Tornado Soup

It's called Tornado Soup because I made this on the day a tornado touched down in Santa Rosa, about 10 miles from where I live. And because you whir it up like a tornado in a blender. And it's so fast to make!

Makes 2-3 Servings
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup water or non-dairy milk of choice
2 tbs powdered veggie stock
1 tsp salt
2 green onion, chopped (One for the recipe, one for garnish)
1 cup spinach
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 Tbs dried basil
1/4 cup peanut butter
Optional:
1/4 cup coconut cream or milk
few drops of hot sauce
1 Tbs soy sauce

Just put all these ingredients in a blender (a Vita-Mix works really well, of course) and blend until smooth. This could easily be a raw recipe using fresh ingredients. I heated mine in the microwave by the cup before I ate it. You can also heat the whole recipe on the stove or whir for 5 minutes in a Vita-Mix to get it hot.

You could also make this in a pot on the stove and use a hand blender to get it creamy.

This is a nice cup of zippy soup to warm you on a cold, tornado-y day!

Green Potato Soup

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day! I don't even measure or use a recipe for this soup anymore. Just throw stuff in–it's bound to turn out great!

(Based on two recipes from the McDougall Cookbooks.)

Green Potato Soup

1 onion
2 tsp oil or water
1 clove garlic, minced
6 cups of water + dry veggie stock or
6 cups veggie stock
5-6 potatoes. cut into cubes
couple big handfuls of spinach

Optional:
a little salt
a little soy sauce
a little vegan margarine when served
wild sorrel for garnish

Saute the onion in water or a little oil. Add the garlic, saute a little longer. Add the water+veggie stock  or veggie stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add spinach and cook a few minutes. Use a hand blender to blend the soup in the pot or transfer (carefully) to a blender and whir it up! If you like a few chunks, take some potatoes out before you blend and put back in after you have blended. Also great without the spinach, but not as fun for St. Patrick's Day!

Mixed-Berry Smoothie

Serves 3
8 oz soy or other non-dairy milk
1 banana
1 cup mixed frozen berries
2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs agave nectar
Optional:
2 tsp maca powder
1 Tbs ground flaxseed
1 Tbs cocoa powder
Blend all ingredients. Serve.

TTS–Tofu Tossed Salad

Tofu Tossed Salad

Cubed Smoked Tofu
4 cups Romaine or combo of lettuces
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup yeast flakes

Dressing of choice
(I used a bottled Sesame Ginger)

Toss it!
Pour on a bit of dressing!
Toss again!
Eat!

Stir-fry

I hadn't made a stir-fry in a long time and this one came together so nicely! I already had some rice made and had plenty of veggies in the fridge. This is a throw-it-together dinner if there ever was one.

Cooked Brown Rice
Firm tofu (cut in triangles)
Sugar snap peas
sliced carrots
chopped or torn kale
olive oil
coconut oil
sesame seed oil
soy sauce
ginger powder
garlic powder

I browned the tofu in some soy sauce (I use reduced sodium wheat-free Tamari) with a little olive oil. I could have used some coconut oil here for more flavor. Set it aside. Then in true stir-fry fashion, I fried the carrots first (longest to cook), then the snap peas, then the kale, all the while throwing some garlic or ginger powder on top, along with a little sesame oil. (I made this dish without the usual gresh garlic and onions since a family member is having a sensitivity.) Once the kale had reduced volume, I threw in the rice. It was sticking to the pan a little and that's when I realized I could be using some coconut oil for a real zip. Get it all heated through, put the tofu back in, heat a little longer and serve.