread a generous amount of Thai coconut curry hummus on one side. Add a couple of chopped green onions. Drizzle some spicy mango chutney on top of the hummus and onions (use as much as you can handle!). Fold the dilla over to close. You can use coconut/olive oil to fry this if you're worried about fat, but I generously spread earth balance vegan butter on one side, then put that in the pan (butter side down) to create a DELICIOUS crispy/charred thing going on. Add a little more oil/butter on the side thats up, then flip until crispy/charred. You're welcome.

10. Turmeric Tea
I totally just realized I've been leaving an 'r' out of turmeric for years. Well, damn. Anyways, this is a great anti-inflammatory remedy that's easy to make. It's essentially a paste of turmeric and raw honey, which you mix with hot water, lemon and black pepper. I have been fighting something awful for a week or more now, and this tea seemed to help a lot. You can keep the paste in a jar on the counter, so it's very handy!//101 Cookbooks

18 Favorite Soup Recipes

Soup is hands down my favorite food in the world. Why? Because it's always comforting, no matter what season it is, and it's incredibly versatile. You could make a million different soups. In fact, since Mike has been sick this week and the temperature has dropped, we have been eating soup every night this week. Obviously, Fall and Winter are the prime times to make a big batch of soup, chili, stew, dal, curry, whatever. Use your slow-cooker, your stove, and even your oven to make a gloriously delicious soup. 

Soup is also my favorite thing that my Mom makes. I daydream about the vegan corn chowder she made on a snowy day, or even a simple, yet wholesomely satisfying minestrone. It's definitely her specialty, and I'm starting to become "known" as some ridiculous soup-monger, if you will (which isn't far from the truth). The list below, which I obviously couldn't keep at a good number, is a list of all of my favorite soups/curries that I've made since starting this blog. If there is just a link to a cookbook, leave your email and I will gladly share the recipe!

1. Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder//Knead to Cook

To make vegan, simply substitute almond milk. The leftovers freeze great and this soup is perfect for the dead of winter! I love different twists on corn chowder. 

2. Simple Potato Curry//WFM

This curry is so simple, you can't mess it up (unless you use too small a pot, like I did the first time I made this). To make vegan, use plain vegan yogurt. Cumin seeds may be an odd ingredient, but you will be amazed at how much depth of flavor it adds compared to ground cumin.

3. Slow-Cooker Vegan Hot & Sour Soup//The Vegan Slow-Cooker Book

So, if you're truly a vegan soup fiend, you have to get this book. Some of the best soups I've made are directly from it. This is also the soup that turned me on to eating mushrooms (which took me 20 years!). It's incredibly flavorful, perfectly hot and sour, with bits of tofu and tons of mushrooms. 

4. Smoky Red Lentil Soup//The Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook

This recipe is originally from the SK Cookbook, but I have linked the recipe above that was posted online. This soup is so so good. I fell in love with smoked paprika after this. It's the perfect soup for October, when it's just starting to get chilly, and I'm sure it would be great served with vegan quesadillas on the side.

5. Vegetable Minestrone//Shutterbean

Okay, so, this is it. The ultimate minestrone. I have made SO many variations on it, but this one is perfect. I actually am in love with a few versions of it, but here's why this one is special: it uses curry powder AND red wine vinegar, and let me tell you, it will make your head spin. It gives it just a zing to it that's phenomenal. To make GF, I used GF corn quinoa shell pasta.

6. Split Pea Sunshine Soup//My New Roots

This soup is awesome. It's a beautiful color, nourishing, and filled with lots of tasty things. I imagine this would make a great soup for when you have a cold. Split peas are so versatile! I didn't have the craftiness at the time to make her carrot flowers for decoration, but maybe you will.

7. Tomato Zucchini Soup//Joy the Baker

This is the soup that made me fall in love with thyme. After moving out of my parent's house, I was able to experiment more with herbs and spices that I didn't have access to before. Apparently, I don't remember eating a lot of thyme growing up. But now I put it in everything. This soup is so good, even in the summer when zucchini is in its peak season. You can even freeze leftovers for the cold season. It's a great soup for seasonal produce and to learn a little more about thyme.

8. Turnip-Potato Soup with Greens Pesto//Chickpea Magazine

Last year I went to the farmer's market in October and convinced myself to buy turnips. I know, who the hell eats turnips? Well I do, and no, I'm not a serf tending to their garden (a little historical joke for you all). The bitterness of turnips meet the creaminess of potatoes, and are swirled with an essentially "hippie" greens pesto. This soup is incredible! Actually, Chickpea Magazine in general is incredible. So go get a box of turnips from the market and make this lovely soup when it's freezing outside.

