Turnip Green and Broccolini Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

It’s Mother’s Day this weekend and this Spring Turnip Green and Broccolini Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing is perfect for all your spring and early summer get-togethers!

This new spin on one of my Mom’s favorites, incorporates both turnip greens and broccolini, and is a great way to "sneak in" some extra greens for all the picky eaters out there! Paired with a sweet and tangy Poppy Seed Dressing and loaded with fresh blueberries and pumpkin (or sunflower seeds) it's sure to be the new hit your table!

The turnip greens from Palmetto Gardens are perfect for spring and summer pre-dressed salads like this one, delivering a refreshing crunch with ingredients that won't wilt or lose their texture!

Turnip Green and Broccolini Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Author: Sarah | May 4, 2022
Servings: 6 to 8 side-portion servings

• prep time: 15 minutes

• assembly time: 5 minutes

• total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients: What You need to buy!

Ingredients: To make the Salad

1.5 cups of finely diced Palmetto Gardens Turnip Greens

1.5 cups of broccolini florets, chopped into small, bite-sized pieces

1 medium red onion, diced small

1 cup of fresh blueberries

1/3 cup of pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds)

3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (I used a dairy-free version)

Ingredients: To make the Dressing

1/4 cup of Maple Syrup

3 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tablespoon Minced Garlic

1/4 cup of Olive Oil

2 tablespoons of sour cream (I used a dairy-free version)

2 tablespoons of Poppy Seeds

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions: What You need to do!

1. To begin, remove the broccolini from the stems so that you get small, bite-sized, pieces...about the size of a nickel.

2. Finely chop your Palmetto Gardens Turnip Greens so they easily incorporate into the broccolini.

3. Dice your red onion.

4. Into a large bowl combine the broccolini, chopped turnip greens, onion, blueberries, cheese, and pumpkin (or sunflower) seeds

5. Gently toss to incorporate.

6. To make the dressing, whisk the sour cream and maple syrup until well combined. Do this step first to avoid lumps.

7. Continue whisking and add in the apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Whisk until smooth.

8. Stir in the minced garlic and the poppy seeds, along with the salt and pepper.

9. Taste for seasoning. For a more tangy dressing add another splash of apple cider vinegar...or if you prefer a sweeter dressing, add a bit more maple syrup.

10. Gently pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine well. Keep cold before serving.

If you’re like me, you might not eat a lot of turnip greens as a part of your regular diet, at least not raw. Most of the greens that I had growing up were always stewed or creamed…neither of which are my favorite! The addition of the diced turnip greens to this Spring Salad doesn’t change the flavor of this traditional Broccolini Salad but it DOES give you an extra boost of healthy greens, plus…it’s a super thrifty way to help stretch your produce and reduce kitchen waste! I do hope you’ll try it this delicious spring salad recipe! Make sure to tag me when you do so I can see all of your yummy creations! Until next time…

Love, Light, and Lentils, my friends!
Sarah

RubyFrost, White, and Blue Summer Apple Salad w/ Poppyseed Dressing

Summer is right around the corner and that means Summer Salads! Whether you’re looking for your next recipe for the family cookout or just an easy recipe that doesn’t require turning on the stove this RubyFrost, White, and Blue Summer Apple Salad w/ Poppyseed Dressing will easily become your new favorite!

Featuring delicious, RubyFrost Apples, the base of this salad swaps out boring, old, lettuce for shredded Brussel Sprouts, (Shhh, don’t tell them, they’ll never know!) and is packed full of pretty delicious flavor! Bonus, the amazing colors in this salad make it the perfect way to kick off your Memorial Day Festivities next month!

Grown by 152 family farmers across New York State, RubyFrost Apples are the perfect balance of sweet and tart - deep and rich color with a great, crisp texture!

Because of their high levels of vitamin C they are slow to brown, making them the perfect apple for a summer salad like this one!

RubyFrost, White, and Blue Summer Apple Salad w/ Poppy Seed Dressing

Author: Sarah | April 28, 2022
Servings: 6-8 (side portions)

• prep time: 10 minutes

• assembly time: 10 minutes

• total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients: What You need to buy!

2 RubyFrost Apples, cut into 1/2" pieces (Reverve 1/4 of one apple to slice for garnish, if desired)

16oz Brussle Sprouts, shredded

6oz fresh blueberries

1/2 - 3/4 cup of Walnuts

Crumbled, Dairy Free Feta

Ingredients: To make the Poppyseed Dressing

1/4 cup Maple Syrup

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 teaspoon of Salt

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1 tablespoon poppyseeds

Instructions: What You need to do!

