Adventures in Canning: Southwestern Black Bean Soup

 Southwestern Black Bean Soup

 

 

    I started canning about 5 years and I really enjoy it.  However lately we just haven't had the time with all our home projects and other hobbies. Well,  I just picked up a new pressure cooker after my last ones seal wore out and it was all the inspiration I needed to get back into it.  A year ago...we did have a pantry full of stocks, broths, soups, and canned beans but we have since used up all our storage.  This left me antsy as I love the look of a full pantry that is ready for anything!  My husband is in LOVE with the black bean soup (it's vegan) that they sell at Costco, he takes it to work almost everyday. I was determined to search out a recipe so I could can some for him.  So I began searching the internet, the recipes were all over the place with cook times and ingredients.  So I settled for a basic black bean soup recipe that I would tweak to make my own.  The basic black bean canning recipe can be found here:  http://www.food.com/recipe/home-canned-or-stove-top-black-bean-soup-365370 .  What is nice about it is that it includes both stove top directions and canning directions so there is no pressure to run out and get a pressure cooker if you don't already have one, since you can throw it right into a stockpot and go.

 

 

The first thing I did was sanitize the jars, then I let the beans soak in them for a day in 1 quart jars. 

Beans soaking in water over night

Next you rinse the beans and clean your jars again.    After your jars are prepared  you put the beans back into the jar.  Add all the ingredients as listed in the link I gave you.  Here are some modifications I did to put a southwestern spin on the soup:  Swapped red onion for white onion, swapped jalapenos for green chilis, added diced tomatoes and added corn.  You can really play with it and make it your own just be sure to add hot water to it after your ingredients and leave about 1 inch space at the top of the jar

 

Add your ingredients, fill with hot water, leave space at the top



I used 1 quart jars

 

 

 

 

After everything is in the jar, you've added the hot water, you've remembered to leave about 1 inch space you can seal them up and prepare your pressure cooker. 

Pressure cooker,  doesn't actually hold 4 like my old one :(
I realized that after the photo. I had to cook them 2 at a time in the center.

 

 

 

I cooked these on high on my stove top in the pressure cooker for 90 minutes.

That's it!! Your house will smell amazing!!!

 

Bon Appétit,

 

 

Recipe adapted from Food.com  Photos by Laura Spear





   

BBQ Seitan Ribs

Ingredients

• 1 cup vital wheat gluten
• 2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons tahini or other nut butter
• 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• about 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (see some suggestions below)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly spray an 8×8 baking dish with canola oil. Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the water with the nut butter, Liquid Smoke, and soy sauce and add it to the dry ingredients. Stir to mix well and then knead lightly in the bowl for a couple of minutes.

Put the dough into the baking dish and flatten it so that it evenly fills the pan. Take a sharp knife and cut it into 8 strips; then turn the pan and cut those strips in half to form 16 pieces:

This photo is by Susan Voisin of fatfreevegan.com

Put it in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. While it’s cooking prepare your grill.

Remove it from the oven and carefully re-cut each strip, going over each cut to make sure that the ribs will pull apart easily later. Generously brush the top with barbecue sauce. Take it to the grill and invert the whole baking dish onto the grill (or use a large spatula to lift the seitan out, placing it sauce-side down on the grill). Brush the top of the seitan with more sauce:

 Make sure that it doesn't burn. When it’s sufficiently brown on one side, turn over and cook the other side, adding more sauce, if necessary. When done, remove to a platter and cut or pull apart the individual ribs to serve.

Note: To make this without a grill, bake it for 25 minutes without barbecue sauce. Then brush the top with a generous coating of sauce, turn the whole thing over carefully in the pan, and brush the other side with sauce. Bake for another 10-20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and caramelized slightly but not burned. Remove from oven, cut apart, and serve.

Recipe is by Susan Voisin of fatfreevegan.com. 1st two photos are by Laura Spear, 3rd photo is by Susan Voisin of fatfreevegan.com.

