Tortilla Soup

In August I am teaching a one-day workshop on Metta (Loving-Kindness) and Hatha Yoga. I've requested that since I am teaching this and we are offering lunch, that the lunch provided be vegan. I just can't get behind the thought of teaching either things when the food isn't also sending the message of great compassion. The only request back was that I suggest a recipe I would like cooked.

In August there will be fresh zucchinis and tomatoes in great abundance. In recognition of these seasonal treats I've suggested that tortilla soup be served. It is light and should not feel too heavy for the work of meditation and yoga, much less the heat of August. At the same time the black beans give the soup some substance to sustain everyone for the rest of the day. The mix of citrus and tomatoes are lively and bright.

The Stuff

• 2 T canola oil
• 1/2 t cumin seeds (*optional)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large stalks celery, diced
• 3 large carrots, halved and sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 8 cups water or vegetable stock
• 2 small/medium (10") zucchinis, diced
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes (I used Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes) OR 3 1/2 cups diced, fresh tomatoes
• 3 cups cooked, black beans (or approximately two 15oz cans)
• 2 limes juiced
• 1/4 cayenne pepper (or more, to taste)
• 1 t powdered cumin (more if not using cumin seeds)
• 1/2 t chili powder
• 1/2 t sweet, smoked paprika (or more, to taste)
• 1/4 c nutritional yeast
• salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
• fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 avocado, diced
• 4 corn tortillas
• lime wedges

The Making

Heat oil in the bottom of a stock pot and add cumin seeds (if using). When seeds begin to darken and pop, add onions. When onions become translucent add in garlic and saute until fragrant. Add in diced celery and carrots, let vegetables cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to caramelize. Add in diced bell pepper and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Add water, tomatoes, and zucchini. Cover, bring up to near boil and then reduce heat. Add in lime juice, spices and black beans. Stir, cover and simmer until all vegetables are tender; about 25 minutes. Stir some fresh cilantro into the soup before serving.

While soup is simmering cut tortillas into very thin slices and toast under low broil until crunchy. Set aside as garnish.

Serve soup with more fresh cilantro, the diced avocado, toasted tortilla strips and lime wedges.

Makes about 6 quarts.

Kombucha Day 110

Really, I should have been posting more often about the kombucha. The thing is, it has gone so smoothly, so effortlessly that the posts would have been something like this:

Kombucha brewing, bottled, etc. No issues. Still brewing with Oolong tea.

That's really been about it. For all my trepidation at the start this has been amazingly easy and has me considering trying other home brewing as well (ginger beer). I've been easily coming up with 3 liters every 5-6 days and keeping both myself and my Mom in good supply.

There have been a few interesting things I've learned and they all have to do with brew time. The brewing is best at 5-7 days MAX. I did one batch at a 9 day brew and it was pretty vinegar-esque and required the addition of a lot of fruit juice to render palatable. A week is the most it should stay in, but at the 5-6 day mark it is still a light, effervescent, very slightly tart drink. In that time frame I've come to really enjoy a big pint glass of it.

Now where am I at?

Well, the mother has acquired strata - layers upon layers of new culture growing.

This has been so amazingly successful that I've reached out to my Portland friends to see who wants to brew at home. Even Christie has expressed a wee bit of interest through her absolute horror at the mother "tea mushroom".

I also want to start to branch out to adding flavors to the bottles when I pour off a batch. I'm doing some reading on using fresh juice (e.g., ginger) and perhaps some fruit pulp. Need to research this a bit.

In the meantime today I poured off a batch. Interesting to note that for the first time I didn't get a little over 3 liters. I would have, but I've been leaving about a liter of brewed kombucha in the jar when I add the new tea and I would have only had about half a liter left. That might not be so bad, I believe that's how much commercial kombucha I used to start the culture going.

What's curious is where the tea went? It has been warmer & dryer in Portland (finally), so perhaps it is evaporating a bit more quickly? Does the huge culture consume more of the tea? Not sure, we'll see how the next batch goes.

Today's excitement was separating off two of the top-most layers of the mother culture for friends. This is how I got going, with a piece off the culture tended up at Great Vow, and it feels really cool passing on this culture to new people.

And here's one more crazy close up of the 110 day old culture floating in kombucha.

Organics to You - June 28, 2010

Today is a day of massive fridge cleaning. We've been over run with deliveries, supplemental things we've picked up and farmers market finds. Combine all of that with some eating out and we're once again filling up the compost bin!

