Potato, Corn, and Leek Chowder

We now interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this chowder. By regularly scheduled program I mean India blog posts. I know, and just when I promised some actual food from India! Thank you for your patience, I will make good on my promise in the next couple of days.

No need to adjust your screen, you are actually seeing chowder in late April. Before you click away in hopes to find a more springtime-appropriate meal, stick with me and give this a chance. This is a very light chowder, and thanks to the roasted corn kernels and vegetarian chicken-flavored broth it has a rich buttery flavor without the presence of dairy at all. Rather than being made creamy by whole milk and flour, a touch of rice milk is stirred in at the end for a light creamy finish.

And how about the leeks? They might seem like they are behind the scenes, but they really are a headliner in this chowder. In fact, I built this recipe around the leeks. Tinned Tomatoes is hosting this month's No Croutons Required blogging event. The challenge this month is to create a soup or salad featuring veggies from the allium family (onions, shallots, leeks, garlic, etc.). I knew right away that I wanted to create a soup featuring leeks, so without any specific soup in mind I went out and picked up some. For nearly two weeks the leeks peeked out at me from the shelf in the fridge before I decided that chowder was their calling.

I am not the first person to put potatoes, corn, and leeks together in a creamy broth and call it chowder, although this might be the first vegan version out there. This is a great single pot meal that comes together in 30 minutes or less. I am fortunate enough to have access to frozen roasted corn at a local Trader Joe's, but if you don't have access plain frozen corn will do just fine.

Potato, Corn, and Leek Chowder
Serves 4

2 leeks, white and light green parts, halved and sliced
3 ribs of celery
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups chopped potatoes (bite sized pieces), I used yukons
2 cups frozen roasted corn kernels
3 cups water
2 "Not-Chick'n" bouillon
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp rubbed sage
1-1/2 tsp dried mustard
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 bay leaf
2 cups rice milk
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 tbsp oil in large soup pot and stir in leeks. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and celery and saute for another 2 minutes. Mix in everything else except for the rice milk, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are tender--about 15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf, and stir in the rice milk, salt, and pepper, and serve.

India, in words

It has been nearly three weeks since I got back from India, and this is the third time that I have sat down to write a post about it. Both of my previous attempts ended up in the recycle bin (which is why I served up a quicky photos only post), but the time has come to figure out how to put it into words. As I try to express myself it all sounds so cliché. It is true though, India is not a place I will soon forget.



We arrived to Delhi at 11 pm on a weeknight and we were greeted by a crowded airport. We were shortchanged within the first ten minutes of getting there, putting us immediately on the alert. The air in Delhi was thick with exhaust fumes and dust. Considering the time of night we were surprised by how congested the roads were, but this was nothing compared to the congestion we would soon experience during the daytime. We shared the road with so many other cars, but just as many motorcycles, wagons pulled by buffalo and horses, rickshaws, tuk-tuks, and the occasional elephant. There were homeless sleeping on the sidewalks, men hanging around in front of closed businesses, and stray dogs everywhere we looked. I turned and looked at Becca and said, "We are in India."

Delhi had us on edge. So many people lied to us and tried to swindle us. Delhi was my least favorite stop, but there were some amazing moments. My favorite experience was walking in Gandhi's final footsteps at the Gandhi Smriti. We also took a cooking class while in Delhi, which turned out to not be up to the standards that we had hoped, both in quality of food and sanitary conditions. However, I did learn a few things worth sharing, which I will at some point (including a technique of preparing eggplant which should end my streak of hardly edible eggplant dishes).

We took a 2 hour train ride down to Agra for the day to see the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. The Taj exceeded the beauty you always read about and see in photographs, it really is a wonder!

We were accosted by Indian tourists that day, wanting to take photos with us. At one point I was up against the wall outside the exit of the Taj Mahal, surrounded by a semi-circle of people jumping in to take their turn posing for photos with me. Becca was standing back getting a good laugh all the while snapping a few photos of the spectacle going on. After several people people posed for photos a woman approached me holding a baby. She was facing me straight on, not turned outward to pose for a photo like the other people had done. She didn't speak English and I was pretty confused why she was just standing there smiling, and holding her baby. The only thing I could think to do was to wave at her baby and say, "Hello, baby!" Then very suddenly she pushed her baby into my arms and stepped back, and all of the onlookers erupted into laughter, and the snapping of pictures increased. Becca managed to snap a few photos herself in between wiping the tears which were a product of her own hysterical laughter. There were many laughter-invoking moments in India, but this one was our favorite.

