The Ultimate Corn Chowder Experience

Day 2 of catching up on my posts! I managed to get to the gym yesterday for Pilates after 2 and a half months of doing nothing and finally got my hair cut and highlighted after 3 months. I usually get my hair cut every 6 weeks; it was the longest it's been in a long time. I'm starting to slowly feel like my old self again. 

This soup recipe comes from Betty Goes Vegan and I think they are a little ambitious in the naming of the recipe. I wouldn't say that this is the "ultimate" in corn chowder experiences. heehee It does have the 'ultimate' use of ingredients: potatoes, creamed corn, corn, peas, green beans, chickpeas, hash browns, plus about a dozen assorted seasonings and spices! I do have to say that it was rather good and the hubby liked it. 

~ The Ultimate Corn Chowder Experience ~ 

Look at the state of my Betty Goes Vegan cookbook! I'm so irritated; the whole section of colored photos started slowly falling apart. I've been using clear strapping tape to hold each page in. Ugh! Now more and more pages are falling out. I bought a 1 1/2 " three ring binder and I'm just about ready to rip the cookbook apart and use my 3 hole punch to put it in the binder. Has anyone else's done this?!

Zucchini-Corn Cannelloni

It seems like the days are just zooming by. If I get up early enough in the morning I can feel a hint of fall in the air. If I wait too long it turns into a blazing inferno! 

I haven't tried many new recipes lately but I found this pasta recipe from Vegetarian Times. You can find it here. 

I replaced all the dairy ingredients with some vegan parmesan, Tofutti ricotta and Daiya mozzarella.  

 The mixture of sauteed zucchini, onion, corn and creamy ricotta.

The sauce is so simple to make using a can of fire-roasted tomatoes. 

The recipe makes an 8-9 inch pan which is nice; not a ton of leftovers! 

~ Zucchini-Corn Cannelloni ~ 

Mmmm~delicious! 

The hubby said it had too much ricotta in it; what is he thinking?!

Red Quinoa Pilaf with Kale and Corn

VegCookbookClub December recipes from Nava Atlas-Vegan Holiday Kitchen:

 

Quinoa and kale-two of my favorite power foods! I've never tried red quinoa before and also cooking it in the vegetable broth gave it lots of good flavor. This pilaf tastes delicious warm or cold.

 

 

I served the pilaf with a cucumber, red onion and tomato salad tossed in Amy's Tuscany Italian dressing.

 

"Three Sisters" Stew

VegCookbookClub December recipes from Nava Atlas-Vegan Holiday Kitchen:

Squash, corn, and beans~the 'three sisters' in Native American mythology. Love it! I had half a butternut squash left over from the Coconut Butternut Squash Soup I made the other day so this stew was perfect. All of the other ingredients are staples in my kitchen; even the cilantro :)

 

I served my stew over brown rice. You'll notice some extra green surrounding the stew. I had baby bok choy in the fridge that needed to be cooked so I sauteed it with some olive oil and garlic. Yum, it added texture, color and crunch to this dish.

 

 

Wolffie's Southwestern Corn Casserole~pg. 169

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I wasn't looking forward to making this again. The last time it was really runny and mushy. I have to say I like it better this time around! I used firm silken tofu instead of the soft tofu and made sure to cook it the full amount of time. I also added some shredded Daiya mozzarella and cheddar the last five minutes of baking. It sets up and tastes better the longer you can let it cool. I also added extra jalapenos on top; I like it spicy!

I served the corn casserole with the Roasted Butternut Squash Kale Salad I had made earlier today.

Adam's Black Bean & Corn Salad~pg. 74

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I've made variations of this salad over the years and this is a good one. I like the lime juice in it and I'm always a fan of cilantro ( I added an extra 1/8 C. cilantro to mine!) I did cut down on the oil as 1/3 C. seemed like a lot. A quick and easy dish to prepare.

Chunky Corn Chowder~pg 120

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

My "mise en place"; that's just fancy French for "gettin' ready to cook!"

I served this with toasted Kalamata & Sundried Tomato Bread (see yesterday's post). I like a few chunks in my soup so I didn't blend all of it. I love my little hand blender; you don't even have to take the soup out of the pot to blend. I like the flavor of this chowder. The 1/2 tsp. of black pepper gives it just the right amount of kick. Easy and delicious! Just how I like to cook.

Sara's Tangy Black Bean Salad~pg 76

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

As you can see, there are some pinto and kidney beans peeking out! I had some left over from the Mexican Burrito Pie we made last week. I hate to waste food, so I threw them in the freezer (in a container of course!) and decided to add them to this salad. There is always some variation of this salad wherever you go here in Arizona. I think some cilantro would be mighty tasty in it; I love cilantro in just about anything! Now my salad is just chillin' out in the fridge waiting for supper. I'm going to serve it with Gardein Crispy Tenders and Wolffie's Cornbread (see LDV page 268). The best cornbread Ever!