Starring Soup and Cornbread

While I was an undergraduate student at the University of New Hampshire, there were very few campus meal options that were tasteful, never mind drool-worthy and memorable.  One of the few that could earn that distinction was a vegetarian soup sold in the student center's small food court.  The base was always potato, and depending on the day, the other main ingredient was either broccoli or cauliflower, or sometimes even both.  It was hearty but not heavy, smooth but not too creamy.  I loooved it.  Add some multigrain bread to dip, and I was in heaven.     

After Hurricane Irene made her wet and windy visit to NH on Sunday, I was in the mood to make a simple but flavorful soup for dinner on Monday night, something similar to my days at UNH.  I scanned through Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero and found Baked Potato and Greens Soup.  It doesn't have broccoli or cauliflower, but lots of nutrient-rich kale, and I had plenty of kale on hand.  The thought of getting some greens in my husband's stomach was also appealing, I gotta admit.  He may never like my beloved broccoli, but kale had possibility.

This soup rivaled that one from UNH, kicked its butt even.  The crushed fennel seeds (yay for using the mortar and pestle I just bought a couple of weeks ago!) gave a slight hint of spicy black licorice.  The potatoes were hearty and comforting and the kale was a reminder that this soup is not only super yummy but also super good for you.  Even Mark professed that its a keeper, not only that night, but over the next two days when he had leftovers for lunch, as the flavors seemed to heighten over time.  Try it.  Soon.  You won't regret it. 

Baked Potato and Greens Soup         
Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

Serves 6
Time: 30 minutes, not including baking the potatoes

6 - 8 baking potatoes (3 1/2 lbs), baked and cooled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced into short strips (I don't like onion, so I completely omitted it)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1 teaspoon salt
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine (or just more broth)
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups kale, torn into bite-size pieces (about 6 leaves, rough stems removed)
1/4 cup plain soy milk

Once your potatoes are baked and cool enough to handle, preheat a soup pot and saute the onions in the olive oil over medium-high heat until good and brown, about 12 minutes. 

While the onions cook, prep the potatoes.  Slice the baked potatoes into 3/4 inch chunks. 

Once the onions are browned, add the garlic, fennel, thyme, sage, black pepper, and salt.  Cook for 2 more minutes, then add the wine to deglaze the pan.  Add the chunks of potatoes and the broth, cover, and lower the heat a bit to bring to a low boil.  Mix in the kale.  Cover and cook for 15 to 20 more minutes. 

Use a potato masher to mush up about half of the soup (don't use an immersion blender; it will make the potatoes pasty and yucky), add the soy milk, and mix.  If it's too thick, add a little water or vegetable stock. 

Mark loves cornbread.  I know, who can actually resist sweet corn meal in cakey form?  But he really loves it; he fondly remembers his mom making cornbread muffins for breakfast when he was growing up.  I've tried a couple of cornbread recipes since we've been together, including one that was vegan, and admittedly, neither was spectacular.  I thought I'd go for round three as a sweet accompaniment to the potato and greens soup; this time, it was a home run.  Absolutely de-licious.  The recipe is from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet, one of the first books I read when I transitioned to vegetarianism almost a year ago.  Mark liked it so much, he asked why I had waited so long to make it.  Now that's a good sign!  It's the right level of sweetness, although I can see it being too sweet for some, with a cake that isn't greasy.  Just like the Baked Potato and Greens soup, this recipe will make a regular appearance on our table.  Next, I imagine it on a cool, fall night with vegan chili.    Mmmmmmmmmm.  I s'pose that will be one of the few things that will help make saying good-bye to summer a little bit easier.   


Cornbread
The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone
1 cup sorghum (molasses) or maple syrup
  *I used 1/2 c maple syrup and 1/2c brown rice syrup
1 1/4 cups soy milk
1/4 cup safflower oil
  *I used grapeseed oil
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Oil a 9" x 9" (or similar size) baking dish or 12-cup muffin tin.  Combine the sweetener, soy milk, and oil in a medium bowl and mix well.  In another bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, and mix just until well combined.  *The batter will be very thin.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cornbread or a muffin comes out clean.  They will be golden brown and crazy delicious.