Spring Green Goddess Soup

Spring Green Goddess Soup

Creamy Risotto with Asparagus and Peas
Fresh Start - Artisnal Cashew Cheese

Spring Green Goddess Soup

Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 leek, halved lengthwise and sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic, chopped
  • Small pinch of chili flakes
  • 90 g shelled frozen Edamame (3⁄4 cup)
  • 160 g green beans, cut into 1⁄2 inch pieces (1 1⁄2 cups)
  • 180 g green frozen peas (1 1⁄2 cups)
  • 1 zucchini, cut into 1⁄2 inch chunks (you don’t want them too small or
    they cook too quickly)
  • 6 cups veg stock, ideally homemade * see recipe notes below
  • 1 tbsp white miso paste
  • 1⁄2 cup dried orzo
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped tarragon
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped mint
  • 2 tbsp fresh chopped chives
  • 1 x 170 g container Greek Style Fauxmage
  • Squeeze of Fresh Lemon
  • S & P

Method:

 

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add leek, season
with s & p. Cook leeks, stirring here and there, until softened. About 5
minutes.

2. Add chopped garlic and a small pinch of chili flakes. Cook for a couple of
more minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in green beans. Cook for a minute or two. Season with S & P.

4. Add veg stock to the pot.

5. Mix 1 tbsp white miso paste with 1 tbsp hot water. Stir into the veg stock.  Bring everything to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer.

6. Stir in the container of Greek Style Fauxmage until it’s melted into the
broth.

7. Add orzo, edamame and zucchini. Gently simmer until orzo is cooked
through. Add frozen peas at the end just to heat through. Veg should be
cooked but still have texture and be bright green.

8. Stir in the fresh tarragon, mint & chives.

9. Season to taste with a squeeze or two of lemon juice and S & P.

10. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with extra fresh herbs and pea shoots.

 

Recipe Notes:

When reheating any leftovers, you will most likely need to add a splash of stock or water to thin out the soup. Also, the vegetables won’t be as vibrant green or al dente the 2nd day, but the soup will still be delicious. No matter when I’m serving it, I like adding extra fresh herbs to garnish for the added colour and flavour. Pea shoots are a nice touch too if you can find them.

For this recipe I recommend making your own vegetable broth. I don’t use a recipe. My process is to keep a bag in my freezer for collecting random scraps of vegetables. Once it’s full, I put all of the frozen veggie scraps into a large pot, top with water and simmer for about 45 minutes. Strain, discard veg, and reserve broth for desired use. I typically add to my freezer bag scraps of onion (including the peels), celery, carrot, tomato, mushrooms, parsley, thyme, & garlic.

 

Creamy Pesto Risotto with Asparagus & Peas

Creamy Pesto Risotto with Asparagus & Peas

Creamy Risotto with Asparagus and Peas
Fresh Start - Artisnal Cashew Cheese

Creamy Pesto Risotto with Asparagus & Peas

Yield: 30 stuffed mushrooms

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 x 180 g container Creamy Pesto Fauxmage
  • 1 bunch of asparagus
  • ½ cup frozen peas
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 onion, small dice
  • 1.5 cups arborio rice
  • ½ cup dry white wine (optional)
  • 5 – 6 cups veg stock
  • a squeeze of fresh lemon
  • S & P

Method:

1. Cut woody ends from asparagus, discard, then cut remaining asparagus into ½ to 1 inch pieces. Place on a sheet pan, drizzle with a bit of the olive oil, season with s & p, and roast in a 425 F oven for about 10 minutes or until the asparagus looks bright green. They should still have a bit of a bite to them and not be completely soft. Set aside.

2. Add vegetable stock to a small pot and heat, then keep hot over low heat while you start the risotto.

3. Add remaining olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic & season with S & P. Cook until softened.

4. Add arborio rice to the pan, stir around to coat with oil until rice is translucent. About 5 minutes. Season with S & P.