1. To begin, cut your brussle sprouts, from top to bottom, into very thin slices and they will automatically "shread" into a cole-slaw consistency!

2. Cut your RubyFrost Apples into 1/2" pieces. (Reverve 1/4 of one apple to slice for garnish, if desired)

3. In a large bowl, toss your shreaded brussle sprouts with your cubed RubyFrost apples, walnuts, blueberries and crumbled feta.

4. To make the dressing, mix the maple syrup, vinegar, oil, and salt. I like to use a frother to quickly emulsify the dressing. Once well mixed, add poppyseeds.

5. Dress the salad just before serving.

If you know me well, you likely know that I lived within walking distance of an apple orchard for over a decade…needless to say, I’m pretty picky about apples but these RubyFrost Apples are, truthfully, pretty delicious!

I picked up my RubyFrost Apples at my local Fresh Market but you can follow @RubyFrostApples on Instagram to see if this pretty delicious apple is in a store near you.

I hope you all will give this RubyFrost, White, and Blue Summer Apple Salad w/ Poppy Seed Dressing a try…and I’d love to hear how you love these RubyFrost Apples!

Love, Light, and Lentils, my friends!
Sarah

Watermelon, Beet, and Blueberry Chick'n Salad with Balsamic and Lime Dressing

Admittedly, for a blog about food made from veggies, I don’t typically share a lot of salads. First of all, most of the time they seem kind of self explanatory…and secondly, I like to share dishes that challenge the stereotype that folks who eat plant based diets ONLY eat salads. Having said all that, this one is too good not to share!

It is, hands down, a beautiful time of year. Blueberries are back in season and they are also on my favorites so it’s the perfect time for my Watermelon, Beet, and Blueberry Chick'n Salad with Balsamic and Lime Dressing! This is a great salad for entertaining outside because it not only looks beautiful but because there is no dairy…no fear if it comes up to room temp.

What you are going to need to buy:

Lettuce - (I know this seems vague, but seriously, use what you like…or what you have unhand! Maybe not iceberg! I used a summer mix of baby greens)

Watermelon, cut into 1/2” cubes

Fresh Blueberries

Pickled Beets, cut into 1/2” cubes - (Do not skip this ingredient! I know, I know…you don’t like beets, blah, blah, blah! Trust me! You need the tangy and salty flavor that they provide to balance all of the sweetness from the watermelon and the blueberries in this salad!

Vegan, “Chicken” - (I used the Gardein Chick’n Strips…not a vegetarian, use whatever chicken or chicken substitute you like.)

Smoked Gouda, Crumbled - (I used the Daiya Smoked Gouda Block and that’s what I would recommend. I like that smoked flavor and how it plays with the other ingredients in the salad. I know a lot of people like a tart or briney cheese, like a feta, with watermelon but with the beets in this dish, and remember you are NOT going to skip the beets…the smoky gouda is the way to go!)

Pistachios, chopped

Small Lime

Balsamic Vinegar - (I get mine locally here in Orlando from The Ancient Olive)

Fresh Mint

What you are going to need to do:

Assembly Time!

You really can’t screw this up too terribly. The only tip that I have for this salad, and all salads in general, if you are making it for a crowd, is to layer your ingredients so that when you dig into the bowl to serve it, everything is already well incorporated.

You do have a couple options for the cheese. It comes In block form and you can absolutely just chop it into small pieces (think pea sized), or you can use the tines of a fork to kind of grate the cheese over top of the salad so that it’s a bit more “crumbly.”

For the dressing, simply mix the balsamic vinegar of your choice with the juice of half a lime, to your preferred taste. (Salt and Pepper are optional, if that’s your thing!) This salad is pretty juicy with all the fruit so a little goes a long way with the dressing. Be careful: too much and it will sog-out the whole dish.
P.S. This salad pairs perfectly with a mojito, just sayin’!

Love, light and lentils, my friends!
Sarah

Blueberry and Carrot Salad with Mustard Greens and Walnuts

I don't know about you but I'm ready for Spring and all the light, fresh, flavors that come with it and this Blueberry and Carrot Salad with Mustard Greens and Walnuts was just what I was craving.