Next stop, Corbett National Park, a tiger reserve in Northern India. We stayed inside the park in the Dhikala zone forest lodge. The lodge was off the grid, running on solar panels during the day, with only spotty electricity at night. We lost electricity just as the sun was going down, so after dinner they equipped us with matches and two candles. We were then left alone in the darkness with the sounds of the wilderness outside, with not much to do but take cold showers by candlelight, and turn in early. We could hear the humming of generators outside, but these were only used for the electrified fences around the camp to keep the tigers out.



We had two days of sightseeing safaris in different areas of the park. The tigers decided not to show themselves to us, but there was no shortage of amazing wildlife. We saw elephants, monkeys, crocodiles, wild boars, jackals, turtles, several breeds of deer, and tons of exotic birds.





Heading out of Corbett we took a second class sleeper train overnight back to Delhi, and in the morning flew out to Bagdogra airport, in the far northeast. From there we took a jeep 3 hours up into the Himalayan Mountains to Darjeeling (at 7500 feet). Darjeeling has front row views of the third highest peak in the world, Mount Kanchenjunga. The population there is mostly Nepali, but there is also a strong Tibetan presence--it was definitely the most culturally diverse location that we visited. Darjeeling really had a small town feel, and for the first time in India we felt very safe and not afraid to roam around on foot. In fact, we walked everywhere, uphill and downhill, which are the only two options there. The roads are steep and zigzag through town, and there are long steep staircases that serve as alleys between the roads. We never fully adjusted to the change in altitude, so during the long walks upward we would get winded quicker than we are used to and have to take breaks.

Tea is the main export in Darjeeling. Tea bushes grew everywhere on the rolling hillsides. We visited the Happy Valley Tea Estate and had a tour of the plant and learned how tea is processed.

Darjeeling is one of the stops on the historic Himalayan Railway featuring toy trains. It would have been an eight hour ride up which is why we opted for the three hour jeep ride into town, but we did take the train down one morning to the town of Ghum just to experience the toy train. We also spent one afternoon rafting on the River Teesta. A few of the pictures from the train and the rafting trip are in my previous post.

One of my favorite experiences in India was learning how to make Tibetan dumplings ("momos") at Hot Stimulating Cafe. I will be posting all about this experience including the recipe in my next post.

Darjeeling was my favorite, and I could have spent many more than four days there. The people were friendly, the tea was delicious, and we made acquaintances with several other travelers. The shopping there was better than the other places, with lots of small shops to choose from with fixed rate prices (which was a relief after some unsuccessful haggling in Delhi). We bought Tibetan handicrafts, pashminas, tea, and jewelry to bring home. Of all of the places that I visited in India, Darjeeling is the only place I could ever see myself returning to. But of course there are still many other places in India, and in the world, that I would like to visit.

As a most excellent way to end my journey I turned 27 just as I was boarding the 16 hour flight home. I traveled back in time through 11.5 time zones, meaning for me, March 22, 2010 was 35.5 hours long. The longest day of my life made for one memorable birthday.

Thanks for sticking with me through that long-winded post. We will be getting back to food around here, and soon!

India, in photos

We started in Delhi..

..stopped off in Agra..

..dropped by Corbett National Park..

..and ended up in Darjeeling.

So what about the food, you ask? You will just have to wait and see.

A Shepherd's Pie and a Giveaway Winner

Thanks again to everyone who entered the Primal Strips giveaway! I used a random number generator to determine the winner, and the lucky number was 8. Congrats to Keri of I Eat Trees! Email me your mailing address and I will have your jerky winnings shipped right out.


I'll leave you this evening with a recipe worth checking out.

This Vegan Shepherd's Pie recipe is brought to you by It Ain't Meat, Babe. This is a photo of my take on her recipe. I did not stray far from the original--just subbed red bell pepper for the corn. This pie is loaded with lentils and diced veggies, and flavored with miso, red wine vinegar, rosemary, and basil. Don't forget the generous helping of creamy mashed potatoes on top! This one is definitely a keeper. 