BBQ Portobello Sliders

BBQ Portobello Sliders

makes 6 sliders

6 baby portobello mushrooms

6 slider buns

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, sliced

2-3 ounces gouda, sliced into squares (I used daiya vegan pepper-jack cheese)

1 avocado, sliced

1/2 cup bbq sauce, for drizzling and dipping

Heat a skillet on medium-low heat and add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Add sliced onions with a pinch of salt and let caramelize, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, then turn off heat and set aside.

While onions are caramelizing, brush mushrooms with remaining olive oil and sprinkle both sides with pepper, paprika, onion and chili powder. Heat a skillet ( or a grill) on medium heat and cook until mushrooms are juicy and tender – about 5 minutes on each side. With 1-2 minutes remaining, add a slice of gouda on top to melt.

Assemble sliders by placing the mushroom on the bun, then top with onions, avocado, and a hefty drizzle of bbq sauce.

Recipe by howsweeteats.com Photos by Laura Spears iphone :)

Creamy Fall Asparagus Soup

One of my favorite things about fall is soup! Sure you can have soup anytime of the year but in our house we reserve soup for those times when we aren't feeling very well and who wants to only eat soup when you are sick? Not me. So September in our house is FALL MONTH, we throw up the fall decor, put those fall spices smells in the scent burners and put some hot soup on the stove.

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 tablespoons vegan margarine

10 ounces frozen or fresh asparagus spears

1 cup vegetable broth

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 dash garlic salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

(additional black pepper and salt to taste)

1 cup plain soy milk

Mix the ingredients, except the soy milk, together in a bowl and cook in the microwave for 10 mins (I did mine in my pressure cooker for 10 mins) Let it cool (you want to let it cool completely or it will explode in your blender like mine did :) Pour the cooled soup into a blender, pureeing until smooth. Return the mixture to a bowl, stir in the soy milk and microwave until heated through (I returned it to the pressure cooker for about 5 mins)

Makes 2 servings

Recipe adapted from PETA's Vegan College Cookbook, Photos By Laura Spear

Bon Appétit,

Curried Pumpkin-Apple Soup

Serve this scrumptious dish as a first course on Thanksgiving Day or as dinner's main event on a chilly evening. The curry gives it a subtly exotic flavor, while the apple and honey add a touch of sweetness.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 large apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
• 3 cups chicken broth (for vegan use no-chicken broth or veggie broth)

• 1 1/2 cups solidly packed pumpkin mash or canned pumpkin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 1/3 cup heavy cream (for vegan sub in soy or almond milk)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (you can also use agave)
• Sour cream and chives, for garnish (optional) (for vegan choose a vegan sour cream)

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a medium-size soup pot. Stir in the onion, celery, and apple. Partially cover the pot and sauté the ingredients over medium-high heat until the onion is clear, about 8 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and sauté the mixture for another minute. Stir in 1 cup of chicken broth and cook it for 1 minute more.
2. Pour the contents of the pan into a blender or food processor, add the pumpkin, and puree the soup until it's smooth.
3. Pour it all back into the pot, then stir in the remaining chicken broth, the salt, and the bay leaf. Set the soup over medium-high heat and bring it to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
4. After 5 minutes, stir in the heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of honey. Taste the soup, adding more salt or honey if necessary to get the desired balance of sweet and savory. Simmer it for 2 minutes more, remove the soup from the heat, and serve it hot. For a pretty -- and tasty -- touch, garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped chives. Makes 6 servings.
   
