vegan potato cashew soup

[Source: FatFree Vegan Kitchen]

Last month, I embarked on a 3-week allergy-testing elimination and reintroduction diet. It was awesome. Seriously!

The elimination piece of the diet had me taking any potential allergy or GI irritants out: animal products (meat, dairy, eggs), wheat, soy products, corn, tomato, and all sugars but agave nectar. Now, on a normal week, I probably eat most of these--particularly wheat and tomato in one form or another--on a daily basis.

As a result, I had to learn to eat very differently. The first few days, I relegated myself to simple salads, my prescribed shakes, and almond milk 10 different ways. They were good, but boy, was I craving something savory or starchy after a while! My two indulgences (oh, in addition to almond butter, and more almond butter) were oat bran and potatoes.

I'll tell you first about potatoes: I almost never cook them these days, but in those weeks, I happily rediscovered the humble potato. My favorite find was a vegan soup as found here from FatFree Vegan Kitchen. It was so savory and satisfying, and was the inspiration for me to continue pursuing vegan cooking.

I followed her recipe pretty closely, just cooking up some Yukon gold potatoes till firm, and then adding 2/3 of them to the remaining ingredients after they're blended in a mixer. I substituted plain almond milk for the milk, and didn't have any nutritional yeast so didn't add it. I didn't miss it! I also used fresh rosemary and a swirl of olive oil, since oils and nuts were my only source of fat in those weeks. Oh, and I really enjoyed it with chopped scallions as you see above.

I'll definitely be making that one again, possibly with some sweet potatoes or curry incorporated.

lazy. busy. eating out.

Don't you guys have those weeks? I actually don't see evidence of it on most of your blogs, but me, I guess I needed a break!

I'm still here, though! We had a busy weekend in New Braunfels, a popular spot south of Austin for floating down the river.

We made migas tacos for breakfast one morning. If some of you (or shall I say, "y'all"?) aren't familiar with migas, they are a really simple TexMex variation of Eggs a la Mexicana:

Migas Tacos
(serves 6+)

15 -20 corn tortillas (the fresher, the better)
8 eggs, scrambled
3 T milk, added to the eggs
1 jalapeno, minced
1 large tomato, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
handful of mushrooms, sliced
2 t chipotle powder (and/or a good dash of your favorite hot sauce)
salt and pepper to taste
1 T olive oil
1 c shredded cheddar cheese or a blend with cheddar and white Mexican cheeses


1. Cook tortilla strips: Depending on how crunch or textured you want your migas, take 3-5 of the tortillas and dice them in about 3/4 inch pieces. (Some people prefer them sliced in thin strips.) Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. When it's hot, add the tortillas and cook until browned and crispy. Remove and set aside.

Ah, nothing like migas and tequila in the morning.

2. Cook the veggies*: Put your tomato, onion, and peppers in the skillet and cook just a few minutes until they begin to soften.
Do not cook them too long, or the migas will lose their freshness and texture. (This is my tendency: Ugh! Can I help it that I like my vegetables soft and caramelized?)


3. Cook the egg mixture: Add the eggs, milk, and seasonings and scramble gently until almost set. Add the tortilla pieces and the cheese, folding in.
I'd suggest not scrambling too enthusiastically or too long. Again, this was failure number two on my part. If you overdo it, they'll still taste good, but they don't look as pretty and are a bit too crumbly for my taste.


4. Serve, with cheese and perhaps extra hot sauce and salsa. The migas can be served or plated either in the remaining tortillas as tacos, as we did, or just on the plate with warm tortillas on the side.

*I recently read someone griping about the devolution of cooking on the blogosphere, specifically about the use of casual or colloquial language. One of the terms that so perturbed the author was "veggies." Well, honey, here it is. Hope you took your blood pressure medicine. Veggies! Veggies! Veggies!

Some will tell you that migas tacos are just redundant, due to the excessive use of corn tortillas. To that, I say, pshaw!

After a long day on the river, we cooked up a variation of the bison burgers I made the other week, and attempted some baked sweet potato fries. However, the fries need another go. I blame their imperfect state on inferior cookware provided at the rental condo. Still, the flavor was great. I'll be sharing a revised version of the sweet potato fries soon!

