Happy Monday! I had a really fun, summery weekend . . . now back to real life!
Sometimes when I have a difficult time deciding what to cook I think back to the non vegan foods I used to love to eat, and then Veganize them! I used to love chicken salad, and this oil free chickpea salad tastes just like it! So good! I have been on a serious soup and sandwich kick so I decided to make a Broccoli soup to go with it (and I got to use my pink immersion blender which is so fun!) I might be crazy for eating hot soup in the summer but I love soup too much to save just for the fall and winter!
Ingredients – Chickpea Salad
-1 Cup dried chickpeas, soaked in water for 8 hours then rinsed & drained — or 2 Cups canned chickpeas boiled in hot water for 10 minutes, drained & rinsed
-1 ripe avocado
-1/2 small onion, peeled & chopped
-2 ribs celery, cut into 2″ chunks
-Salt & pepper to taste
-Dash of paprika
-Optional toppings: tomato, pickle, lettuce, sprouts, Vegan mayonnaise, organic yellow mustard
Directions:
-In a food processor, pulse all ingredients a few times until all the chickpeas have broken down a bit but still have some texture & celery is finely chopped
-Season with pepper to taste & layer on top toasted bread with the toppings of your choice
Ingredients – Cream of Broccoli Soup
Ingredients – Sesame Seasoning
-1/4 Cup sesame seeds
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
Ingredients – Soup
-1 medium potato, chopped into cubes
-2 Cups frozen white pearl onions — or 1/2 of 1 onion, diced —
-1 Cup frozen sweet corn
-6 cups frozen broccoli florets
-3 Cups water
-2 Cups almond, rice, or soy milk
-1.5 teaspoons dried basil
-1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
-Toast sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until seeds begin to pop & brown slightly, about 5 minutes. Make sure not to burn the seeds!
-Add toasted seeds, 1/4 teaspoon salt, & 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast to food processor & grind into a fine powder
-Set aside to ass to soup at the end of cooking
-Add potato, onion, corn, broccoli, & 3 Cups of water to pot — the water will not cover the vegetables, that’s ok! —
-Cover & cook on medium heat until vegetables are soft, but not mushy, about 20 minutes
-Remove from heat & add milk, basil, tarragon, salt & pepper, & the sesame seasoning you prepare earlier
-Blend 1 -2 minutes with an immersion blender until soup reaches desired consistency . . . I like some broccoli chunks in there ! —If you do not have an immersion blender, carefully ladle 1/3 of the soup into blender/food processor & mix until smooth. Pour mixture into a warm holding pot & repeat until all of the soup is blended —
*If you prefer to slow cook your soup, you can do so with this recipe on low for 6 – 8 hours
XOXO