   
   Recipe from Family Fun Magazine, Photo by Laura Spears IPHONE :)

Vegan Pho

What is Pho? It is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef (phở bò) or chicken (phở gà). The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with Asian basil, mint leaves, lime, and bean sprouts that are added to the soup by the person who is dining. The dish is associated with the city of Hanoi, where the first phở restaurant opened in the 1920s. Now that we've had are little history lesson on the origins of Pho enjoy this vegan, animal friendly version =)


What You Need:

• 8 ounces dried rice noodles
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 8 ounces Seitan, drained and cut into strips
• 6 cups vegetable stock or water
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons miso paste
• 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha (or to taste)
• 3 to 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves
• 
  

What You Do:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Turn off the heat, add the rice noodles, and let them sit for 30 minutes to soften. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the seitan strips and brown on all sides. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Bring the stock or water to a boil in a large pot. Add the onion, ginger, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in the lime juice.
4. Place 1/2 cup of the hot liquid into a small bowl. Add the miso paste and stir to blend well. Transfer the blended miso paste into the soup along with the chile paste, if using. Do not boil. Stir in the seitan& noodles.
5. Divide the soup among individual bowls. Add the scallions, and cilantro. Serve immediately.

         Recipe from all recipes.com photos by Laura Spear 

Avocado Feta Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 ripe avocado - peeled, pitted and chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
• 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (vegan or dairy)

Directions

1. In a bowl, gently stir together tomatoes, avocados, onion, and garlic. Mix in parsley and oregano. Gently stir in olive oil and vinegar. Then stir in feta. Cover, and chill for 2 to 6 hours. 

Recipe from allrecipes.com, photos by Laura Spear 

Spicy Three Pepper Hummus

I love hummus! I could eat it each and everyday if i had it available. It is expensive to buy at the store, once in a while I'll treat myself to a container at our local sams club but most of the time we make it ourselves. Recently I was in the mood to treat myself so i was browsing the hummus section at sams... gasp*  a new flavor!!! The excitement overwhelmed me when I read the title "The Seasons Finest Hummus" a seasonal flavor! I was so excited I knew since it was a seasonal item that it wouldn't be around forever so i snatched it up and headed to the checkout. Once home i opened one of my favorite chips to dip in the hummus, I always go with blue corn tortilla chips or pita chips. I took my fist bite, a big one fully loaded, I wanted all the flavors.......It was the worst tasting thing I have ever tried..... it didn't even taste like hummus!!!! It had all the herbs and spices one would put on a turkey at thanksgiving, olive oil, rosemary, sea salt and this God awful turkey taste!!! Obviously there was not turkey in it but the taste was there. Now don't get me wrong these flavors are spectacular on a turkey but i do not want them in my hummus on a chip!!! So I took my disgruntled vegan self to the pantry determined to save the $5 hummus. I added black pepper, cayenne pepper, and about a 1/4 cup of franks red hot and stirred. This made the hummus tolerable but never again will I go for the holiday seasonal flavor. 

Now this brings me to my recipe which is for Spicy three pepper hummus. I liked the cayenne and black pepper mixed with the hot sauce so I figured i'd browse the internet and search for a peppery hummus. i came across this recipe on allrecipes.com so we decided to give it a go. My wonderful husband actually whipped this up for me in a matter of minutes and it was SO good!!! It definitely lived up to its 4 1/2 star review. 

Ingredients

• 2 (16 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 slices jarred jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon liquid from the jar of jalapeno peppers
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the garbanzo beans, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, jalapeno, and juice from the jalapeno jar. Season with black pepper, cayenne, cumin and oregano.
2. Mix using the whisk attachment on low speed until the ingredients start to blend, then turn the speed to medium, and blend to your desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to blend. Make sure your container is sealed well, or your fridge will smell like garlic!

Recipe from allrecipes.com submitted by FLCRACKER Photo By Laura Spear 

Jalapeno Poppers

 

To prepare Jalapenos
• 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3 Cups Water
• 10 Medium Jalapenos
For Bread Coating
• 3/4 to 1 Cup Panko Vegan Bread Crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast Flakes
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For Batter
• 3 Tablespoons Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer
• 6 Tabelspoons Water
For Filling
• 3/4 Cup Blanched Slivered Almonds
• 2 Teaspoons Sugar
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Cup Tofu, Well Drained
• 1 Teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Canned Pimentos

Wearing plastic gloves, split peppers half way through length wise and with a small spoon carefully scoop out seeds. While doing this take care not to break the jalapeno. In a deep sauce pan bring water and vinegar to boil and add peppers, cover and boil for 7 minutes. Careful not to stick your face around the top of the sauce pan when raising up the lid. :D While those are cooking prepare bread crumbs and filling.

