Just when I thought spring was upon us with its corresponding smoothie and salad cravings, a Newfoundland style Sheila's Brush descended with a cold, wet and bleary day more reminiscent of November than March. As a result, I found myself reaching back in the fridge for my grounding root vegetables and miso paste.
Nothing says warm and hearty quite like a Smoky Southwest Mixed Bean Soup! I have noticed a variety of mixed bean blends at the grocery store, and had experimented with a few different recipes without much success.
Curry Laksa is one of my all time favourite dishes. Unfortunately Malaysian Restaurants can be hard to come by, especially in smaller cities like St John's and Victoria. Finding a plant friendly option for this soup is also challenging, given that it is typically made with chicken stock, chicken and often seafood.
I am a big fan of Simon and Garfunkel, although their music has a melancholy note to it that always leaves me a bit sad. This line from Scarborough Fair kept popping into my head last night, and ended up being the inspiration behind one of the dishes for the mushroom themed belated birthday meal I made up for my Dad and Stepmom last night.
My two younger kids both woke up with coughs and sniffles, so my goal for the day was to try and get them back on the road to healthy town as quickly as possible. That meant giving them some homemade medicinal honey, elderberry syrup and this soup.
Nothing says Christmas quite like a steaming hot bowl of Pho. Well perhaps not for most people, but in all seriousness, when parties start rockin' and colds come a knockin', I appreciate having a couple of nourishing immune boosting recipes in my back pocket.
I have been a fan of hot and sour soup for as long as I can remember. I would take a piping hot & spicy bowl over veg noodle soup any day of the week. Even in our pre-plant based days, this particular soup got my vote over chicken noodle. During cold and flu season I find myself making lots of nourishing soup recipes, to help boost my immune system and keep me warm and toasty when temperatures are dropping outside.
One of my favourite things about the fall is all of the gorgeous, nourishing root vegetables that crop up this time of year. Nothing gets me quite so excited as local organic vegetables, especially when the selection includes delights like celeriac (in our CSA bag this week), sunchokes (aka Jerusalem Artichokes), daikon and burdock.
I discovered the original Moong and Masur Lentil Curry version of this recipe when my brother gifted me Vij's Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine back in the day. I absolutely love Indian Food, and while I have tried many different cookbooks, this is the one I keep coming back to.
I came up with this nutrient and mineral rich veg broth as a viable alternative to bone broth. I have been challenged with IBS symptoms for as long as I can remember, and have done extensive research into gut healing protocols as a result. One of the main recommendations I have found is the consumption of bone broth. After 5 years of following a plant based diet this is not something I could wrap my head around, although I must admit I seriously considered it out of desperation during a particularly challenging bout of digestive distress.