Vegan Curried Split Pea Soup

put some curry on it...
On the Cheap: Vegan Curried Split Pea Soup

Finished vegan curried split pea soup, hot off the stove and ready to eat. 

Split pea soup is something I'd always WANTED to like. The concept of it always appealed to me, but I was never able to find a vegan version that was more than just a big bowl of ok. The heat and eat cans served their purpose but were somewhat pricey and pretty lacking in the flavor department. Then there's the glop factor. Bad split pea soup can have a texture/taste somewhat comparable to that of unseasoned dehydrated mashed potatoes. Yuck.
So after years of fruitless searching, and a lot of mediocre soup,
I set out to perfect a recipe of my own.

Soup ingredients still life: carrots, onion, split peas and curry powder.

With a little experimentation and a dash of curry powder, this recipe was born. Holding true to the "on the cheap" header of the post, dried split peas can easily be found for about a dollar per pound at your local grocery store. Store bought vegetable stock is relatively inexpensive or you can do homemade with leftover veggie scraps. The priciest ingredient will be the curry powder. If there is a co-op in your neighborhood you may be able to purchase it in bulk there.

If not, an Asian/ Indian grocery is a good place to seek out less expensive spices. If neither of these options are available to you just grab the curry powder from the grocery store. At about $5-6 per jar it won't break the bank, gives you a lot of bang for your buck flavor wise, and is worth having in your spice drawer for future recipes. 

Local carrots, peeled, sliced into discs and ready to be added to soup mix. 

When buying in bulk and using homemade stock, this recipe can be put together for between $3.50 and $5.00. Not too shabby for a pot of soup that serves 8-10.

*Note that this is an unblended soup. While a number of split pea soup recipes call for blending in the final step, I've found that if the peas are cooked properly they break down beautifully on their own, eliminating the 

need for blending.

Vegan Curried Split Pea Soup

(serves 8-10)

11b (about 2c) of dried green split peas 

2 tbsp olive oil

1 bunch of carrots (about 8-10) 

peeled and sliced into 1/4' discs

1 onion diced

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

6 cups of low sodium vegan vegetable stock

1/2c water

2tsp kosher or sea salt

1tbsp madras curry powder

1 1/2tsp ground cumin

More salt and pepper to taste

Onions, garlic, carrots, peas and spices, ready for stock to be added. 

Rinse dried split peas until the water runs clear and pick over for any stones.

In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. 

Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until they become translucent.

Add minced garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes,

continuing to stir frequently.

Add carrots, curry powder, cumin and 2tsp of salt cooking for an additional minute

until mix becomes aromatic, stirring frequently.

Add in rinsed split peas, stirring to combine and cook for an additional 30 seconds. 

Add in the vegetable stock and water and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Once soup is boiling reduce heat to low, 

cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1hr, stirring occasionally. 

Once the peas are no longer holding their shape and the mixture

has thickened the soup is ready.

If you find the mixture to be a bit too thick, 

add additional water or stock 1/3c at a time. 

Add additional salt and pepper to taste. 

Local carrot line-up. Just because. 

Vegan PBR Beer Bread

stop pulling your hair out!
Too Easy: Vegan PBR Beer Bread

Beer bread, out of the oven, drenched in butter and ready to impress. 

Party season is upon us. We all like the holidays but let's be honest, sometimes they can be a giant pain in the ass. Between work and life, scrambling to come up with something to bring to holiday dinner parties can be enough to make you pull your hair out. Never fear, beer bread is here! This recipe is perfect for just such ocassions, its a no-knead to the nth degree and almost embarrassingly easy. Its also pretty perfect for an I'm-just-gonna-sit-on-my-couch-and-eat-bread-all-day kind of day. It can be thrown together almost literally at the last minute and pairs well with a variety of things. I've eaten it for breakfast with Earth Balance and jam and for lunch/dinner/appetizers with butter, hummus, or whatever else is around. If you're looking for a SUPER easy food gift for Christmas, this is it. Just combing all of the dry ingredients in a mason jar, write out a pretty recipe card with instructions, include a bottle of beer (or not), tie a bow around the whole thing and voila! 

(Almost) instant Christmas gift! 

Beer bread batter, fully mixed. 

You will need: 

1 standard sized loaf pan, thoroughly buttered. 

