Pantry Challenge Day 14 - Lovely Lemons and Sausage and Bean Soup

This past week was a very trying one. My dear friend lost her sister to cancer and her 15-year-old nephew to suicide within a few hours of one another. Sometimes there are just no words for the grief. I haven't given much attention to food or cooking since Monday.

So, it was a delightful surprise to come home yesterday to a UPS delivery on my front porch. It was a box of sunshine! Really! My friend Anile in San Francisco sent me lovely, fresh Meyer lemons from her neighbor's back yard (I hope her neighbor knows.....). Oh what a wonderful sight and smell on a cold, snowy Kentucky day! Paul laughed at me and suggested he give me some "alone time with my lemons" when I started dancing around the kitchen, sniffing in their fresh citrus-y scent!

I have several ideas for their use - hummus, to begin with. I'll keep you posted!

Thanks, Anile!

On a savory note, last night's dinner was a concoction of leftover. Paul always says he loves my "concoctions" the best. The photo may look just like a soup I made last week but it is quite different. And quite tasty!

Here is the list of leftovers. You can come up with your own "concoction" based on the leftovers in your fridge!

about 2 cups of leftover tomato-spinach pasta sauce
2 cups vegetable broth
1 can diced tomatoes (fire roasted, of course)
2 vegan sausages, sliced, then slices quartered
about 1 1/2 cups leftover basmati rice
about 1 cup leftover vegetarian baked beans

Threw it all together in a soup pot, brought it to a simmer, and left it there for 10 minutes. That's it. And it was hot and spicy and satisfying while the snow was falling outside and we watched reruns of "The Unit" inside.

Pantry Challenge Day 11 - Oat and Bean Burgers

Of all the "burger" recipes I have tried since becoming vegan, this is by far my favorite. It tastes awesome and it holds up without squishing through the bun. This recipe surprises me how good it is. Really good. Like I can't wait to have it for lunch good. Even without the vegan cheese, which I used up last night. And it is really, really simple, which makes me like it that much more. Throw it together while you are making dinner tonight, and your dinner is essentially done for tomorrow night, too!

I served these with leftover mashed potatoes and gravy and some pan-roasted broccoli. Was wishing for some french fries, but alas - no potatoes left in the pantry…….

Oat and Bean Burgers - makes 8 patties

2 cups rolled oats
1 - 1 1/2 cups cooked pinto or black beans, mashed
2 cups water
1 cup soy milk
2 veggie bullion cubes
1 1/2 tsp marmite
2 tsp Kitchen Bouquet
1 tbs dried herbs - you choose - I used italian seasoning, basil, thyme, and rosemary
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup vital gluten

In a large saucepan, bring water and soy milk to boil. Add oats, beans, and remaining ingredients except vital gluten. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 5-7 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir well. Add gluten and mix well. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Transfer mixture to a bowl or loaf pan, cover, and let set in the fridge overnight.

When ready to serve, shape oat and bean mixture into 8 patties. Heat 2 tbs oil in a skillet. Fry patties until brown and crispy on both sides. Serve on buns with your favorite burger toppings. Don't forget the french fries!

Pantry Challenge Day 10 - Beans, Greens, and Barly Soup and some Doggie Treats

This really is day 10 of the pantry challenge we started the first week of January. It's crazy how little we have actually spent on groceries in the past two weeks. I am beginning to suspect, however, that once I decide to actually grocery shop normally, I'm gonna be out of EVERYTHING! Either way, it's been fun!

It's a cool, rainy Sunday. For lunch we had Amy's No-Cheese Pizza with shredded mozzarella-style Follow Your Heart cheeze. That doesn't mean I didn't cook today, though! Still in pantry challenge mode, I used a bunch of leftovers to create this soup, and from initial tasting, it's a keeper!

I cooked a big pot of dried beans last week and had a bunch of those left. I also had some leftover tomato soup, a couple of carrots and the end of a stalk of celery. I used all of these plus a bag of frozen collards.

When I cook dried beans, I usually do it in a crock pot on low for 5-6 hours (or while I am at work). I season them with 2-3 dried chipotle peppers and don't salt them until they are done cooking. I'm sharing this with you now because the flavor of these beans really contributes to this soup. Here's how it went together:

Beans, Greens, and Barley Soup

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (fire roasted, of course)
5-6 cups water
3 Rapunzel vegetable bullion cubes
1 cup pearled barley
2 carrots, sliced
1 cup chopped celery
1 onion, chopped (or 2 tbs onion flakes)
1 bag frozen greens (I used collards)
3-4 cups cooked beans
salt and pepper to taste

Combine tomatoes, water, and bullion cubes in a dutch oven or soup pot. Bring to a boil and add barley. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20-25 minutes.

While the barley is cooking, slice the carrots and chop the celery.

After cooking the barley, add the carrots, celery, onion, and greens. Return to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Stir in the beans, taste, and adjust seasoning as needed. Cook for another 10- 15 minutes. For a beefier flavor, add a couple teaspoons of marmite and a couple teaspoons of Kitchen Bouquet.

This is gonna make some killer lunches this week!

Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Now for something that's just fun! Here is the recipe for the treats I give to our poodles, Winston and Wesley. They love, love, love these things and beg (politely, of course) for them!

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1 1/2 - 2 tbs unsulphured molasses
2-3 tbs canola oil
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a food processor, combine everything except water. Process until the mixture is fine and crumbly.

While food processor is running, add the water, a little at a time, until a dough forms and no longer sticks to the sides of the food processor bowl. Add a bit more water or flour as needed.

Roll the dough out to about 1/2" thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut into the size squares you desire. If you're really cool and have a bone-shaped cookie cutter, use that!

Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for about 20 minutes, turning after the first 10 minutes. Cool. Let the begging begin!

NOTES: Some dogs are sensitive to wheat. The whole wheat pastry flour can be replaced with brown rice flour or cooked quinoa. If you use cooked quinoa, reduce the amount of water you use in the recipe. For a little variety for your puppers, the peanut butter can be replaced with the same amount of steamed sweet potato.

"Treats, please......"