I have plans to squeeze in one more post before I leave on my trip to India on Wednesday. We will see how that goes though! There is still much to be done before I leave (such as packing). Have I mentioned that I am a terrible packer? I always overpack, and a trip like this one is the most challenging. Climate-wise I have to plan on a range of about 40 degrees difference (jungle vs. Himalayas). Of course I am doing carry-on only to complicate things, and I need to save lots of room in my luggage to bring all sorts of fun stuff back. I'm going to dive in head first on figuring out this packing situation tomorrow, wish me luck (and packing tips are welcome)! 

So anyway, just in case I do not have the chance to post again, I will catch up with you all when I return in a couple weeks. I may have occasional internet access via internet cafes, in which case I will be sure to post a blurb or two on twitter. I will be taking two different cooking classes during my stay, so I hope to come back with all sorts of fun stuff to share with you. I'll save all of the other details for later. Take care bloggy friends, and I'll talk with you soon!

Creamy Garbanzo-ball and Wild Rice Soup

  

I recently picked up some black short grain rice without any big plans on what I would use it for. The first thing that came to mind was coming up with a vegan friendly creamy chicken and wild rice soup. This sounded tasty and I was up to the challenge. 

I worked out all of the vegetables and also what the creamy dairy-free broth would be composed of, so the only thing left to figure was the chicken substitute. Chicken flavored bean balls would be fun, yes? Ah, yes, and I knew that garbanzo beans would be up to the task. 

The end result was creamy, hearty, and exactly what I was going for. My only complaint is that when I stirred the rice into the pot of gorgeous creamy white soup it discolored the broth a little bit. Of course this did not make the soup less delicious, it just made it a teeny bit less pretty for its closeup.

 

Creamy Garbanzo-ball and Wild Rice Soup

Serves 4

2 cups cooked short grain black rice (or wild rice, or blend of choice)

3 carrots, chopped

3 ribs of celery, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup of frozen peas

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tbsp dried parsley

2 bay leaves

5 cups water

2-1/2 not chick'n bouillon cubes

1 cup rice milk

1 cup firm silken tofu (1/2 package)(or more for a thicker soup)

3 tbsp chickpea flour

Garbanzo-balls

1 15 oz. can chickpeas

1/2 not chick'n bouillon cube

1/2 tbsp tahini

1/2 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tbsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried thyme

3 tbsp water

1/2 cup chickpea flour

Spray soup pot with olive oil cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add onions and saute for about 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if onions start to stick. Stir in garlic and saute for another minute before mixing in carrots, celery, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves. Continue to saute, stirring often for 5 minutes. Add water and bouillon cubes and stir until bouillon dissolves completely. Turn up heat to bring to boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Meanwhile start the garbanzo-balls.

Combine all ingredients except the chickpea flour in food processor and puree. Add in flour gradually and pulse until fully incorporated. The flour should dry out the mixture a little bit, but it should still be moist. The mixture should be easy to roll into balls, and shouldn't be overly sticky and moist. Spray a large non-stick skillet and heat over medium heat. Grab a heaping tablespoon of the bean mixture and roll into a ball and add into the skillet as you go. The mixture should make about 20 balls. Roll the garbanzo-balls around in the pan every 2 minutes or so, to brown all sides. You just want these to lightly brown and crisp up on the outside, but watch carefully to not darken them too much as this will dry them out. 

The garbanzo-balls should be done in 10-15 minutes, and by this time the veggies in the soup pot should be tender and ready to go. Remove the bay leaves and mix in the frozen peas. Puree rice milk, tofu, and chickpea flour in your blender and then stir into the soup pot. Lastly stir in your garbanzo-balls and rice and bring to temperature. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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I am submitting this soup to the March No Croutons Required blogging event, in which the theme is soups and salads featuring chickpeas. Vote for your favorite soup or salad starting March 20.

Don't forget to enter my Primal Strips giveaway, open until the end of the day this Friday, March 5!

Primal Strips Giveaway

 

From hot dogs to chicken nuggets, there seems to be vegetarian substitutes for just about any kind of meat out there. One thing that I never thought I would see is meatless jerky - until now. The good people at Primal Strips contacted me to see if I would be interested in trying their vegan jerky. Being unfamiliar with this company and their products I did a bit of research before responding. I was pleased to find that the jerky is all natural, preservative free, and has a very short list of recognizable ingredients. Additionally, I couldn't find a negative word out there about this company or the jerky.