That said, here's today's box full of goodies:

• a head of red leaf lettuce
• kale
• garlic spears
• broccoli
• a cucumber
  
• green onions
  
• peas
• celery
• 10 red potatoes
• 3 yams
• 2 bulbs of garlic
  
• cherries
• blueberries
  
• 3 nectarines
• 5 apricots
  
• cilantro

In the fridge:

• green leaf lettuce
• 4 avocados (thrilled to learn that putting a ripe avocado in the fridge will let it sit for quite a while before getting around to using)
  
• 1 cucumber
• some garlic
• 2 shallot
  
• some onions
• kale
• chard
  
• celery
• green cabbage
• 5 apples
  
• broccoli
• head of cauliflower
  
• 2 bulbs of fennel
• carrots
• red beets
• radishes
• 4 zucchini
  
• 5 grapefruit
• 4 mangoes
  
• a lemon
• 4 limes
• 3 peaches
• 3 plums
• 3 pluots
• 2 apricots
• 1 plantain
  
• several red & orange bell peppers
• 2 small daikon
  
• several bananas
• 2 pints strawberries
• medium sized jicama
• 1 tomato
• young Walla Walla onions
• 3 red bell peppers
• 1 orange bell pepper
• ginger
• cherries
• 4 pints of blueberries
• 1/2 pint of raspberries
• russet potatoes
• red potatoes
• yams
• green peas (from our garden - yeah!)
  

The Compost Pail of Shame (what we didn't use and had to compost):

• piles of lettuce
  
• bunches of spinach
  
• a little cilantro
• some basil
• sunchokes
• bits of green pepper
• some broccoli
• 4 ears of corn
• a mango
  

Even more terrifying looking at it all written out...

OK, just how to cope with all this produce? Here's the ideas I've got, I'm grateful we have a party this weekend to help with the produce :)

• Raw kale salad will use up the 2 bunches of kale easily
• Tortilla soup (cilantro, zucchini, limes, carrots, celery, aromatics)
• Jicama Salad (if it is still in good shape when I go to peel)
• potato salad for the 4th of July
• Miso Udon Stew (broccoli, carrots, shallot)
• Daikon & Carrot Salad
• Garlic spear pesto
• Lots of fruit salad
• Cabbage & Pea salad
• Big stir-fry (more broccoli, chard, greens from garden)
• Big green salad for the 4th of July
  

Organics to You - June 14, 2010

Missed last week's post due to the crazy busyness of getting ready for Open Source Bridge. We'd thought last week we'd come home and cook some, but were wrong. This week we have a crazy surplus of produce in the house including the contents of this week's box:

• 2 heads of red leaf lettuce
• 1 bunch of spinach
• garlic spears
• 2 ears corn
• a cucumber
  
• asparagus
• baby broccoli
• bunch of carrots
• 6 Russet potatoes
• 2 yams
• 2 bulbs of garlic
  
• 1 avocado
• 2 nectarines
• 3 fuji apples
  
• 2 peaches
  
• 2 mangoes
• bunch of basil
  

In the fridge:

• Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes) - yep, these are still there and STILL might be OK
  
• red leaf lettuce
• piles of spinach
  
• 6 avocados
  
• 1 cucumber
• 2 bulbs garlic
• several onions
• 2 ears of corn
  
• collards
• celery
• green cabbage
• 1/2 apple
  
• some broccoli
• head of cauliflower
  
• 2 bulbs of fennel
• carrots
• red beets
• radishes
• 6 grapefruit
• 4 oranges
• 2 lemons
• 4 limes
• 2 nectarines
  
• several red & orange bell peppers
• 2 small daikon
  
• several bananas
• Pounds of Hood/Honeoye strawberries
• medium sized jicama
• 3 tomatoes
  

The Compost Pail of Shame (what we didn't use and had to compost):

• cucumber
• some lettuce
• cilantro
  

We are still rather awash in produce! I tried to make some real veggie rich dishes last week to help use up some of the surplus. Between that and the gift of house guests who like veggie dishes we are making some headway. The garden is getting underway and I haven't listed the pounds of kale, mustard greens, bok choi and chard that are out there waiting for me to pick them and do something interesting. Oh yes, and lots of peas too. As things really start to produce we may need to stagger boxes to every other week, perhaps even pausing completely until late autumn?

This week -- I think I've been over thinking the whole making of saag and am going to give it a try. Christie's favorite Indian dish is aloo saag (potatoes with spinach) and since her birthday is coming up I thought it would be good to try it out. I am thinking of adding in some pieces of seared tofu as a kind of saag paneer, vegan style. The broccoli, garlic spears and asparagus will most likely become yet another stir-fry. The peppers were picked up to make fajitas this week and I think I'll make a huge pile of guacamole (freezing some) to use up the avocados.

Umbrian Inspired Favas

Organics to You has been bringing us fresh fava beans for a few weeks now and I've repeatedly put them into a green bag in the fridge until I figure out what to do with this new produce. Tonight I finally decided to cook up the pile of them as inspired by a recipe I found online for an Umbrian fava bean stew, Scafata. I didn't have the ingredients exactly so I winged it quite a bit (so no exact recipe, just technique follows).