Looking for a nontraditional spring salad for your Easter dinner table next month? This is it! The slight spiciness of the fresh mustard greens are the perfect balance to the sweet carrots and blueberries and the light and tangy dressing.

Dressed with a homemade vinaigrette made with brown mustard, lemon juice, and maple syrup its the perfect mix of tangy and sweet.

What you are going to need to buy:

• Carrots 2-3 large, shredded

• Mustard Greens, 1.5 cups, chopped into fine pieces

• Fresh Blueberries, cut in half, 3/4 cup

• Walnuts, chopped, 1/2 cup

• Olive Oil, 3 tablespoons

• Brown Mustard, 1 tablespoon

• Lemon juice, 1 tablespoon

• Maple Syrup, 2 tablespoons

• Māla Girl Sparkle Salt, 1 teaspoon

What you are going to need to do:

1. To begin, shred your carrots into a large bowl. Can you use the per-shredded carrots from the store? Honestly, I’m going to say no! There is just something so good and sweet about shredding fresh carrots. This salad simply won’t be the same with the per-shredded version!

2. Finely chop your Mustard Greens into small pieces. We’re looking for all the components of this salad to be roughtly the same size! Think of the texture that you’d chop cabbage for coleslaw!

3. Cut your blueberries in half.

4. Chop walnuts into bite-sized pieces.

5. Combine your carrots, mustard greens, blueberries, and walnut into a bowl.

Now, let’s make the dressing!

7. In a mason jar combine olive oil, brown mustard, lemon juice, maple syrup, and salt seasoning mixture. Shake dressing in the mason jar, for one minute, to combine.

8. Wait until you are ready to serve the salad to add the dressing to the carrot mixture. Mix well and serve cold! Serves 4-6, side serving sized.

This dressing is so, so simple, but I promise you, if you are a carrot fan, you’re going to absolutely love this spring salad…and because it’s totally dairy-free it’s the perfect thing to bring to pot-lucks and get-togethers this Easter! I can’t wait to hear how much you love it!

Love, Light, and Lentils!
Sarah

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Amish Broccoli Cheese Soup - Dairy Free

Anyone else absolutely in love with #soupseason? One of my favorites has always been broccoli cheese but it wasn’t until I lived up in Ohio’s Amish Country for about a decade that I ever had it made with any type of noodles or pasta in it!?! Think little one inch pieces of angel hair type tiny strands...you can find it under the name fiedo spaghetti, or sometimes pastina.
Whatever it's called...those Amish got it right! It's a game changer for broccoli cheese soup and I haven’t ever made it any other way since!

This dairy free version is definitely a deviation from what they served up there but, honestly, just as good...and bonus one more way to sneak a handful of kale from that huge bag you're trying to use up? Just me...hahah? But seriously, if you havent started adding finely chopped kale to your broccoli cheese soup...give it a try and thank me later!

What you are going to need to buy:

2 tablespoons Dairy Free Butter

1 tablespoon Flour

2.5 cups Plant Milk

1 tablespoon Veggie Bouillon

1 package Dairy Free Shredded Cheddar

1/4 cup of Nutritional Yeast

1 tablespoon Yellow Mustard

1 cup of Fiedo Spaghetti

1.5 cup Fresh Broccoli

1 cup of Fresh Kale

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

Salt and Pepper, to taste

What you are going to need to do:

In a medium pot, on low heat, melt about 2 tablespoons of butter and gently allow butter to brown, but not burn, because we’re going to make a roux.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flower on top of the melted butter and whisk to combine. Cook mixture for about 30 seconds and then slowly add 2.5 cups of plant milk, whisking the entire time so that no lumps form. Bring to a boil and let boil about 30 seconds.

Stir in 1 tablespoon of veggie bouillon, 1 cup of water, and 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast.

Add 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard…don’t be afraid, just do it! (You can use brown mustard, if you like it!)

Reduce heat and add the cheddar shreds (yes, the whole bag), stirring to melt.

Add the fiedo spaghetti to the soup and simmer for 3 minutes.

Add the broccoli and kale.

Add salt and pepper, and garlic powder, to taste.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves: Four

Autumn Inspired Minestrone Soup with Sweet Potato and Fresh Kale

This Minestrone Soup is so easy and delicious you will wonder how you ever tolerated the canned stuff! A new twist on an old classic and inspired by the favors of Autumn this soup is made with roasted squash, zucchini, and sweet potato along with kale! It’s the perfect way to kick off #soupseason!

