Lemon-y Beyond Chicken Noodle Soup for 2 (or 4 if you’re like us!)… (vegan & gluten free) – Virtual Vegan Potluck!

Hey y’all, it’s literally been forever since I’ve blogged.  Needless to say things have been very busy at work and I’ve also not been drinking as much beer lately.  Sacrilege I know.  Anyway, Jackie and I were talking the other day and she brought up the Virtual Vegan Potluck (VVP).  I love the VVP!  I get so excited every time it comes around, so I was all for putting something together.  I actually have been working on this soup for awhile.  Its so easy and so comforting, and I found out after the fact that the special ingredient this time around is a prominent part of my recipe.  BONUS!

Jackie and I are often struggling with recipes that are made for families.  I’m all for that, and I scale appropriately as I can, but sometimes its just nice to have a recipe with smaller portions.  I also get into the mode where my freezer is so full that it can’t stand any more leftovers, but I’ve just got to have some soup.  I think this soup/recipe is the perfect answer for all of that.  This can all be made in a large sauce pan, and its SO EASY!  I think you’ll all appreciate just how fast this can come together and how simple it is.  Its so comforting and I guarantee that it’ll kick a cold right fast too.  What are you waiting for, go throw this together, have a bowl and keep reading through all the recipes of the VVP.  Enjoy!

PS… We’ve also tried a few different options that have been equally delicious so I’ve called those out for you in the ingredients list.

Lemon-y Beyond Chicken Noodle Soup for 2
1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1 cup carrot, diced
1 medium leek diced, white part only, rinsed (Optional)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
6-8 strips of Beyond Meat Lightly seasoned Chicken Strips, diced
5-6 cups water (depending on how brothy you like your soup)
2 tsp (Better than Bouillon, Chicken Flavor)
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried thyme
1 dash freeze dried chives
3/4 Cup Small Gluten Free Noodles
Juice of 1 Lemon

1. Heat EVOO over medium heat, add vegetables and salt and sweat vegetables for ~10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the carrots are somewhat tender, but with a bit of tooth.

2. Add water, chicken, spices, bouillon, lemon juice and bring to a boil.

3. Add noodles, cook per instructions until al dente/tender ~8 minutes.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy! Happy Virtual Vegan Potluck! While you’re here, please check out the other blogs, especially the superb 2 on either side of us. 🙂

To go to the beginning of the potluck go to VVP December 2014.

2-ingredient Chocolate Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream (vegan & gluten free)

I’m sure that you’ve seen this recipe floating around Pinterest or the internet. It’s one of those recipes that I know works and tastes amazing, but I always forget to make them! It’s pumpkin season and so I want to make PUMPKIN ALL THE THINGS!

This is seriously THE easiest cupcake (or muffin if you’re into skipping the frosting – crazy!) EVER. They are incredibly moist, rich and decadent. I added mini chips into the batter as well because Nick always likes a little texture and the chocolate chips do just the trick! The buttercream takes them to the next level by adding an extra hit of sweet, but with an espresso kick.

YUM.

This was my first time using a King Arthur Flour gluten free mix. I was super impressed! Great flavor, texture, and none of that “gluten free” flavor. I’d definitely use it again.

2-ingredient cupcakes:
1 box chocolate cake mix (one that makes 24 cupcakes)
1 – 15 oz can pumpkin puree (not the pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup vegan mini chocolate chips, optional (I used Enjoy Life)

Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake trays with liners and set aside. By hand, or with a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the cake mix and pumpkin puree until well blended. Once everything is well combined, fold in mini chips, if using. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop into prepared liners. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The top should set, and spring back when touched. I got 18 cupcakes.

Espresso Buttercream:
(recipe from Chloe’s Italian Kitchen)
1 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 T instant espresso powder dissolved in 2 T water

Beat the shortening until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat to incorporate. Add 1 T of of espresso liquid at a time, as needed, and until your frosting reaches the desired consistency and espresso flavor. Beat for 2 minutes; until light and fluffy.

Enjoy!

