Sweet Potato Tortilla Stew

This is a new version of a tortilla soup recipe I posted a while ago... but this version is a) more delicious and b) corn free (since that's our new issue around here.)

You do need to make your own enchilada sauce, which I do ahead of time and freeze. Depending on your allergy issues, you can use a can of some sauce that works for you, or make your own. (But it's a really good recipe and freezes well.)

Enchilada Sauce recipe:

If you can get your hands on tomatillos, then peel, dice and throw those in the blender or food processor (about 2-3 cups worth)

If you can't, I've been using a jar of this per batch of tomatillo salsa. (these are larger batches of sauce, to allow for freezing some)

Ok, so either a jar of tomatillo salsa or blended tomatillos.

1 cup raw green pumpkin seeds

4 cups veggie stock

1 medium yellow onion

6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

2 T chili powder

2 tsp coriander

2 tsp brown rice syrup

1/2 tsp salt

pepper to taste

Saute the onions & garlic together with the spices in a stock pot. Pour in the broth and the salsa/tomatillo puree and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 15 minutes.

veggie oil

1 onion, minced

1 package Upton's Chorizo-style seitan (corn free!)

3-4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced 

1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce

2 cups veggie stock

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 sweet potatoes, pre-baked

1 diced tomato

1 T tomato paste

4 (6 inch) tortillas, cut into strips and cooked on a griddle

You can either microwave the sweet potatoes until they are soft, or bake them in the oven. I do one or the other, depending on how much prep time I have. I bake them with the skins on, and once they're soft and cooked, soak them in a large bowl of cold water. This wrinkles the skin and makes it really easy to remove, as well as cooling the exterior so you can actually touch and remove the skin. Once you've removed the skin of the sweet potatoes, dice them.

In a large pot, sauté the onions and the garlic in the veggie oil. Once the onions are cooked well, add the seitan and saute for a few minutes. Add the seasoning and diced tomatoes, and saute a few more minutes. 

Once the tomatoes and seasoning have cooked a little, add the sweet potatoes, stock, enchilada sauce, and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, cook your tortillas on a griddle, slice, and add to the stew. Simmer for a few more minutes and serve!

In a separate bowl, mix the enchilada sauce and stock. Add the chile powder, cumin, salt and/or pepper. Add this mixture to the pot with the onions and Quorn, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Mix in the beans and tomatoes. Cook the tortillas on a griddle until cooked enough for tacos, and then slice into strips and add to stew. Simmer until heated through. 

Thanksgiving Dinner, Take 2 (final version)

Finally getting around to posting this...

The winner was the Baked Thanksgiving Risotto from the Vegan Holiday Kitchen, minus the corn. Not only was it delicious, it was the easiest risotto I've ever made. Seriously. I used delicata squash for the squash, since that's what I had, and the sweet flavor of the delicata complimented the red beans and spinach wonderfully.

So, there was the risotto, the sweet potato biscuits, and the carrot cranberry cake, all from Vegan Holiday Kitchen: More than 200 Delicious, Festive Recipes for Special Occasions.

It was delicious.

Thanksgiving Dinner, Take 1

So, since our beloved Tofurkey is out (big surprise, it has corn ingredients in it) I've been trying to come up with something else to bring to Thanksgiving dinner next week. Last night was dry run #1.

Recipes tried were:
Sweet Potato Biscuits from Vegan Holiday Kitchen: More than 200 Delicious, Festive Recipes for Special Occasions
Pumpkin Baked Ziti with Caramelized Onions and Sage Crumb Topping from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

The Sweet Potato Biscuits were delicious. I thought that the prep was a little weird, since you make the dough in the food processor, and I'm not used to doing that, but it was easy, and the taste was very good. These will be made next week.

The Pumpkin Ziti was eh. A little on the glue-y side, and pretty bland. I fear that this is the kind of vegan dish that non-vegans hate, and with good reason. It didn't have a lot of flavor, which was weird, because the cashew ricotta tasted good and the breadcrumbs and the onions were delicious individually. Put it all together and it's not a winner, which is surprising, since everything else I've made from Veganomicon has been delicious. Oh well, you can't win every time. This will not be made next week.

Friday I will be making the Baked Thanksgiving Risotto from the Vegan Holiday Kitchen, minus the corn. Fingers crossed!!

Pie, Delicious Pie

Pie!
Originally uploaded by zombie amelia

OK, so I got a little behind, because this is still the Thanksgiving wrap up and it's almost Xmas. Oh well.

Pie!!

This pie is the Sweet Potato Pie with Three Nut Topping from Vegan with a Vengeance, made with a Pecan Nut Crust (I was trying to accommodate my MIL's diet issues- diabetic & kidney issues) with mine.)
The major mod was that I used brown rice syrup in the 3 nut topping- and absolutely hunt down the correct nuts for this- the hazelnuts made all the difference.

The crust was fantastic- but I had to double the recipe to get enough to cover the pan. So, here is my modified crust (this is doubled):

* 2 cup pecan pieces (frozen)
* 4 T melted Earth Balance
* 4 T Brown Rice Syrup

Preparation:
1. Take pecans out of the freezer and measure them into a food processor. Pulse the processor until the largest pieces are as big as lentils or split peas.

2. Add the margarine and the syrup. Blend until it's mixed evenly.

3. Dump it into a pie pan, and push with your fingers to cover the bottom and sides. It should be the right consistency to mold the crust to the pie pan evenly.

It was fantastic with this pie.

One of my Favorite Soups

Squash Apple Sweet Potato Soup
Originally uploaded by zombie amelia

This is one of those recipes that I've made a million times. I've made it for family dinners, work pot lucks... in fact, I've tried to bring other things to work pot lucks, but my several of my coworkers insist on this soup.

It's from one of my favorite cookbooks- How it All Vegan - which has a lot of great recipes.

The other good part about this is that it's one of those recipes that's so easy- cut everything up and throw in a pot and cook.

I always end up making a double batch, because the recipe calls for 2 cups butternut squash, and whatever butternut squash I buy, I always have double. It freezes well, though.

Squash Apple Sweet Potato Soup
1 medium onion, chopped (I actually use half an onion)
1 tsp oil (for frying the onion)
2 cups veggie stock
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced
2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2-3 apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (if you put in the called for 1/4 tsp cayenne, this soup is going to be incredibly hot. I put in maybe an 1/8 tsp for a double batch)

In a large soup pot, sauté the onions in oil until translucent. Add the stock, squash, apples, sweet potatoes, and all seasonings. Mix and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until all the pieces are soft. Take 3-4 ladles of soup out and puree in the blender, then return creamed soup to pot and mix and cook for a few more minutes.

Enjoy!!