5. Deglaze the pan with white wine, stir and let it reduce.

6. Now add a ladle full of hot vegetable stock and stir continuously until the liquid has been absorbed.

Repeat step 6 with consecutive additions of stock until about ¾ of the stock has been used (takes about 25 minutes), then try the rice to see whether enough liquid has been absorbed. The grains should be tender but not mushy. (You might have some stock leftover). When the rice is almost ready, proceed to step 8. The rice should be loose with a bit of liquid still in the pan. You don’t want the risotto to be stiff and dry at this point (or ever). It should be fluid but creamy.

7.  Turn heat down to medium low, add fauxmage, frozen peas and asparagus and stir into the rice until the fauxmage is melted and the veggies are hot. Taste and season with more salt and pepper and a squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice. If you need to add a bit more stock to loosen the rice a bit you can.

8. Serve straight away.

Creamy Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms

Creamy Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms

French Onion Soup with Everything Bagel Fauxmage

Yield: 30 stuffed mushrooms

Ingredients:

  • 1 x 180 g container Creamy Pesto Fauxmage
  • ¼ cup Baked Feta Style Fauxmage
  • 30 button mushrooms (smaller bite sized ones yet still big enough to stuff)
  • ¼ cup panko crumbs + a bit more to garnish
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • 1 red bell pepper, small dice
  • 2 cups packed spinach, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, chopped
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • ¼ cup melted vegan butter
  • veg oil as needed

Method:

1. Remove stems from 30 mushrooms, chop stems and set aside. Use a small sharp knife to gently remove some of the inner gills from mushrooms. This helps create a larger space for adding the filling.

2. Over medium high heat, add a drizzle of veg oil to a skillet. Add chopped stems and red pepper. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sweat until almost softened. Add garlic and cook a few minutes longer, then fold in spinach until wilted. Remove from heat, set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl add the creamy pesto & baked feta fauxmage. Fold in vegetable mixture to fauxmage while still warm. Add panko crumbs and chopped parsley. Gently stir together until evenly combined. Cool completely, pop in the fridge while you prepare the mushroom caps.

4. In a skillet add a generous drizzle of veg oil over medium high heat. Add mushrooms in a single layer and cook until they just begin to soften, flipping halfway through. Their liquid will begin to release and they will be a bit pliable. Place par cooked mushrooms on a parchment lined baking sheet.

5. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Stuff each mushroom with the filling (rounded). If you have extra filling, (just depends on size of mushrooms used) you can cook off a few more mushrooms as needed, or use the extra filling anywhere you want to add some cheesy flavour (eg I stirred my extra into vegan egg/tofu scramble)

6. Sprinkle stuffed mushrooms with more panko crumbs then drizzle each mushroom with a bit of melted vegan butter.

7. Cook mushrooms in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until bubbling hot, and crumbs are toasty.

8. Cool slightly and serve as finger food with other nibbles or as an appetizer.

French Onion Soup with Everything Bagel

French Onion Soup with Everything Bagel

French Onion Soup with Everything Bagel Fauxmage

Serves 4

Soup Ingredients:

  • 1.5 lbs sweet vidalia onions , peeled & thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp vegan butter
  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 5 cups vegetable stock (homemade is best)
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 bay leaves
  • sprig fresh thyme
  • salt & pepper

Garnish Ingredients:

  • 1 x crusty baguette (I like multigrain)
  • Olive oil
  • 1 x container Everything Bagel Fauxmage
  • 4 oz shredded vegan mozza

Soup Method:

1. In a large soup pot over medium – low heat (you may need to adjust periodically) add vegan butter, veg oil and onions. Season with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Give them a stir to coat in the oil, then allow them to cook slowly without stirring too often. This will allow onions to caramelize. Stir only as needed for about 45 minutes or until soft and golden & caramelized. Add chopped garlic towards the end to soften.

2. Now turn up the heat a bit higher than medium, and add tomato paste. Cook and stir for a couple minutes.

3. Add all purpose flour, stir and cook for a couple minutes longer.

4. Turn up heat to medium high, then deglaze with red wine, stir, then simmer and allow to reduce for a few minutes.

5. Add veg stock, bay leaves, a sprig of fresh thyme, soy sauce and bring to a simmer. Season with more salt and pepper.

6. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Then I often like to let my soup hang out on low heat for a while to allow the flavours time to develop.

