Vegetable Sambar

This version of a typical South Asian soup is a tasty and nutritious use for late summer vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried red lentils
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3-4 dried hot red chili peppers
• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
• 1 large yellow onion, minced
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 medium potato, cubed
• 1/2 pound eggplant, cubed
• 1/2 pound okra, sliced
• salt to taste

Preparation

1. In a large soup pot, bring lentils and broth to a boil and simmer, covered, until soft, about 30 minutes.
2. While the lentils are cooking prepare vegetables and spices. In a mortar and pestle (or a spice mill) combine coriander, peppercorns, mustard seeds, fenugreek, and cumin. Grind spices until they are a coarse powder.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large wok. Over medium heat fry the ground spices until fragrant, about one minute.
4. Add asafoetida, turmeric powder, whole red chilies, and onion. Continue frying until the onion is translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Stir in tamarind paste and add the remaining vegetables. Lower heat and cook until potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes.
6. Remove cooked vegetables from heat. Add the vegetables to the lentils and broth, and when they have finished cooking season with salt to taste.

This soup, packed with herbs and quinoa, is very reminiscent of many soups we ate while living in Huaraz, Peru.  The parsnips add a nice mild earthiness to this soup.

Parsnip Quinoa Soup

Ingredient

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 celeriac stalks or 1 celery stalk, diced
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 3/4 pound parsnips, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup raw quiona
• 4 cups light vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until the onion is translucent.
2. Add celeriac and white wine and continue to simmer until wine is evaporated, another three to four minutes.
3. Add the parsnips and saute for five minutes.
4. Add broth, quinoa, and oregano. Bring to boil then cover, reduce heat to low, and let simmer until the quinoa is cooked, about 15 minutes.
5. Serve garnished with fresh celeriac or celery leaves, diced spring onion, parsley, or other fresh herb of your choice.

Mirepoix is the aromatic flavor trinity of celery, carrot, and onion used as a base in typical French cuisine.

This simple bean soup replaces common celery with the stalks and leaves of its more pungent cousin, celeriac (often called celery root) in the mirepoix. If you are in Austin, Johnson’s Backyard Garden recently started selling this delicious herb at farmers’ markets around town.

Celeriac White Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup diced celeriac stalks and leaves
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup cooked cannellini beans
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Saute celeriac, carrots, onion, and garlic in olive oil until the onion is translucent and the carrots are tooth-tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the bay leaves, broth, and water, and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered for 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the white beans and continue to simmer a few minutes until the beans are warmed.
4. Add the lemon juice, season with salt to taste, and give a few good twists of freshly ground black pepper.

Sauteeing the Celeriac Mirepoix

Not long ago, we won Michael Natkin‘s cookbook Herbivoracious at an Austin Food Bloggers‘ event. The book starts with a great introduction to ingredients and equipment, and its collection of recipes includes many international dishes with tons of variations and side suggestions. James and I have really enjoyed reading it and tonight we finally got around to trying a couple dishes.

Kimchi Stew sans Kimchi with Spicy Stir-Fried Squash

It finally dipped below freezing in Austin last night so we decided to tackle Natkin’s Kimchi Stew with Shiitake and Daikon. Thanks to JBG and some luck, we had nearly all of the ingredients in the refrigerator except for the title Kimchi! James loves to make this all-important fermented Korean staple and, surprisingly, we were out. Even more surprisingly it does not appear kimchi is stocked at Central Market!

Working with what we had, we doubled down on the ginger and garlic and added a bunch of broccoli rabe  to to the soup to stand in for the kimchi. It turned out really well and I can only imagine how delicious the more authentic soup is. We paired the soup with a side of Natkin’s Spicy Stir-Fried Zucchini (or in our case, calabaza) and cold soba noodles. Even without the kimchi, I think Psy would have approved (maybe).

Here is James’s Variation:

Kimchi Stew with Shiitake and Daikon (sans Kimchi)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 cups daikon radish, sliced into thin half moons
• 1/2 cup baby carrots, sliced into thin rounds
• 5 or 6 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into chunks
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1/2 large cayenne pepper (or other hot red pepper), diced
• 4 large cloves garlic, grated
• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
• 4 cups water
• 3-4 tablespoons Sriracha (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon Better-than-Boullion paste
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
• 1 pound hard tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe, roughly chopped
• salt to taste
• diced spring onion for garnish

Preparation

1. In a large pot, saute the daikon, carrots, and mushrooms in the sesame oil over high heat for about 2 minutes.
2. Add onion, cayenne, garlic, and ginger and continue to saute until the onions are soft, 2-3 minutes more.
3. Add the water, Sriracha, Better-than-Boullion, and soy sauce, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the tofu and broccoli rabe, bring back to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes more.  Season with salt to taste.
5. Serve garnished with diced scallion.

