Zsu's Vegan Pantry - The How To: 10/1/10

The write up for Cheesy Broccoli Soup is on Weekly Vegan Menu.

There are three components to this dish:

The Vegetable

The Soup Base

The Cheesy Base

The Vegetable

I am making a Cheesy Broccoli Soup so I am using broccoli, but you can use cauliflower, asparagus, etc. Whichever vegetable you choose, steam it to your liking and reserve a nice portion for bite-size pieces for your soup.

If you are making broccoli soup, make sure to peel the stems ...

slice them up and steam them along with the florets. Reserve only florets for the garnish on the soup.

The Soup Base

Heat the oil in a large pot.

Add the onions and garlic and saute.

until they are golden.

Prepare the carrots and potatoes.

Add them to the onions.

Add the water.

Simmer the soup until the vegetables are very tender. The potatoes will be gummy unless you cook them until they are falling apart.

The Cheesy Base

When done, blend the soup base...

until it is creamy and cheesy looking.

Add the steamed vegetables to the soup base and blend as well. I blended the soup in three batches. Make sure not to fill more than half way to insure the soup doesn't blow on you.

Add the blended soup back into the cleaned pot.

Mix everything thoroughly.

Get your 'cheesy' part ready: nutritional yeast, salt and pepper.

Add them to the soup and mix well. Simmer for a few more minutes, heating everything thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve.

Cheesy Broccoli Soup Recipe

The write-up for Benedict is on Weekly Vegan Menu.

There are four components to this dish:

The Tofu

The Bread

The "Meat"

The Sauce

The Tofu

Using soft tofu (or firm if you can't find soft), drain and rinse it.

Slice the block into fourths and slice each fourths into threes. This will yield 12 pieces.

Using a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or a nonstick pan, heat some oil or oil spray.

Begin to saute your tofu slices.

When they are nice and golden, flip them. You may have to do these in several batches, just put them to the side on a plate.

Assemble your simmering ingredients:

nutritional yeast, turmeric, pepper (do not use as much as I have in the picture!), and water.

When the last batch of tofu is ready, return all of the tofu slices to the skillet.

Add the simmering ingredients.

Including the water.

Try to mix things up as well as you can, but do not break the tofu.

Cover the skillet with a lid, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

...and simmer for 10 minutes.

Setting a strainer over another pot, strain the tofu, discard the liquid and place the tofu in the pot.

Put a lid or a plate on it to keep the tofu warm.

The Sauce

To make the Hollandaise Sauce, you will need:

nondairy milk, Earth Balance, lemon juice, salt, pepper, turmeric, Dijon mustard, pinch of cayenne and veganaise.

Put all of these ingredients into a medium glass bowl.

Whisk together as well as you can, considering the butter is in a solid form.

Either microwave for 30 seconds or place the bowl over a pot of boiling water (a double boiler).

Whisk after each 30 seconds of microwaving.

And again, whisk and microwave for 30 seconds.

When all of the butter is melted and the sauce is nice and smooth and heated throughout, you are done with it.

If you are making Chipotle Hollandaise, add well minced and even blended chipotle from a can.

You can blend the entire can if you want to, or just use the back of your knife to grind the peppers into a paste. Either way, make sure to taste as you add so you don't over spice.