Homemade minestrone soup is one of my favorite ways to use of the bits and pieces of produce that are hanging around your crisper drawer! The secrte to this recipe is the roasted sweet potato and fresh kale! Of all the leafy greens kale is definitely king! It's one of the most nutrient rich foods on the planet and the Palmetto Gardens family has been growing some of the finest quality greens, locally here in the US, for 3 generations!

What you are going to need to buy:

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium white onion, diced

1-2 tablespoons of minced garlic

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

1 28 oz can of San Marzano Tomatoes

4 cups of water *

3 tablespoons of veggie bouillon *

*Note: Or use your favorite veggie stock

1 medium yellow squash, cubed into 1/2" cubes

1 medium zucchini, cubed into 1/2" cubes

1 medium sweet potato, cubed into 1/2" cubes

1 teaspoon each: onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper

1 16oz can of white chili beans or butter beans

1.5 cups of dry ditalini pasta or your favorite small shell

2 cups of fresh, chopped, kale

Dairy-Free Parmesan, to garnish

What you are going to need to do:

Preheat oven to 400°

Cut your squash, zucchini, and sweet potato into cubes, lightly coat with olive oil and sprinkle with the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper mixture.

Roast, uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring the veg halfway through roasting to get color on all sides.

While the veggies are roasting:

Into a stockpot, on medium heat sautee the diced onion, and minced garlic in olive oil until onion becomes soft and translucent.

Stir in the tomato paste and let simmer with the onion/garlic mixture for 2 minutes.

Add the can of San Marzano Tomatoes and with the use of a fork, or a potato masher, gently break up the big chunks of tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.

Bring mixture to a boil and then add your water+veggie bouillon or your veggie stock.

Add the dry pasta straight into the pot, along with the can of beans, only lightly drained.

Stir to combine.

Cook on a gentle, light, boil for 10 minutes until the pasta has softened.

Stir in your fresh Palmetto Garden's Kale, which has been chopped into 1-2" pieces, and gently fold into the soup to wilt the kale.

Turn the heat down to low/warm.

Retrieve the roasted veggies from the oven and gently add to the soup.

Taste for seasoning. Add onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper, to taste.

Let simmer for 5 minutes and serve topped with your favorite grated parmesan cheese!

Store leftover soup in a mason jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Add up to 1/2 cup of water when reheating as the soup may thicken in the fridge over time.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Serves: Six

Mexican Street Corn Inspired Salad

Tired of the same old macaroni salad side dishes for your weekend get togethers? This cold corn salad takes it’s inspiration from one of my favorite dishes, Mexican Street Corn but since you don’t need to try and keep it warm it’s a great option for a potluck! This dish is naturally a vegetarian dish but can easily be made vegan with just a few easy substitutions.

Late summer and early fall is the best time to indulge in corn based dishes because you can get the fresh sweet corn at your local store for so incredibly cheap! I picked up 5 ears for just $3 last week at my local grocer, making this the perfect dish if you need something economical to feed a large crowd on a small budget!

What you are going to need to buy:

Ears of Sweet Corn - I would budget 1 ear per 1-2 people that you need to serve. The 5 ears that I bought would easily serve 4-6!

Red Onion

2 ripe and ready to cut, Avocados

Queso Fresco (or your favorite crumbly Vegan Cheese like this one from Daiya Foods)

2 Limes

Mayo (Vegan version from Hellmanns is great!

Dair-Free Sour Cream - (in our opinion Tofutti is the OG…and also the best!)

Minced Garlic - (our favorite is from Spice World!)  

White Sugar

White Vinegar

Cayenne Pepper

Hot Sauce

Smoked Paprika (or whatever paprika you have on hand)

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Fresh Cilantro (or Parsley if you are in the Cilantro tastes like soap camp)

What you are going to need to do:

This recipe is so simple I almost feel guilty calling it a recipe, but here goes…
Begin by cutting the corn off the cobs! Do yourself a favor and just use the fresh sweet corn! The sweet and crunchy texture of fresh corn off the cob isn’t something that you are ever going to be able to replicate from out of a can.

Dice your red onion into small pieces, roughly the same size as the corn kernels.

PRO TIP: When it comes to salads it’s nice when the ingredients are all similar sizes!

Open your avocados and cut into small cubes.