9. Rosemary Vegetable Soup//Vegetarian 'Ventures

Again, another herb-centric soup. This is everything I love about winter in one soup. The rosemary is steeped through out the entire dish and it's incredibly comforting. This soup also has kale in it, which is a major plus. This blogger includes a recipe for homemade bread, so if you're not Celiac, I would highly suggest making it! This is also a great soup for when it's coldest out.

10. Tofu Curry Laska//Appetite for Reduction

By now, I don't think it's necessary for me to explain my curry obsession. Every time I make curry, I declare: "This is the best yet." I've said this many times. But this curry laska is out of this world. Slurpy rice noodles, tender bok choy, lime and tofu all meet in this amazingly easy dish. This recipe is from Isa's amazing book, but I have linked it to the recipe that was posted online. 

11. Moroccan Spiced Lentil Soup//Happy Herbivore

This soup is everything. It's so easy to pull together and it has so many spices in it. It even has cinnamon in it. I know, that sounds weird. But trust me on this. All of the spices come together to create this incredibly warming soup that is so nourishing. Perfect for a chilly night with some vegan buttered GF bread and wine.

12. Cure-All Miso Kale Soup//Here!

This might be the new pho. I am lucky to live about 5ish minutes from a great pho place in town, but mustering up the energy to drive when you're sick is not always easy. Enter this soup. If you keep a well-stocked Asian pantry, this soup will come together with out a trip to the store and with out stress. The raw garlic and ginger, along with nourishing miso and kale, is sure to cure anything you caught!

13. Chickpea & Rice Soup with Kale//The PPK

This soup is ridiculously colorful. And it uses a cashew cream, which works so well here to give it a creaminess. It also has tons of vegetables and delicious red rice. I can't recommend Isa's blog enough, but her soup recipes are usually out of this world. I love this soup when it's freezing out with a piece of buttered toast and tea.

14. Rustic Vegetable Chickpea Soup//Foodess

Again, with my minestrone obsession. This soup is also strikingly colorful, with big pieces of swiss chard through out. I love that you use the swiss chard stalks as well, which are full of nutrients from their vibrant colors. And I'm always a fan of soup where I can sneak in little tiny pasta shells. This isn't exactly minestrone, but it's still damn good. A rainbow swiss chard would be lovely in this soup.

15. Garden Corn Chowder with Basil & Chives//The PPK

This soup changed the corn chowder game forever. Not only does this soup use chives and basil, it also uses coconut milk and lime juice to create a Thai flavor profile. And let me tell you...you will have no better corn chowder than this. Although it's laborious, I highly recommend using fresh shucked corn (although frozen will do in the cold months) and using the corn cobs to make the soup extra corny. I have never done this with corn chowder before, but it makes a HUGE difference. 

16. Chunky Celery Soup with Celery Leaf Pesto//101 Cookbooks

This is probably one of the easiest soups on this list, and one of the most delicious. I have made this a few times before when sick and it never gets old. It's a very simple soup, but the celery leaf pesto really adds another level of flavor. I know, who makes pesto from celery leaves? But trust me. It takes only seconds to make, and you will not regret spooning it on top of this soup. This soup will graciously allow you to use an entire head of celery!

17. Summer Squash Curry Soup with Tofu Croutons//Super Natural Everyday
This is the perfect end of summer curry to make, when the summer squash is almost out of season. The curry base is so simple, yet ridiculously flavorful. Mashing curry paste into coconut oil is mind-blowing. I don't know why I've never thought to do this, but it adds so much to a dish. This will use up the last of your summer bounty of squash in the most delicious way. And don't skip the tofu croutons! They are simply seared in coconut oil until golden, for topping the soup.

18. Coriander Spiced Tomato Soup//101 Cookbooks
I guess I've only made tomato soup twice in my life, which is odd. Maybe it's because I can't eat grilled cheese. In any case, this soup is a delicious Indian twist on an American classic. Lovely Indian spices infuse this simple soup with so much flavor. For toppings, I used leftover cooked basmati rice, a swirl of vegan coconut yogurt, and green onions. I also highly recommend serving this with some sort of Indian grilled cheese/quesadilla combo. (I will post the recipe for the vegan quesadilla I made soon!)