2 1/2c all purpose flour + 1/2c whole wheat flour

1 1/2tsp baking soda

1/2tsp baking powder

1tbsp vegan sugar

1 1/2tsp ground sea salt

5tbsp Earth Balance

1 12oz beer of your choosing, 

I used a PBR for the bread in the photos.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Thoroughly grease your loaf pan with 1tbsp of the Earth Balance.

In a medium mixing bowl combine all dry ingredients, stir. 

Pour in beer slowly, dry ingredients will fizz up quite a bit.

Stir slowly until well combined.

Dough will be very wet and sticky.

Pour your dough into greased loaf pan and shake to distribute evenly.

Beer bread batter in prepared loaf pan, ready to bake. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Lower temp to 375 and bake for 30 more minutes or until top is golden brown.

Place loaf pan on a cooling rack.

Melt remaining Earth Balance and pour over top of your finished loaf. 

Let sit for 5-10 minutes then turn out onto a work surface. 

You can eat it right away (it'll be hard not to) or allow to cool, wrap tightly in foil, 

and re-heat when you're ready to party.

Freshly baked beer bread waiting for its butter bath.

Vegan Black Bean Chili

On the Cheap:
Vegan Black Bean Chili

15+ years ago my mother clipped a recipe for black bean stew out of the local newspaper. It was right around christmastime, I was a newly minted teenage vegetarian, and she was looking for something a little different for holiday dinner. The recipe was decidedly un-vegetarian but with some substitutions and, not factoring in the mouth burns from excessive chili powder, we banged out a pretty good vegetarian stew. Every year since, when the weather turns cold,  mom still cooks up a big pot. There's always some waiting for me when, after a long drive down the east coast, I arrive home for Christmas. You might say its something of a tradition.

Clockwise from topL minced garlic, diced red peppers and spice blend. 

Once I was off on my own, and much in need of a cheap way to feed myself, I began making something similar, a vague approximation of quantities and ingredients. Over the years the recipe became more chili than stew and is now a staple in our house. When the cooler months roll around you're likely to find a big pot of this on our stove every week. Its a go to for parties, great and perfect for a veggie/omni mix crowd. I like to cook a big pot of polenta as an accompaniment. Creamy polenta atop a big bowl of chili is the perfect one-bowl meal.

Dried black beans and canned tomatoes are a pantry staple around here. I prefer the dried beans to canned, mostly as a cost saving measure. You can buy them in bulk or find cheap 1lb bags at a traditional grocery store. And whether its the more expensive organics or the cheaper option, canned tomatoes are a must have. I like to use a mix of diced and puree/juice in this recipe.

Pre cooked chili ingredients, ready to simmer for an hour or two.

Vegan Black Bean Chili Recipe 
(feeds 8-10)
11b dried black beans (approximately 6-7 cups cooked)
or
3-4 15oz cans
1 28oz can diced tomatoes in juice
or
1 28oz can whole peeled plum tomatoes in juice, diced or broken apart by hand
2 cups tomato puree
or
2 cups tomato juice

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium diced yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 cup of water
1tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tbsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1tbsp Tabasco (you can add more/less)

Dried black beans, quick cook method:

Place dried beans in a colander and inspect for any small stones/ grit

Thoroughly rinse beans and drain

Place in 5qt pot and add water until beans are completely covered
Bring to a boil, boil for 2-5 minutes
Remove from heat and allow to soak on the stove overnight
Drain pre-soaked beans

If using canned beans, drain and rinse in colander and set aside

In a large pot heat olive oil over medium heat.
Add diced onions and saute for approximately 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently,
until they begin to appear translucent.
Add minced garlic, continue to stir for 2-3 minutes more.
Add diced peppers, chili powder, cumin, sea salt, and ground cloves.
Stir and cook for one minute more, until well incorporated and fragrant.
Add in cooked, drained beans or canned drained beans, stir to combine.
Add your tomato puree/juice, diced tomatoes, water and Tabasco,
stir to combine.
Bring all ingredients to a light boil, then reduce heat to low.
 Cover pot slightly; not tightly, just enough to catch splatter.
Simmer for approximately 2 hours, returning to stir every 20 minutes or so.
If the liquid has reduced too much, add a bit more tomato juice/water as needed.