For the dressing: In a separate little bowl mix together 1/4 cup of mayo with 2 tablespoons of sour cream, a tablespoon of minced garlic, a splash of vinegar, a tablespoon of sugar (or use some agave) a few dashes of hot sauce, depending on your pallet, and the cayenne, paprika, and salt & pepper, to taste.

Pour the dressing over the salad and stir gently.

Give your fresh herbs a rough chop. Regardless of the herbs that you use you will want a good handful, at least 1/2 a cup or so.

Fold in your herbs and crumble in your cheese.

Lastly, squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the top and gently give one final stir. (I tend to like mine very lime-y so I used two limes, but if you’re not a lime-lover like me make sure to taste yours first before you do…

For presentation, garnish with lime wedges and another sprinkling of paprika

Enjoy!

Fresh Green Bean Salad with Garlic and Basil infused Balsamic Dressing

Looking for ways to transform typical, boring, picnic or potluck style side salads? This Fresh Green Bean Salad with Sweet Basil infused Balsamic Dressing is the perfect salad for your shin-dig this weekend! Easy to make, and even easier to serve, this twist on the traditional creamy, cold, green bean salad is a great way to cut the dairy without cutting the flavor!

When most of us think green beans we typically think one thing: casserole. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good green bean casserole just as much as the next gal but I’m always looking for ways to use them in other recipes, especially this time of year when they are so fresh and inexpensive. One of the things that I love most about this recipe is that the dressing isn’t a dairy-base, which means its the perfect option for your BBQ, picnic, or potluck because their is no worry about it sitting out too long and going bad!

What you are going to need to buy:

Lettuce - (I know this seems vague, but seriously, use what you like…or what you have on hand! You don’t need too much! I like the contrast of the purple and red lettuces BUT remember this is a green bean salad, after all…not a lettuce salad with green beans in it. I would suggest your beans to lettuce ratio be at like a 3 : 1 - so don’t over think the lettuce.

Fresh Green Beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces (4 cups)

Grape Tomatoes, halved or quartered - (For an even prettier salad try using the tri-colored blend)

Fresh Basil

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Minced Garlic - (from the jar is just fine…)

Maple Syrup - (The good stuff, not pancake syrup. You could also use agave or honey.)

Smoked Gouda, Crumbled - (I used the Daiya Smoked Gouda Block and that’s what I would recommend.

Pine Nuts - (or Almonds would also be quite good in this dish)

Small Lime

Balsamic Vinegar - (I get mine locally here in Orlando from The Ancient Olive)

What you are going to need to do:

This recipe can scale up or down pretty easily depending on the size of salad you want to make. I have literally made this salad as a single serving before by just cooking up 3/4 cups of green beans and washing a handful of lettuce. For a nice pot-luck or family sized salad I would suggest 4 cups of green beans. This is a green bean salad, after all…not a lettuce salad with green beans in it. I would suggest your beans to lettuce ratio be at like a 3 : 1

To begin we need to blanche our green beans. In a medium pot, filled with boiling, salted water, cook beans for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove beans from boiling water and plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking and retain the bright green color. Drain beans and pat dry with a paper towel.

Now, for assembly time!
You really can’t screw this up too terribly. The only tip that I have for this salad, and all salads in general, if you are making it for a crowd, is to layer your ingredients so that when you dig into the bowl to serve it, everything is already well incorporated.

You do have a couple options for the cheese. It comes In block form and you can absolutely just chop it into small pieces (think pea sized), or you can use the tines of a fork to kind of grate the cheese over top of the salad so that it’s a bit more “crumbly.”

For the dressing, mince 3-4 large basil leaves into very fine pieces. (Note: please use fresh basil…this is not the place for the dried stuff. It just will not taste the same!) Combine 1/2 cup of Olive Oil, 1/2 cup of Balsamic Vinegar, 2 tablespoons of Maple Syrup, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, minced basil, and salt and pepper to taste.

This salad is best served very cold! If possible, assemble all ingredients (minus the dressing) and let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, up to one hour, before serving to make sure the green beans are not still lukewarm from cooking. Drizzle the dressing over the salad before serving. Finish with a fresh squeeze of lime, and garnish with a few more small basil leaves.

Enjoy!