White Bean Chicken Chili – Pssst, don’t tell anyone its vegan and gluten free

Today I’m participating in yet another chili cook off at work.  Most of these things don’t go so well for me.  I’m a foodie at heart and everything that wins is something that appeals to the masses.  In our past work contests I’ve made some fantastic guacamole, a pizza hummus, my spectacular sweet and spicy chili, a peanut butter cream cheese ball, but I haven’t really made a dent in any of the standings.  I’m always getting some pretty good reviews, but never enough love to make it into the top three.  So this time I’m going to Beyond Meat for the win.  These guys do absolutely incredible things and give me veggie products that just plain fool me and everyone else as to if its real or not.  So I’m going to have Jacks make the label up for me and not talk about my chili in hopes that people will really think it is chicken chili.  You see I often struggle with people even trying my food because they just assume that its got no taste.  I’ll have to let you all know how it works out.  I’m probably over confident, but this is a REALLY good Chicken Chili.  Its based off Teena’s Famous White Bean Chili found in Vegan Cooking for Carnivores.  I’ve made enough changes that I’d like to consider it my own, but I want to give some props to the originators.

Whatever you do, you really need to try to find the Beyond Meat chickenless strips. They’re such an amazing product. I love Gardein and many other vegan proteins, but this just takes the cake. The texture is spot on to a piece of chicken. The taste is amazing and the best part is that they’re also GF which can be hard to find in vegan meat alternatives.

So with this all being said, this is such an easy recipe, so what are you waiting for, go make it, grab some chips and simply enjoy.
(This picture isn’t the greatest as I just remembered to snap one at work…. OOPS)

White Bean Chicken Chili
1 Tablespoon safflower oil
1 Large White onion – Small dice
4 Garlic Cloves – Minced
2 4 ounce cans diced chilis – 1 mild, 1 hot
2 Tablespoons Ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon dried oregano, crushed in your hand to release the oils
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 14 oz cans white beans
5 cups of veggie broth
1/2 package of Beyond Meat Grilled chicken strips diced
1 Tablespoon of Cholula Hot Sauce
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Green Onions and Cilantro for Garnish

Take a soup pot and put it over medium high heat, add the oil and let it get hot. Once hot add the onion and cook until they are translucent, it’ll probably take about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant. Stir in the chicken, green chilis, cumin, chili powder, oregano and cayenne. Let cook for a few minutes. Add the beans and broth and hot sauce and let simmer for 10-15 mintues, taste for seasonings add salt, pepper. Enjoy now, or I find it best if it sits overnight and is reheated the next day. Make sure to garnish with green onion and cilantro if desired.

Not Your Mama’s Party Mix

Oh boy! Its been awhile since I’ve posted a recipe, so we need to start off with a recipe that goes great with beer. When you think of my Sunday Sips and beers, what goes better with beer than a salty snack. And then you have to start thinking what makes that even better, well my answer to that would be to add some heat to the snack. That brings us to the treat I’m going to bring you this week. Its a sriracha Chex mix and its simply incredible. If you all haven’t figured out by now, I don’t much care for following recipes (partially because I like to change things up a bit, partly because I tend to loose track of what I was doing, and partially because sometimes we just don’t have what the recipe calls for.) So this is no exception to that rule. The recipe though is heavily adapted from “The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha cookbook” by Randy Clemens.

Ingredients:
4 cups Wheat Chex
4 cups Rice Chex
4 cups Corn Chex
2 cups pretzel Sticks – broken into small pieces
2 cups fancy mixed nuts
1 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup Sriracha
3 Tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees

In a measuring cup, mix the coconut oil, Sriracha, liquid aminos, and garlic powder. Take a very large mixing bowl and mix all the remaining ingredients together. Drizzle the liquid mixture over the cereal and nut mixture and mix thoroughly until everything is well coated.

Divide between 2 cookie sheets. Bake for 1 hour, taking it out and stirring every 15 minutes. Let cool before eating. Store it in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

SERIOUSLY, what are you waiting for, go eat make this NOW, grab a cold one and enjoy!