Taste after cooking time is up to make sure your beans are cooked through.
Add more hot sauce according to your preference.

 I usually continue to fill this chili out for a couple of days, adding more cooked beans, tomatoes, and spices as we put a dent in the pot.

Great with a scoop of polenta, a crumbling of corn chips or cornbread over the top, and/or a sprinkle of cheddar daiya.
FYI, the daiya/corn chip combo?
Pretty hard to beat.

Finished chili with a side of no-fail cornbread. Yum.

Creamy Polenta with Tempeh "Bacon" and Greens

Favorite Winter Breakfast: Creamy Polenta with 

Tempeh "Bacon" and Sauteed Greens.

Beautiful home-grown bright lights chard.

 New England winters can be pretty harsh. Sometimes, in the endless dark and cold,  faith waivers a bit and even the most seasoned of New Englanders can begin to question whether spring will ever roll around again. We learn to grow what will survive in these dark times- hearty, healthy, relatively indestrucable things. 


Chard is one of those things. It can survive frigid temps, actually tastes better after a frost, and grows very well in containers- perfect for us city folk. It may seem like a small thing, but being able to walk out on to your porch and grab a handful of fresh greens makes the long hard winter seem just a bit more bearable. I'm a big proponent of greens for breakfast year-round, but there is something particular soul-nourishing about greens in the winter. If you don't grow them yourselves greens like chard, arugula, and kale are available from your local farmers through the winter months.

Now doesn't that look delicious?

After years of tinkering, this particular combination has become one of my no-fail breakfasts. Its warm, nourishing, perfectly savory, relatively inexpensive to prepare, and incorporates staples I always have on hand- like polenta and tempeh- with whatever greens are available. 

I always have polenta in the pantry- its inexpensive and quite versatile. As for brands, I can not recommend Bob's Red Mill highly enough. I've tried many other brands over the years and theirs is superior in every way- perfect texture, no clumping, and well priced. I like to add about 1/4 cup more water than the recipe calls for to ensure the polenta remains creamy, rather than setting up. I also add a tablespoon or so of non-dairy butter. Earth Balance is my go-to.

Recipe: 
Creamy Polenta, Tempeh "Bacon" and Sauteed Seasonal Greens

1 cup of Bob's Red Mill Polenta

3 1/4 cups + a splash of water

1 Tbsp Earth Balance

pinch of salt

1 package of whole grain (unseasoned) tempeh

cut into 1/4" strips

1 Tbsp + a splash of tamari or soy sauce

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

approx. 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (use the cheap kind)

One bunch of greens (chard, kale, arugula) washed and chopped

1 Tbsp maple syrup (optional)

Preparing the polenta:In a medium saucepan with lid bring the 3 1/4 cups of water, pinch of salt, and 1 Tbsp butter to a boil.

Slowly pour in 1 cup of polenta while gently stirring to prevent clumping, 
reduce heat to medium-low.

Place pot lid loosely on, just enough to prevent splatter.

The polenta will cook in 15-20 minutes, stir every few minutes.

While the polenta cooks: 
Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 1 Tbsp of tamari and the apple cider vinegar in a large saute pan over med. heat.

Lay tempeh strips in the pan, making sure they are submerged in the liquid.

Cook for about 6 minutes on each side. 

Once the liquid reduces the tempeh will begin to brown and crisp up.

You can brown it as much or as little as you want from this point forward.

I prefer mine quite browned and crispy, 
sometimes I even add a bit more olive oil to the pan and fry it longer.

Once the tempeh is cooked:
Remove pan from the heat, take tempeh out and place on plate.

Deglaze the saute pan with a splash of apple cider vinegar.
Add a splash of tamari, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Return pan to medium heat and add your chopped greens, drizzle a small amount of water over the top and stir. 

At this point you can place the top on the pan to give them a bit of a steam, or you can cook uncovered.

I generally only cook mine for a minute or two, covering very briefly, 
keeping them nicely crisp and bright.

Once the greens are cooked:
Place a scoop of polenta in a bowl.
Crumble some of your tempeh "bacon" over the top, spoon in some greens and 
drizzle with a bit of the remaining cooking liquid.

If you're feeling especially decadent you can add a bit more Earth Balance and even drizzle a little maple syrup over the top. 
I won't hesitate to highly recommend doing both.