Tag: comfort food

Vegetable Soup with Lazy Gnocchi

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I call this lazy gnocchi because you don’t have to form them into the characteristic shape… Instead, roll them into balls and treat them like mini potato dumplings. If you’re so inclined, by all means, take the time to properly roll them.

ST - veg gnocchi soup 2

Vegetable Soup with Lazy Gnocchi

For the lazy gnocchi:
2 russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
About 1 cup gluten-free flour mix; I use 50% sorghum, 25% quinoa, 25% tapioca + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum for this, adding more sorghum if needed.

For the soup:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 leeks, washed well and thinly sliced
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
3 cups whole, peeled stewed tomatoes (homemade or canned; I’ve used both)
8 cups water
6 cups chopped Swiss chard
1 can (14oz/398mL) kidney beans, rinsed
Handful fresh parsley, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Wrap the potatoes in foil. Bake for about 1 hour until tender.

Meanwhile, to make the soup, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the leeks, celery, and carrots. Cook until softened and starting to caramelize, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic. Mix until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the oregano, basil, rosemary, and poultry seasoning, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce the heat, letting simmer while preparing the potatoes.

While simmering, carefully unwrap the potatoes and let cool about 20 minutes. Mash or rice them well, and spread them on a work surface. Add about half of the flour mixture. Using your hands, knead the potato/flour mixture to bring it together, adding more flour mix to create a soft, smooth dough. It should not be sticky or crumbly. Have patience—you will be kneading and adding flour for about 10 minutes. You’ll use about 3/4 to 1 cup of flour in total.

Once the dough has come together, take a moment to add the Swiss chard and kidney beans to the soup.

Return to the potatoes. Use your hands to roll small 3/4-inch-sized balls of dough between your palms. Repeat until all dough has been used.

Return the soup to a boil. If you find that there isn’t enough room for the gnocchi to cook, use a sieve to temporarily transfer some of the vegetables into a large bowl. Carefully drop the lazy gnocchi into the boiling soup. Cook until gnocchi rises, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in parsley and re-add the vegetables. Serve hot.

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Cabbage Chickpea Curry

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To me, the ultimate comfort includes cabbage (hey, I’m Polish!) and lots of curry (not-so-Polish). The recipe easily doubles, and freezes well, too. Like most curries, it gets better the next day.

Cabbage and Chickpea Curry

Cabbage Chickpea Curry

  • Servings: 4 (with rice)
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1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 green onions, chopped
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 to 2 teaspoons dried chiles (to taste)
1 (28oz/828mL) can no-salt whole tomatoes
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 large (about 3 pounds/48oz) cabbage, such as Napa or Vietnamese, shredded
Sea or Himalayan salt to taste
1 (28oz/828ml) can no-salt added chickpeas, drained (I like Eden Foods)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the green onion, ginger, and chiles. Cook until the onions are soft and the mixture is fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, turmeric, coriander, cumin, and garam masala. Use a spatula to break up the tomatoes. Mix well. Add the cabbage in stages, letting it cook down to create more room in the pan, turning the mixture often so the cabbage on the top gets into the juices and spices on the bottom.

Once all the cabbage is added, cover and lower to medium-low heat, simmering until the cabbage is tender and sweet, about 30 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Add the chickpeas and lemon juice. Bring to medium-heat, uncovered, and let cook until the liquid has mostly absorbed, stirring often.

I love this best served alongside The Best Rice Cooker Brown Rice.

Slurpy Noodle Soup (or Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup)

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With a flavor reminiscent of chicken noodle soup, this vegan version combines slurpable noodles with a flavorful broth. If making in advance, don’t add the noodles—instead, prepare the broth as directed and cook the noodles in it when reheating before you’re ready to serve it—this will avoid mushy noodle leftovers.

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Slurpy Noodle Soup

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 1/2 litres water
1/4 cup large-flaked nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon fine sea or Himalayan salt
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
About 10 grinds freshly ground black pepper
Additional salt to taste
8 oz (226g) dry brown rice spaghetti or linguine, broken into approximately 3-inch pieces (I like Tinkyada)

Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the celery, carrots, and onion. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the water, nutritional yeast flakes, parsley, bay leaf, salt, onion powder, sage, poultry seasoning, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, and pepper. Mix well. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and decrease to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Taste for salt, adding more if desired (I add about 1/2 teaspoon).

Bring the soup back to a boil. Add the spaghetti. Cook until the spaghetti is tender, about 8 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Serve immediately.