The result was very tasty! Here's a rough outline of what I used and did:

Roughly 3 pounds of unshelled, fresh Favas were used in the dish. I combined them with a small onion, 3 cloves of garlic, a small bunch of green garlic spears, a bulb of fennel, and 2 large stalks of celery. The onion was sauteed in olive oil along with the bulb garlic, then the celery, fennel, green garlic and the shelled beans. Once they all got going nicely and the fennel was softened a little I layered the chopped kale on top then topped it with a lid.

Once the kale began to wilt a little I added some thinly sliced, fresh sage and basil. I tossed everything together carefully to get the kale and herbs down into the rest of the veggies, then covered again. I added a splash of Vinho Verde we had on hand since it seemed like a little more moisture would help and covered again.

After the kale had fully softened I added some dried dill and marjoram (didn't have fresh, seems like thyme would be nice too) as well as salt and pepper. At this time I diced up 3 tomatoes and tossed them in. Given that the original recipe comes for Italy I decided to add some champagne vinegar as well as some balsamic & fig vinegar.

Simmer on low until the outside of the beans was tender - total cooking time was a little over an hour since it takes a while for the skins of the fresh favas to get tender. I served this with some garlic/pepper tempeh braised with balsamic vinegar.

Totally delicious and I'll certainly make again!

creamy and nutty greens soup!

our lovely portland spring has inspired more soup-making than usual for this time of year. i had to share this recipe - i found variations of it on several websites and tweaked it to my liking. it's soooooo good, vegan, and gluten-free (if made with quinoa only)!

CREAMY AND NUTTY GREENS SOUP

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup lentils
1/2 cup brown rice or quinoa or combo
1/2 cup onion or leeks, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic (or more to taste)
4 Tbsp olive oil (or combo with canola oil)
2 tsp sesame oil
bunch of greens (i like kale and chard together - be sure not to use the stalks)
5-7 cups water
1-2 cubes veggie bouillon

SPICES
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp of chili powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp of sea salt, to taste
(you could use 2 tsp cumin in lieu of cinnamon and chili powder)

TAHINI DRESSING
1 to 3 Tbsp tahini or creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp flax oil (optional)
Bragg's Liquid Aminos to taste

Wash greens and chop finely.

Add olive oil to a pre-heated soup pot on medium temperature. Once oil is hot, add onions/leeks and garlic and cook until soft. Add spices, being careful to blend well. Then add lentils and rice/quinoa and stir well. Add chopped greens and mix.

Add water and bouillon to about 1/2 inch above all your goodies. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer on low for 45 minutes.

While the soup is cooking, combine tahini/PB, flax oil and Bragg's; mix until texture is smooth and creamy. When the soup is ready, puree with the instrument of your choice, until the texture is how you like it. Mix in tahini/PB dressing well.

Organics to You - June 7, 2010

Missed last week's post due to the crazy busyness of getting ready for Open Source Bridge. We'd thought last week we'd come home and cook some, but were wrong. This week we have a crazy surplus of produce in the house including the contents of this week's box:

• 2 heads of red leaf lettuce
• 2 bunches spinach
  
• asparagus
• fresh fava beans
• radishes
• bunch of carrots
• 6 Russet potatoes
  
• 6 tomatoes
• 2 avocados
• 4 nectarines
• 2 apples
• 2 tangerines
  
• a small cantaloupe
• 1 bulb of garlic

In the fridge:

• Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes) - yep, these are still there and STILL might be OK
  
• red leaf lettuce
• 4 avocados
  
• a small zucchini
• 2 cucumbers
  
• 1 bulb of shallot
• 2 bulbs garlic
• half a large, yellow onion
  
• fresh fava beans
• collards
• celery
• baby bok choy
• Napa cabbage
• green cabbage
• kale
  
• 3 apples
  
• some broccoli
• little bit of cauliflower
  
• 3 bulbs of fennel
• garlic spears
• asparagus
  
• carrots
• red beets
• turnips
• radishes
• 6 grapefruit
• 2 oranges
• 2 lemons
• 2 limes
• 1 plum
• bell pepper
• 2 small daikon
  
• several bananas
• 6 pints of Hood/Tillamook strawberries
• medium sized jicama
• cilantro
  

The Compost Pail of Shame (what we didn't use and had to compost):

• 4 bananas
• some lettuce
  

We are awash in produce! Still getting more in the fruit category from the market to supplement the box. We picked the half-flat of berries this past Saturday out at the Bella Organics Berry Farm on Sauvie Island. I managed to make a couple of dishes using a lot of produce including a stir-fry with asparagus & garlic spears as well as a hearty stew that included asparagus, garlic spears, chard, shelling peas, carrots, celery and various beans.

With the pile of spinach I am leaning toward making a Korean wilted spinach dish that is often served with bibimbap. Christie has requested a carrot/daikon salad - perhaps served with a miso stew? Stir-fried veggies will certainly happen. I also want to do a jicama, lime & cilantro salad. I spotted a tasty sounding Moroccan stew using fresh fava beans, so that's up for this week too.