Klassy table cloth, eh? Still, look at the color of those sweet potato fries!
I can't wait to do them justice. Stay tuned.

smashed red potatoes with summer pesto and buffalo burgers

I can be such as dang slacker. You know I spent 6 weeks in Italy in college studying archaeology and was such a slacker that my friend and I refused to complete the easy assignment or essay requested at the end of the program, thus passing on the how-many-ever college credits it should have been worth. W. T. F.? That is just pathetic. But I did have fun!

So, the charming and entertaining Cathy of Noble Pig is hosting a Potato Ho-Down for submissions of potato recipes galore tomorrow--You know, for all those folks who might occasionally jump right over the asparagus or sole and go right to the say, garlic mashed potatoes, home fries, or latkes! I was *so* looking forward to joining this month and cooked the simple recipe below for Sunday dinner. Then what do I go and do? I think I was the LAST person to send her my entry. Whew! Made it, just under the wire. (I'm having flashbacks to nearly every college assignment. I must work well under pressure... right?)


Check out Noble Pig tomorrow, Wednesday the 16th, for links to lots of lovely folks' undoubtedly fantastic takes on the unassuming but oh-so-satisfying potato.

In the meantime, here's a meal I cooked up Sunday that both Adam and I LOVED. It was terribly simple and sang of summer goodness.

Smashed Red Potatoes with Pesto
and Buffalo Burgers with Pesto Aioli*
Inspired by Sunday AM Rachael Ray episode and the Joy of Cooking recipes

*I just love that adding flavor to mayonnaise elevates it to the gastronomically superior "aioli." What a cheat.

5-6 small red potatoes
1/4 c milk
1 T butter

2 c basil, loosely packed
1/2 c pine nuts
2 medium garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped
1/2 c Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/2 c olive oil
salt and coarse black pepper to taste

2 T low-calorie mayonnaise (or whatever mayo-like product you prefer)
1 lb ground buffalo (or beef)
1/3 yellow onion, diced finely
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t kosher salt
heavy dusting of coarse black pepper

4 kaiser rolls or hamburger buns, toasted


1. Make the pesto:
Put basil, pine nuts, garlic, and half of the cheese in a food processor and process until the mixture is fairly creamy. Stream in the olive oil and process until combined. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl or resealable container (so you can save the extras for pasta, bread, or vegetables). Add the salt, pepper, and remaining cheese; and gently combine with a spoon or spatula. Set aside.

2. Make the aioli for the burgers:
In a small cup or dish, mix 2 t of the pesto with about 2 T of mayonnaise, or adjust the ratio to taste.

3. Make the taters:
Clean, dry, quarter, and boil the potatoes until fork-tender. Drain, and place in a bowl or serving dish. Add milk, butter, 1-2 T of pesto, and smash or gently break up the potatoes while mixing. Add salt, pepper, and more pesto if you wish. Set aside, or keep warm in an oven at 200 degrees.

4. Make the burgers
Put a large cast-iron pan, non-stick skillet, or stove-top grill on medium-high. (Preheat for 2-3 minutes while mixing the burgers.)

Place defrosted lean ground buffalo in a bowl. Add onion, paprika, salt, and pepper and mix gently by hand. Press the buffalo into the bowl a bit so it's flat and score it so that you have portions for 4 equally-sized burgers. Shape the burgers, making the center a bit flatter or indented.

Cook the patties 2-3 minutes on each side for a medium burgers with a light pink center. Remove from heat.

To serve:
I put about 3 t of the aioli on the toasted burger bun, added the burger and put some thinly-sliced homegrown cucumbers (my mother-in-laws, not my own!) Plop down some potatoes, add some more fresh veggies or a green salad.

The burger was really fantastic with locally and naturally produced buffalo, the addition of paprika (thank you, Rachael Ray), and the creamy pesto aioli. Potatoes were tasty, though I might add even more pesto or some fresh bits of basil for a little extra brightness.