First place bread crumbs into food processor with olive oil and nutritional yeast and pulse 5 times. Pour into large mixing bowl and set aside. Prepare batter by mixing water and egg replacer together in a small mixing bowl and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For filling, place almonds, salt and sugar into a food processor and blend for about 2 minutes or until clumps start to form. Place tofu, olive oil, onion powder, salt, red wine vinegar in processor and mix another 2 minutes. With a spoon stir in pimentos into filling mixture by hand.

Grease cookie sheet.

Drain peppers after cooked. Fill with filling using a small spoon. Dip into batter and then quickly place into bread crumbs mixture and roll the filled jalapeno around until completely coated. Place onto cookie sheet. Place in oven and bake 12 to 15 minutes.

 

Recipe by my vegan cookbook blog, Photos by Laura Spear

Bon Appétit,

The Best Vegan Fried Pickles

You will need:
Crinkle cut pickles (I buy the big jar at Sams Club)
1 cup Flour
1 cup soy milk
Deep fryer with oil
Seasonings to top the pickles with, all optional:
I used 1 T Cajun seasoning, 1 T Old bay seasoning, and 1 T cayenne pepper.

Directions:
Preheat the deep fryer to 375 degrees. Meanwhile put the milk in one bowl and the flour in another bowl. In a third bowl mix the 3 seasonings together and set aside.

Grab a handful of pickles out of the jar, shake off excess juice and place them in the bowl of milk. Make sure they are all evenly coated.

Place the pickles in the bowl of flour 1 at a time making sure they are well coated on both sides.

When all your pickles are coated add them one at a time into the fryer so that they don't clump up and stick to one another.

Fry for 3 minutes and then raise the basket and let the excess grease drip off. Once its stopped dripping place the pickles on a plate lined with paper towels.

Sprinkle with seasonings to taste.

For a spicy dipping sauce I use Vegenaise mixed with franks red hot sauce, or sirachi chili sauce until its nice and hot. 

Recipe and photo by Laura Spear

Bon Appétit,

Vegan Deviled Eggs

Black salt, commonly found at most Indian food markets, is the magical ingredient in these babies. It tastes EXACTLY like eggs, so don't skimp on it. Order it off the Internet if you cannot find any, but don't make these guys without it.

1 pound extra firm tofu
Half 12.3-ounce package of firm silk tofu (about 1 cup)
1 cup cooked white beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp. vegan mayonnaise (like Vegenaise)
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. black salt (plus about 1 Tbsp. more for spreading on “egg whites”)
1 Tbsp. dill pickle relish
1/2 Tbsp. red onion, very finely minced
Black pepper, to taste
Paprika, for garnish
Fresh chives (optional, for garnish)

Drain water from the extra firm tofu. Wrap in several layers of paper towels and place on a plate. Put something heavy on top, like a jar or book, and allow to press in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

After extra firm tofu is pressed, cut it in half. Then cut each half into four quadrants or squares. Slide a knife on the side of each quadrant to cut three squares from each. In the end, you should have about 24 little squares. If these instructions are too confusing, just cut into bite-sized squares and aim to get about 20 to 24. Set aside.

Place the silk tofu, beans, mayonnaise, mustard, turmeric, and one teaspoon black salt into a food processor. Process for about a minute or until smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in relish, onion, and black pepper. Set aside.

Pour the other tablespoon of black salt into a small bowl. Using your fingertip, rub a touch of black salt on each white firm tofu square. Top each square with a dollop (about one teaspoon) of the yellow silk tofu mixture.

Sprinkle with paprika and top with chives.

Makes about 24 bites.

Entire Post from Vegancrunk.blogspot.com Photos By Laura Spear

Bon Appétit,