Glorious Green Pea Curry Soup - Give Peas a Chance!

Even if you hate peas, I strongly urge you to give this a try. You cannot possibly be as sworn off of peas as I was before trying this. I credit this dish for getting me turned around on peas. For that, I am forever thankful.

This is yet another great recipe I was introduced to at my yoga teacher training. To be clear, I still resist peas. Years of habit energy. Until the day in 2004 that I experienced this soup, I would have testified under oath that I loathed peas and would never willingly put one to my tongue. According to family legend, even as an infant I refused any baby food with peas in it. After a few very unfortunate experiences with peas as a child, the sight or smell of them alone was enough to trigger the gag reflex.

Arriving to lunch after a full morning of yoga with a growling belly, I found pea soup and salad as the offering. To say I was dismayed was an understatement. I held out for a while, until I realized the salad would not hold me for the afternoon training. I decided to at least give the soup a try before getting in my car and driving to a local gas station for a Snickers bar. I placed a small serving in my bowl. I returned to my seat and stared at it for a time. Finally, summoning courage, I brought the spoonful to my mouth. I sniffed the spoon tentatively. Registering a pleasant aroma, nothing like the pungent split pea and ham soup that my mother made weekly for my entire childhood, I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised. After a few more spoonfuls I broke into a smile and ate two large bowls!

Ingredients

• 6 cups cold water
• 1/2 cup basmati rice
• 4 tsp green Thai curry paste
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 cup minced fresh ginger (2 inches)
• 1 stalk lemongrass, while part only
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 cup whole coconut milk
• 1 lb frozen peas
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/8 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• 1/8 cup tamari or coconut aminos
• 1/8 cup fish sauce (optional)

Directions

1. Place cold water, curry paste, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and lime juice in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and allow to simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. A trick for the lemongrass: Separate the blades of lemongrass and bruise them with the back/dull side of your chopping knife, meat tenderizer, or pestle and add to the soup, much like you add a cinnamon stick to hot cider. This will impart the flavor of the lemongrass to the soup and allows easy removal of the blades prior to pureeing the soup. This will lend to a smoother soup. Here is a good article: http://www.finecooking.com/item/30372/how-to-bruise-lemongrass-to-release-its-flavor
2. Add coconut milk and peas. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
3. Add herbs, fish sauce, and tamari. If you are soy-free, you can substitute raw coconut aminos and 1.5 tsp salt. (Since the aminos are raw, cooking them will diminish their nutritional value for which you are paying a premium. Wait until the soup has been pureed, run through a sieve, and has been removed from the heat. Add them and allow the soup to sit for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.)
4. Do not cook the soup further. Puree the soup immediately, using either an immersion blender or a food processor. The soup may be a bit grainy. I suggest pouring the puree through a strainer, using a whisk to assist with this. This will result in a completely smooth and thinner soup. If you'd like a bit more body, you can run some of the strained solids through a food processor a second time to achieve a smoother texture and then add them back to the soup until you reach the desired texture.
5. Add salt to taste. Add the coconut aminos at this time if you are substituting these for the tamari.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Gingerbread - Vegan and Allergen-free!

My grandmother made the best chocolate chip cookies. The best. When I was at college she made a big box of them and send them to me in care packages every few weeks. There were always plenty to share with my friends. When my dormmates figured out the source of these cookies, they would hover around the front desk waiting for me to arrive to pick up the box. Grandma’s cookies made me very popular, very quickly. What was her recipe? Well, you can find it on the back of the bag of Chocolate Chips!

Recently, I have incorporated another manufacturer’s recipe into my life. I have worked off the basic recipe for this cake-bread which I found on the company’s website. This has become a staple in our household.

My gluten free family is big on bread. It can get very expensive trying to buy pre-made allergen-free breads from the store. You pay a lot for mediocre quality. This recipe can be flexible based on ingredients on hand. It is moist and freezes well, retaining its moisture upon thawing. This Pumpkin-Ginger variation is my tribute to the autumn and I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

·         2 cups all purpose baking flour (try one that incorporates several different types of grains and legumes rather than mostly rice flour for better texture and flavor)

·         2 tsp baking powder

·         2 tsp baking soda

·         1 tsp xanthan gum

·         1 tsp cinnamon

·         SPICE

o   1 tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp clove for pumpkin bread

o    1.5 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp clove for pumpkin gingerbread

·         1 cup sugar (evaporated cane juice or turbinado sugar are great as well)

·         ½ cup coconut oil (or canola oil)

·         2/3 cup non-dairy milk

·         ½ cup applesauce, unsweetened

·         PUREE

o   1  cup pumpkin puree (with 2 tbsp molasses if making pumpkin gingerbread)

o   1.5 cup mashed very ripe banana for banana bread

o   1.5 cup shredded zucchini  for zucchini bread

·         1 tbsp vanilla

·         Optional: 1 tbsp nut butter

·         ½ cup add-ins: chocolate chips, nuts, raisins, dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease 2 bread loaves or line them with parchment paper and set aside.

Blend together all dry ingredients.

·         If you are making banana or zucchini bread, simply add the cinnamon.  

·         If you are making pumpkin bread,  add 1 tsp nutmeg and ½ tsp clove.

·         If you are making pumpkin gingerbread add 1.5 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp nutmeg and ½ tsp clove.

Blend in all wet ingredients one at a time, except the PUREE, until smooth. Finally add PUREE.

·         If you are making banana or zucchini bread, add 1.5 cup of mash/shreds.  

·         If making pumpkin bread, add 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling).

·         If making pumpkin gingerbread, add 1 cup pumpkin puree and 2 tbsp of molasses.

 Mix until well batter and add-ins are incorporated. Divide the batter equally between the two pans. Bake for at least 40 minutes, rotating pans after 20 minutes. The baking time will vary according to the type of flour oil, and puree used. The top should be hard and dull in appearance. Also, tap your fingernail on the top. You should hear an audible “tap tap.” When inserting a toothpick, it should come out clean. The recipe makes 2 loaves with approximately 13 slices per loaf.