Garnish/Assembly Method:

1. Heat oven to 425 F

2. For the baguette, cut thick slices to divide between 4 bowls. I like to have enough bread sliced to fully cover each bowl so that there is cheese over all of the soup, so you can plan to cut more than one slice per person and then cut the bread into halves to layer them into the soup bowls. This also creates height and visual appeal.

3. Drizzle slices of bread on both sides with a bit of olive oil, place on a baking sheet and into the oven. Flip half way through. Keep an eye, you want both sides to be toasty and golden.

4. Now ladle hot soup into oven safe french onion soup bowls. Top all pieces of toasted baguette with a generous amount of Everything Bagel Cheese. I just use a spoon to pile it on evenly, pressing it enough to adhere to the toast.

5. Now divide cheesy toasts amongst the soup bowls. Sprinkle over top each bowl some shredded vegan mozza. A couple good sized pinches for full coverage. If you have fauxmage left you can certainly crumble a bit more over top.

6. Now place soup bowls onto a baking sheet and carefully place them into the oven. Turn the oven to a low broil. Cook until cheese is hot and melty. 3 – 5 minutes. Keep an eye!

Creamy herb dressing with grilled veggies

Creamy herb dressing with grilled veggies

Grilled Vegetables with Creamy Herb Dressing

 

Herb Dressing

Yield 1 ½ cups

Ingredients:

  •   1 container Creamy Herb Fauxmage
  •   ½ cup vegan mayo
  •   ¼ cup plant milk
  •   1 clove garlic, chopped
  •   3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
  •   2 tsp lemon juice
  •   ½ tsp Dijon mustard
  •   ½ tsp flaked kosher salt
  •   ⅛ tsp pepper

Method:

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blitz to combine, scraping down sides as needed until everything is creamy &  smooth.

2. Serve right away with grilled or fresh veggies for dipping.

3. If making ahead of time, store in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, the dressing may have solidified a bit and need 10 seconds in the microwave and a stir to bring it to room temp.

Grilled Veggies

Toss your favourite veggies in a bit of vegetable oil with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Grill on a charcoal grill or in a grill pan in batches until tender. Veggies are best served hot or at room temperature. Serve creamy herb dressing on the side.

Suggested Veggies for Grilling:

  •   12 baby potatoes, boiled, cooled and cut in half
  •   1-pint mushrooms, halved
  •   6 radishes, thickly sliced
  •   ½ bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed
  •   1 fennel, cut in half and then into wedges
  •   8 sweet baby peppers halved & seeds removed, or 2 – 3 large peppers in thick slices or chunks
  •   1-pint cherry tomatoes, left whole

That Fall Feeling with Fresh Start

That Fall Feeling with Fresh Start

You know that feeling of being in cozy socks and the sweater your Nana knit while enjoying yummy snacks and a cup of something delicious? The Scandinavian word for that sense of contentment is “hygge.” It describes the gentle feeling of goodness that wraps around us as Thanksgiving arrives. The leaves are dazzling in a magnificent goodbye, the wind is refreshing in its autumn cool, and we’re happy to cuddle up in the evenings with those we love — be it inperson, on-screen, or in spirit.

And so to prepare for winter’s nesting, we gather at farmers’ markets to partake of the bounty of the harvest — together. We laugh with others over warm apple cider, colourful vegetables, hearty soups, and rich, creamy spreads with seeds, salt, and smokiness. We crave what will warm us from the inside out, and here we can buy these foods right from the hands of those who lovingly created them in their kitchens or cornfields.

This Thanksgiving weekend, instead of talking politics and pandemics, let’s take a breath and feed the feeling of hygge instead. Let’s turn toward the sanctuary of our beautiful lives and get grateful for the grace we can still find within uncertainty. Let’s raise that cup of delicious to what is everlastingly right and true. May you eat well, laugh much, and have the coziest of socks to curl up in later tonight.

And for something savoury that’s rich with basil and garlic for your Thanksgiving feast, we offer

this recipe for Mushroom Wellington with Creamy Pesto Fauxmage.

Get the Recipe Here!

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