I love a good potato soup, and when it’s hot outside cold potato soup, otherwise known as Vichyssoise, tastes so good. In Dina Cheney’s new book The New Milks, she brings together the classic combination of potato and leeks with fennel to make a fantastic tasting soup.
When I tried this recipe, I needed to make some adjustments due to allergies and flavor choices. Even with the tweaks, this is a rewarding recipe.
I normally use soy milk for my soups. This time I chose a recipe that called for cashew milk, something I hadn’t tried. Many of the recipes in this book gave me a new way of thinking how to use different “milks” in my cooking.
I went to work making this recipe and was rewarded with a rich, creamy soup with a depth of flavor. I garnished it with chives and shared it with my friends, who all said the same thing: Amazing.
As mentioned above, I made a few substitutions. In our house, we don’t use flour. I omitted the step of making a roux (butter and fat cooked together and then added to sauces and soups as a thickener). The combination of fennel, leek, and the cashew cream was going to provide enough body to thicken the vichyssoise. I did add the margarine and a little bit of arrowroot at the end to ensure the thickness.
A note about the recipe from the book, the roux was made from butter, making it not vegan, but you can easily make one with margarine and flour. The point is to use some kind of fat and flour.
Here’s the recipe, with the substitutions.
Vichysoisse
2016-08-28 23:45:17
Serves 8
A delicious twist on an old classic. In this recipe the author Dina Cheney uses fresh cashew milk as the cream base for this soup. I took it a step further and made sure it was vegan and gluten free.
2 tbsp vegan butter (here at TVC we use Smart Balance)
2 leeks, trimmed, halved, sliced and rinsed (2 cups)
½ large fennel bulb trimmed, cored, and coarsely chopped (1 cup)
1 starchy medium large potato, such as Idaho or russet, peeled and thinly sliced (2 scant cups)
2 ½ cups Vegetable Stock
1 tbsp arrow root
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp white pepper
1 cup plain cashew milk
¼ cup minced chives, fresh
Instructions
Melt the vegan butter in a large stockpot (the recipe calls for a dutch oven). Once the butter is melted, add the leeks and fennel, cover and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.
Add the potato and stir. Add the stock and salt and bring to a boil over high heat.
Cover and reduce the heat to medium low/low. Simmer until the potato is very tender, about 30 minutes.
Make a slurry out of the arrow root (add two tablespoons water to the arrow root and stir until smooth). Add into the soup mixture and cook for a few extra minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender. Add the cashew milk and puree until very smooth, about 45 seconds. Chill until cold.
Serve, garnished with the chives.
By Dina Cheney
Adapted from The New Milks
Adapted from The New Milks
Things Vegans Cook http://www.thingsveganscook.com/
For more great soup recipes see the Kitchen Shaman’s Kindle book
Cool drinks are in demand in the summer and most people go right for the lemonade or iced tea. In the Amercian Southwest, however, agua frescas are growing in popularity. Literally translated they are “fresh water” infused with fruit and herbs. Some popular flavors of agua fresca are strawberry, jamaica(hibiscus flower), and tamarind.
The recipe we’re sharing today features watermelon. It seemed appropriate, given that this is National Watermelon Month. Try it out and let us know how you like it.
Watermelon Agua Fresca
2016-07-23 20:16:40
A cool "fresh water" drink popularized in the Southwest.
1/2 watermelon, peeled and seeds taken out (use seedless for less work)
6 cups water
1/2 cup ginger infused simple syrup or 1/2 cup sweetener (if using stevia, use less)
juice of 1 lime
several sprigs of mint
Instructions
Peel watermelon and discard seeds, if necessary.
Blend 1 cup fruit to 2 cups water at a time with sweetener and 8-10 leaves of peppermint. Strain mixture and pour into pitcher. Add sweetener and mix..
Serve chilled and garnished with mint and lime slices.
Notes
To make simple syrup, check out this base recipe and then add 6-8 wafer thin slices of ginger.
By Chef Johnna Gale, AKA the Kitchen Shaman
Things Vegans Cook http://www.thingsveganscook.com/
Chef Johnna, AKA the Kitchen Shaman, will be appearing at VeggieFest 2016 outside Chicago this very weekend. If you’re in the area, please consider stopping by. Admission is free!
If you’re looking for Vegan and Vegetarian Festivals that might be near you, check out these summer-time upcoming events.
Summertime is burger time — even in a zombie apocalypse. Have you ever wondered what you will eat after the zombies take over? Will it even be possible to maintain a vegan diet? Yes, it will — at least if you believe The Vegan Zombie.
The video below offers a recipe for Spicy Black Bean Burgers that you may want to try now, rather than waiting for the apocalypse.
As the temperature rises, people seek out foods that are colder. If you’re looking for a cold summer soup, you may be thinking gazpacho. Now most people think of gazpacho as a tomato soup, but there are lots of variations. You can find recipes featuring avocado, grapes, cucumber, and non-vegan stocks. This version highlights one of the ubiquitous summer fruits: watermelon.
The refreshing, raw soup combines watermelon with habenero chilis to provide a kick. You can adjust the amount of chilis to find the perfect heat level to offset the sweet coolness of the watermelon.
Watermelon Gazpacho
2016-07-12 12:22:17
Yields 6
This refreshing, cold soup takes advantage of the freshness of summer watermelon.
I love a good potato soup, and when it’s hot outside cold potato soup, otherwise known as Vichyssoise, tastes so good. In Dina Cheney’s new book The New Milks, she brings together the classic combination of potato and leeks with fennel to make a fantastic tasting soup.
Chef Johnna, AKA the Kitchen Shaman, will be appearing at VeggieFest 2016 outside Chicago this very weekend. If you’re in the area, please consider stopping by. Admission is free!