Rosemary and Garlic Bread

It's Fall now and there is nothing I love more than a fresh loaf of bread fresh out of the oven.  It is my ultimate comfort food.  I usually love just plain old bread, nothing fancy, but I guess the older I get the more adventurous I feel.  You can't live forever right!  So I am starting to experiment more with baking bread. 

One of my favorite sandwiches I LOVE to DEVOUR, as does my family, requires a special bread.  So, I came up with this.  Somehow it makes the sandwich even more heavenly - I will post this recipe sometime in the future!  But for now, here is a savory bread for sandwiches, to go along with your Fall soups or just something comforting to snack on right from the oven. 

Just a note, I use my bread maker for this recipe as with pretty much every bread recipe I make.  It cuts out a lot of work for me.  I just put it on the dough cycle and then take it out and put it in a bread pan and cook it in the oven.  You can easily adapt this recipe without the use of a bread maker, I just don't have a lot of experience so you are on your own.

Rosemary and Garlic Bread
(makes 1 loaf)

Ingredients
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water (70-85 degrees)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp agave nectar
1/2 Tbsp garlic, minced
3 cups whole wheat white flour
1 Tbsp vital wheat gluten
1 tsp dried rosemary, finely chopped
2 tsp yeast

Directions
Add the  ingredients to your bread maker in the order recommended by your manufacturer's instructions.  Set on dough cycle.

When dough is ready, punch down and roll out on a floured surface into a 9x18 inch rectangle.  Roll dough up tightly, beginning at 9 inch side, to form a loaf.  (Press with thumbs to seal after each turn.)  Pinch the edge of the dough into roll to seal.  Press the ends of the loaf with the sides of your hands to seal; fold the ends under the loaf.  Place seam side down into a greased loaf pan (around 9x5 inches).  You can brush the loaf with melted butter if you'd like at this point, but I don't.  Cover with towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30-50 minutes until doubled in size.  (I like to warm my oven to 200 degrees then turn it off and place my loaf in the oven to rise - it shortens the time in half.)

Once the dough is doubled in size, heat the oven to 375 degrees.  (Make sure you take your loaf out of the oven at this point if you left it in there to rise!)  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap it.  Remove from pan to a wire rack and brush with melted butter, then let it cool.

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.