Chickpea and Rice Soup

I have a new recipe that I know you are going to love.  This is one my family races to the fridge the next day, and this only if we didn't pig out on it the night before!  I found it on one of my favorite blogs http://www.theppk.com/.  I tweaked it for my needs and it turned out so delicious!  It reminds me of a creamy chicken soup - except there is no chicken.  I made it for my parents and a non-vegan friend of theirs and it was definitely a hit!  My mom is not a big fan of chickpeas, but she loved the soup!  The chickpeas are so creamy they almost seem to melt in your mouth.  And if you are new to kale - this is a good recipe to try.  This is one soup you will want to make over and over again!

Chickpea and Rice Soup
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  1 hour
Makes:  4-6 servings

Ingredients:
3/4 cup cashews, soaked in water for 2 hours or overnight
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
Fresh black pepper
3/4 cup brown rice, rinsed
3 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, diced chunky
5 cups no chicken broth (Better Than Bouillon)
2 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 3 cups)
4 cups chopped kale

Directions:
Drain the cashews and place them in a blender with one cup of fresh water. Blend until completely smooth, scraping the sides of the food processor with a spatula occasionally to make sure you get everything. This could 1 to 5 minutes depending on the strength of your blender.

Preheat a stock pot over medium heat. Sauté onion with a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and sauté a minute more.

Add rice, celery and carrots and then pour in the broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring down to a simmer, add the chickpeas, and let cook for about 30 more minutes, or until rice is cooked and carrots are tender.

Add the cashew cream and kale, and simmer until kale is wilted, 3 to 5 more minutes. You may need to add water to thin the soup if it seems too thick. Taste for salt and seasonings and let sit for 10 minutes or so to allow the flavors to marry.

It thickens as it cools, so if you have leftovers, just thin with a little water when you reheat.

Alfredo

 

My daughter needed me to make a main dish for her tennis banquet at school.  I was a little nervous about making something that everyone would like, especially teenagers, that didn't SCREAM vegan or healthy.   From my experience here in Idaho, most people freak out if you mention vegan - they just won't touch it.  My daughter and I came up with alfredo.  She absolutely loves it and it doesn't scream healthy or vegan.  In fact it seems very NOT vegan.  My mom gave me this recipe a while back and it is really delicious.  I have doubled the recipe, because it was not quite enough for my family of 4 (two teens).  I think I might put less salt in it next time though because it seems like a lot of salt to me.  I have also tried this with chopped broccoli and it was so delicious! I think peas would also be very good. It if fun to change up the kind of pasta you use too.  I would use probably 12-16 oz of pasta for this recipe.  I have not tried this recipe with the basil - so if you do, let me know what you think!

Alfredo
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews
2 Tbsp flour
½ tsp onion powder
2 ½ cups water
2 ½ tsp no chicken bouillon
2 tsp salt
2 tsp basil (optional)

 

Directions

Blend all ingredients really well in blender, until smooth.  Cook until hot and thick, stirring often with a wire whisk.  Pour over noodles.