Creamy Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup

This Tomato Soup is so easy and delicious you will wonder how you ever tolerated the canned stuff! The trick to really amazing tomato soup is super-ripe, almost mushy, tomatoes! The more ripe they are the sweeter and more complex their flavor, and the more tomato-y your soup will turn out.

The summer will soon be fading fast into fall but if you’re like me you probably still have a bunch of tomatoes hanging around. If you’re looking for an easy and quick recipe to help you transition in to soup season this dish does the trick! So flavorful and creamy even your non-veggie family and friends will ask for seconds! Bonus: canning this soup is super easy and because it’s tomato based doesn’t require any extra processing to safely preserve!

What you are going to need to buy:

Tomatoes - 8 small to medium vine ripened tomatoes will make abut 2 servings of soup. I recommend roasting 4 small - medium (think between the the size of a medium plum) for each serving

Sweet Onion

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Sugar or Maple Syrup

Minced Garlic - (we like these jarred options from Spice World!)  

Veggie Stock - 1 cup, per desired serving

Your favorite Vegan Cream Cheese - (We used this one from Kite Hill Foods)

Cayenne Pepper, to taste

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Paprika, to taste

Basil, Chives, Oregano (optional)

What you are going to need to do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Start my chopping an onion (1/2 for 2 servings or a whole onion for 4 servings)
Lightly oil a large skillet, (one with deep sides works the best)
Cut tomatoes in half. and arrange in skillet cut side down along with onions and 2-3 tablespoons of garlic.

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar and a pinch of Cayenne Pepper.

Saute’ on medium/high heat until the onions are translucent and the mixture is bubbling.
Transfer your skillet to the oven and roast the mixture for 15-20 minutes checking occationally. If it’s looking too dry you can add 1/4 cup of water to the skillet to make sure that the mixture does not burn.

After 20 minutes remove the onions and tomatoes from the oven and add to the pot your veggie stock.

Simmer on the stove-top for another 10 minutes. You can also add any herbs you’d like at this time.

Using a stick blender, blend soup until smooth! No need to worry about small seeds and skins, they all get blended together. Optionally, if you don’t have a stick blender, carefully transfer the soup to a stand blender and blend until smooth.

Stir in the cream cheese 1/4 to1/2 cup depending on number of servings.

Add salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. You can also add a touch more cayenne at this time, if desired. If you like a sweeter tomato soup add another tablespoon of sugar or maple syrup at this time.

This soup is great garnished with toasted pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes!

Enjoy!

Summer Squash and Sweet Corn Chowder

While everyone else is itching for pumpkins I’m trying to hold onto every last flavor of the Summer season that I can! With only a month or so until we fall into Autumn, I’m also trying to take advantage of the bountiful and inexpensive Summer produce while it lasts and this Summer Squash and Sweet Corn Chowder does just that.

If there is anything that you have left at the end of the Summer season it’s probably sweet corn and squash! This chowder, while isn’t necessarily a 30-minute meal, is still a great weeknight option because most of the cook-time is just simmering, making it a great multi-tasking dinner option. All in, you’re looking at maybe 45 minutes, because we are going tome our own stock, but trust me, it’s totally worth it.

What you are going to need to buy:

Fresh Sweet Corn (4 ears) - (I repeat, fresh…as in, on the cob, as in, not in a can!)

Yellow Squash - (I like the look of the yellow squash mixed with the yellow corn in this recipe….but if you’ve got zucchini to get rid of you can absolutely use that.

Mushrooms - 1.5 to 2 cups (We like either shiitake or cremini mushrooms. If you live in the South East and can find the “gourmet blend” at your local Publix, even better!)

Carrots

Medium Shallot, diced

Minced Garlic - (from the jar is fine…here is a great option from Spice World!)

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Fresh Thyme

Dry White Wine - (Remember, if you wouldn’t drink it…don’t cook with it)

All Purpose Flour

Your favorite plant based milk - (I used the Forager Project Brand Half & Half)

Scallions, for garnish

What you are going to need to do:

Step one is to prep your corn. Remove the husks and as much silk as you can. Rinse and pat dry.
Using a sharp knife, remove the kernels from the cob, cutting as close to the cob as you can. Watch your fingers. Place corn in a large bowl and set aside.

In a large pot bring 6-8 cups of water to a boil, with 3 tablespoons of salt and 2-3 stems of fresh time. Once water is simmering, add your corn cobs to the pot (If your corn cobs are too large just cut in half) and allow to simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occationallly, while you prepare the rest of the vegetables. Stock should reduce by about half.

Chop shallots, squash and carrots into small pieces (about 1/2” thick) Mushrooms can remain slightly larger, as they will drastically shrink down when cooked.

In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook sweet corn and carrots with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper, until bright yellow and slightly softened. (3-5 minutes) Reserve 1/2 cup of corn/carrots for garnish when serving and set the rest aside in a large bowl.

In the same skillet, over medium heat sauté, in olive oil, garlic, squash, shallots, and mushrooms, being careful not to let. the vegetables take on too much color, or stick to the bottom of the pan. (about 5 minutes) After shallots have turned translucent, and mushrooms have reduced in size, add the corn and carrot mixture back into the skillet and sprinkle over 2-3 tablespoons of all purpose flour. Stir veggies to incorporate the flour. Cook for one-two minutes until the flour smells slightly nutty.

Deglaze the skillet with 1/4 cup of dry, white, wine and stir, somewhat vigorously, to thicken. Slowly add 1 cup of strained corn cob stock to the skillet. Reduce heat and set skillet aside.

Strain out all solids from the corn cob stock and gently add all of the vegetables into the stock pot. Mix until well incorporated, making sure there are no lumps. Increase heat to medium and add 2 cups of your favorite plant based milk. Bring to a light boil, reduce heat and let simmer for another 5-7 minutes before serving. Taste for seasoning. At this point, it almost always needs back pepper!

Serve sprinkled with a tablespoon on the reserved corn/carrot mixture from earlier and the diced scallions.

Additional, top with your favorite brand of vegan cheddar spreads - (We love the Cheddar Shreds from Follow Your Heart)

Serve and enjoy!

Crispy Vegan Potato Salad

It’s officially summer and that means cookouts! I’m always on the hunt for a dish that I can take to a neighborhood or family gathering that even the non-veg community will love AND one that I don’t need to worry about spoiling if it sits on a picnik table for a few hours and this Crispy Vegan Potato Salad checks all the boxes!

This Crispy Vegan Potato Salad recipe is the perfect plant-based dish to take to your July 4th Holiday BBQ or cookout this weekend because potato salad in general is 99% plant based anyway! I love using opportunities like this to introduce things like, plant based mayo to people who would normally never, ever try it! Let them gobble up a helping of this…and then spill the beans!

What you are going to need to buy:

3 lbs of Potatoes - (We could go on and on about the kind of spuds to use, but honestly, we say, use what you like! For this recipe we like to used the tiny, golden, baby potatoes and just cut them in half one time!)

Vegan Butter

Yellow or White Onion

Celery

Vegan Mayo

Sour Cream - (On this page we are big fans of Tofutti Sour Cream!)

Vinegar

Lemon Juice

Mustard

Dill Pickles or Dill Relish

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Onion and Garlic Powder (or whatever you like to season your spuds with!)

Paprika

Fresh Herbs, dill works great, but so would parsley or even thyme.

What you are going to need to do:

The Spuds:

This recipe is so super flexible but there is one trick to it all and that’s how you prepare the spuds!

I like to leave the skins on my potatoes but that’s a person preference, so if you would rather reel them, be my guest. Cut into 1/2” cubes, or in this case with the tiny, golden potatoes, I just cut them in half and they end up as the perfect sized bite!

In salted water, boil your potatoes until they are just fork tender…not too soft because they are going to continue to cook in the oven.

Gently drain potatoes and let sit for 1-2 minutes to make sure they are good and dry! You will see the steam continue to escape and that’s what you want. The more dry they are, the easier they will crisp up in the oven and that’s what we want!

Toss with 1-2 tablespoon of melted vegan butter and salt and pepper and roast on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven OR on a low broil setting until the potatoes become crispy. Check often and stir/flip so that they pick up color on all sides.

Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet. Do not assemble the potato salad until the spuds are 100% cool.

The Dressing:

Into a large mixing bowl combine the following:

(Note: If you like a sweet potato salad feel free to add some sugar to this dressing)

• 1 cup of vegan Mayo - (like THIS ONE from Hellmann’s)

• 1/4 cup of Tofutti vegan sour cream

• 1/4 cup of diced dill pickles, cut fine or your favorite dill pickle relish

• 2 Celery Stalks, diced small

• 1 small onion, diced small

• 2 teaspoons of vinegar

• a splash of lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard

• Salt, pepper, and paprika, to taste.

• Handful of fresh herbs, chopped fine

To Serve:

The trick to this recipe is that the potatoes are nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. To maintain that texture you don’t want to mix up this salad too far ahead. In fact, if you can, I recommend making sure that both the potatoes and the dressing is nice and cold, but waiting to toss until just before service.

Gently toss the crispy potatoes with the dressing and mix well. Garnish with more fresh herbs and a dash of paprika.

Impossible Cheeseburger Soup with Homemade Dairy Free Cheese Sauce

Another recipe that I probably would never have been exposed to had I not lived up in Ohio’s Amish Country for a decade or so is Cheeseburger Soup! I have re-worked the traditional “meat and potatoes” version into a glorious bowl of plant-based goodness. Part soup, part stew, part casserole, to be honest, this easy dish is a great way to clean out that crisper drawer at the end of the week and will totally become a family favorite, I promise!

Remember last week when we made that dairy and cashew-free cheese sauce for our Wednesday night nachos? And…remember when I told you not to worry about making more that your nachos required because it totally keeps in the fridge and reheats PLUS you’ll use it for EVERYTHING! Well, here is one more yummy recipe to help use up the leftovers (like you need help…)

If you missed the post for the cheese sauce CLICK HERE!

What you are going to need to buy:

Potatoes, cubed or cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 1.5 cups)

One large Onion, diced

Carrots, diced (about 1 cup)

Minced Garlic - (we like these jarred options from Spice World!)

Impossible Ground (or your favorite plant based crumbles)

Liquid Smoke  

Butter - (We love THIS ONE from Earth Balance)

Veggie Stock or Veggie Bouillon Cubes

Noodles - (Corkscrews work great for this soup but anything small and spoon sized will work)

Onion Powder

Salt & Pepper

Veggie Cheddar Shreds - (the ones pictures here happen to be from Follow Your Heart)

Diced Tomatoes

Fresh Herbs, for garnish (we used chives)

What you are going to need to do:

First things first…if you haven’t made the Cashew Free Vegan Cheese Sauce…pop on over to that recipe and give it a shot. You will not be sorry!

Onto the soup:

The idea behind this soup is that it incorporates all the flavors that you’d find in your favorite cheeseburger!

In a stock pot, on medium/low melt 3 tablespoons of butter and once it’s melted and starts to bubble, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour on top. (Hint: we’re making a roux…) With a whisk, mix the flour and butter for 60-90 seconds, and gently start to add in the veggie stock, (about 4 cups) while continuing to whisk to avoid lumps. Let this soup base come to a boil and then reduce heat to maintain a simmer.

At this point you’ll want to add two cups of the cheese sauce (if you just made it fresh it will quickly incorporate into the stock, but if you’ve had it in the fridge it will need to re-melt. Not to worry, just dump it in the warm broth. It will slowly melt into the rest of the liquid. Try not to let the mixture boil at this point, just simmer.

Now, we are going to cook up a package of ground from Impossible Foods in a skillet, set to medium. I like to add a splash of Liquid Smoke and some minced garlic, salt and pepper, but feel free to season to your own taste. - We’re looking for nice hearty chunks so be careful not to break it up too much. Little 1” bites are perfect.

When the Impossible Ground is finished remove to a separate bowl or even a square of tin foil. To the pan where you cooked the ground add a tablespoon of butter and saute your onions, potatoes, and carrots until the veggies are soft and the potatoes have picked up a bit of crispy color on the outside. Add 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.

Back to the stock: Once the cheese has melted into the stock you can add your noodles. Check your package for portions but the equivalent of 2 portions worth should be just about right. Remember we’ve got a lot of other stuff going in this soup.

Cook the noodles in the cheese broth until tender.

Add in the veggies and the Impossible ground.

Taste for seasoning. Add Onion powder, salt and pepper, to taste. (it will likely need all 3)

Garnish with diced tomatoes, some veggie cheddar shreds, and fresh herbs!

A note about portions: With using an entire package of Impossible Ground and 3-4 cups of stock plus 2 cups of cheese sauce this will make 4 hearty servings…but this recipe is easy to cut down if you’re only cooking for one of two! (May know a little something about that!) You can always add a bit more broth once all the components are added if necessary! And, if your soup seem a bit too “soupy” - not to worry, dunking some nice, crusty bread in the broth, is maybe the best part!