I accepted the invitation to sample the jerky, but with one request. It's not as fun if only I get to try it, so I asked that I be able to offer one of you a shot at winning a package of jerky to try as well. They accepted my request, so I am happy to announce my very first giveaway featuring Primal Strips. More on how to enter after we talk jerky.

Primal Strips Vegan Jerky is available in six different flavors: Teriyaki, Thai Peanut, Hot and Spicy, Mesquite Lime, Texas BBQ, and Hickory Smoked. The first four flavors are wheat protein based (vital wheat gluten), and the last two are soy based and gluten free. On average these strips are 100 calories and have 10 grams of protein each, which makes for a light protein packed snack. 

Biting into my first strip I was immediately shocked by how flaky, moist, and tender it was. You will need a napkin, because the sauce will leave you with sticky fingers. The sauce on each variety has great flavor but is never overpowering. Great example, I am not a fan of smoky flavors, so I was not anxious to try the Hickory Smoked flavor. It did turn out to be my least favorite flavor, but the sauce was mild enough that I did not hate it. My absolute favorites are Thai Peanut, Teriyaki, and Texas BBQ.

The timing for me to encounter Primal Strips could not have been more perfect. I have been on the lookout for easy to pack, nutritious snack foods to bring with me on my trip to India (now just a week away!). These strips will be great tucked away in my pack during tiger sightseeing safaris, rafting in the Himalayan Mountains, or perhaps to enjoy with a cup of tea in Darjeeling. That is if they survive the 15 hour flight over!

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So, you say you want to try vegan jerky too? Alright, giveaway time! This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only. I will accept entries until 11:59 pm on March 5. I will use a random number generator to determine the winner and announce it on Saturday, March 6.

You may enter up to 3 times by doing the following (leave a separate comment for each entry):

1. Leave a comment, any kind of comment will do

2. Tweet about the giveaway

3. Mention the giveaway on your blog and link back to me

Good luck!

Spicy Mexi Millet

Are you familiar with millet? Until recently, my eyes passed over it at the store many times without giving it a second thought.


















At closer look I found out a few very interesting things about millet:

1.  It is a grain-like plant, the edible portion being the seeds.
2. Millet is a significant part of the diet in parts of Asia and Africa.
3. This crop does well in hot dry climates, where wheat and rice might not.
4. Just like the trendy seed quinoa, it is suitable for people following a gluten-free diet.
5. These seeds are made up of nearly 15% protein, along with being high in fiber, and containing minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. 
6. If you don't end up liking millet, you can serve it up in your backyard bird feeder or make beanbags with it.

After my first experience with millet I have decided that I will not be using it as bird seed. Millet can be eaten porridge-style for breakfast, it shines as a substitute for rice and other grains in side dishes, it is a common wheat substitute in gluten-free breads, and it can also be made into sweet dishes like pudding. Now I just wonder why a grain with such potential to appear in any meal of the day, and even dessert, doesn't get more press. 

 

I have only just begun experimenting with millet in my kitchen, but I am off to a great start with this Spicy Mexi Millet (thanks Jessy!). This dish is like Spanish rice, and it is great as a hearty side dish. I stuffed peppers with it one night, and another night served it burrito-style atop sauteed cabbage with a drizzle of queso and avocado slices. 

I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship.

Spicy Mexi Millet

(adapted from happyveganface)

½ cup uncooked millet

1 cup water
1 cup cooked black beans (or pinto or kidney beans)
1 green pepper, diced small
1 small yellow onion, diced small

1 carrot, grated

1 large tomato, diced small
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeded, finely diced
juice from ½ a lime

Place dry millet in a small pot and toast over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Add in the water and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer about 15-18 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed.

Spray a large skillet generously with cooking spray, and heat over medium high. Toss in the green pepper and onions and saute for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in garlic and jalapenos, and saute for another minute. Mix in your beans, carrots, and spices and cook for another 2 minutes. Last, stir in the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. 

Add the cooked millet to the skillet, stir in the lime juice and tomato paste, and serve.

Makes about 5-6 side dish servings, or stuffs an equal amount of peppers or tortillas.