My allergies caught up with me today and I developed a slight cough and a sore throat. This rich, nutritious, and slightly spicy soup made me feel much better.

Broccoli Beer “Cheese” Soup soothes what ales you.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 fresh hot peppers, diced (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 ounce American style lager
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 pound broccoli, chopped
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup rice flour

Preparation

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and saute the onion, garlic, and hot pepper over medium heat until the onions are soft, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the beer, broth, lemon juice, sugar, and broccoli and bring to a boil. Continue to cook until the broccoli is tender, about four minutes.
3. Stir in nutritional yeast and rice flour and simmer to thicken, about one minute.
4. Serve with the garnish of your choice.

This year, Coseppi Kitchen answered the call to duty when the Austin Food Blogger Alliance (AFBA) asked for volunteers to represent the organization at the 24th Annual Lone Star Vegetarian Chili Cook-Off. With the help of some AFBA volunteers including Jessica of Bake Me Away (see her write-up here), we made five gallons of Black Bean, Lentil, and Eggplant Chili and served hundreds of Cook-Off attendees! After braving the wind, some knife nicks, and a few steam burns, we went on to win the “All Veg” Category and the greatest honor of all, People’s Choice!

Thanks goes out to everyone who helped including Jessica, Gabe Hasser, Taylor’s parents Mike and Shelly who came down from Fort Worth to help, and the folks who lent us the equipment – Stephen Palmer, Clayton Ernst, and Molly Frisinger.  We also need to thank Johnson’s Backyard Garden for the delicious eggplant and cilantro that carried us through to victory!

Lone Star Vegetarian Chili Cook-Off
First Place All Veg and People’s Choice

Black Bean, Lentil, and Eggplant Chili

Ingredients

• ½ pound black beans, pre-soaked overnight
• 2 dried chili pasilla peppers, stemmed
• 4 large cloves garlic, diced and divided
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 dried chili pasilla peppers
• 3 dried chili cascabel peppers
• 2 dried chipotle peppers
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 poblano pepper, diced
• 1 pound eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• ½ 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ½ 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 quart water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable Better-than-Bouillon
• ½ cup dry green lentils
• Juice of 2 key limes
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Boil the black beans with 2 stemmed chili pasilla peppers, 3 bay leaves, and half of the diced garlic until soft, about 1 1/2 hours.
2. While the beans are cooking, finely dice (or use a food processor) the remaining chiles pasillas, chiles cascabeles, and chipotle peppers.
3. When black beans are tender, remove from heat.
4. Saute the onion, diced dried chilies, and ground cumin in olive oil over medium-high heat until the onions are soft and the cumin is fragrant, about 10 minutes.
5. Add the remaining diced garlic and the diced poblano pepper, and saute for 5 minutes more.
6. Add the eggplant and a pinch of salt, then continue to saute until it is tender, about 8 minutes.
7. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, water, Better-than-Bouillon, and lentils.  Bring to boil then lower heat to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are almost cooked, about 30 minutes.
8. Add the cooked black beans and let the chili simmer until the lentils are soft and the flavors have melded, about 30 minutes more. The longer you let the chili simmer, the thicker it will become, so you can adjust based on your preferences.
9. Season with salt to taste and add the key lime juice.
10. Serve with fresh chopped cilantro, diced jalapenos (for extra heat), or your preferred chili topping.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound white potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon non-margarine butter substitute
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large leek, finely chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce (gluten-free if required)

Preparation

1. Bring potatoes and broth to a boil in a medium sauce pan until tender, about 15 minutes.
2. While potato is boiling, melt the butter substitute over medium heat in a large pot.
3. Add leeks, mushrooms, and garlic, stirring to coat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until mushrooms have expressed their liquid and the leeks are soft, about 8 minutes.
4. Once potatoes are soft, add the potatoes and broth to the saute and combine. Add almond milk and soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Transfer mixture to a blender and combine until smooth, about 45 seconds.
6. Serve warm.

This attractive soup is a great way to get some more super nutritious kale into your diet.  The addition of a small amount of sugar helps tone down kale’s natural bitterness.

Pureed Kale Soup

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 bunches kale, chopped
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 cup cream (optional for vegan preparation)
• Ground nutmeg
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil in a large soup pot until the onion just begins to brown.
2. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
3. Add the kale and sugar, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until kale is tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Transfer the soup to a large blender, add cream, and process until smooth.
5. Return soup to pot, heat until thoroughly warmed, add a pinch or two of ground nutmeg, season to taste, and serve.

Italian White Bean and Kale Soup

The perfect soup for the cooler weather – just like grandma used to make!

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 15-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 2 cups cooked Cannellini beans
• 2 cups dino kale (aka Tuscan, Lacinato, or black), chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation