Change and Vegan Hungarian Mushroom Soup!!

I have a few moments! The house is quiet, I have errands to run, but not quite now. I have this hour all to myself. It's morning, the sun is finally coming back to the north! That is a cause to celebrate, no matter what!!! Sickness made a rude appearance in our home, but is finally begrudgingly leaving. So there is much much hope in the air. Regardless of what circumstances may look like in your life, if you live in the north, when the hint of spring comes your way, hope comes with the sun. You may just have to live here to truly understand.

I was reading over the past several entries....Wow! A whole lot of change has occurred in my life since November. I am not sure where to begin. First, our Xmas was a refreshing time with God and family. My relationship with the Lord has simply grown, and continues to change everything about me...what I thought was important, who He is, my utter dependency on Him...for...everything!, and so as a chasm forms between what I believed and was is true...change takes place all around my life, beginning with the inside.

We came home from our vacation and had the opportunity to take in a teenager with her then 4 month old. We jumped at the chance, and prayed through the whole experience (and continue to). It has been a choice that has brought about much more noise, patience, laughter, and joy in our home. The transition is still happening, but it has been smoother than I could have ever imagined. Our family of 5 jumped up to  7. And technically I have become a "nana". I feel very cool! Parenting a teenager is a whole different ball game. I know I am in over my head, so I pray, a lot.

I am officially a Romanian citizen. I was elated to get the paperwork. Unfortunately, it seems when one door opens, all that is on the other side is 7 more bolted doors, and all I have is a feather to try to open them with. In order to get my Romanian passport I must make an appointment and fly out, in person, to the embassy in Washington DC, but I cannot got there without a current greencard. So what should be extremely simple...getting my green-card renewed, apparently is not.  I won't bother you with my rants, but it should be as simple as turning it the paperwork, them sending me to a place to get fingerprinted and have a new photo taken....then voila. The max time that they said they take is 90 days.  I applied on Oct. 1st of 2012, I still have not heard back. Until then, I cannot go to the Romanian embassy. After I get the Romanian paperwork settled and done, I will have to get the American paperwork done, as well.  I am not discouraged, but it is daunting and seems impossible. I must have a current Romanian AND American passport before I can start the actual adoption paperwork. sigh. So I pray, and wait.

One of the biggest changes about having a teenager and infant in my life is the unending hours of driving them around. I have a new route for dropping and picking up kids from school (none of my kids ride the bus) and top it off with doctor's appointments, glasses appointments, and everything else, and you have a mom, very motivated to teach her teen how to drive!

So when I have a moment to finally be in the kitchen, I feel grateful! I came up with this recipe out of a need. Thursday mornings are my favorite mornings. I have a bible study that I go to, and afterwards, I go to a local bookstore and get a salad. The problem is I want their Hungarian mushroom soup!! They have the soup in containers to buy. I stare at them, trying not to hear their taunts "Eat me, Eat me" it calls. Alas, with all the diary, there is no way I ever eat it. Surely there must be a better way. So I set out to make one of my favorite soups, and I was not dissapointed!

Here's what you need:

a medium onion chopped
2T of soy free earth balance (you can use olive oil, but for the buttery taste, I really recommend this!)
2 12 ozs of mushrooms (if you can do a variety of kinds, it's better, more textures)
2T of paprika (the fresher, the better)
1T of dried dill
3T of flour (I used buckwheat)
1 can of coconut milk (I prefer native forrests brand)
3-4 c of broth or water
salt and pepper to taste

super simple....set pot on medium heat, put diced up onions and earth balance, still till onions are translucent....add paprika, dill, flour, and stir......add broth and mushroom.....let heat on high till a slight boil comes on, then let simmer....gently pour the coconut milk, stir...and enjoy!!!

My teenager, who doesn't like mushrooms, gobbled it up, which equals great success in my world!



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Rain, Rain....oh Bah, vegan French Onion Soup Delight.

It has been raining for the past couple of days....In a fit of complete overwhelmingness, I took out the dvd player from my older son's room. It is summer in Alaska!! and a completely unacceptable thing, is to see my kids indoors playing Ds' and watching television! (winter activity) So I have felt like a judge and referee the past couple of days. (no tv? lot's of interactions) I am a little tired of the rain. And of all of us cooped up in the house, though.

 Some new events in our home are....we have another family living with us for the next several weeks. They have the whole basement to themselves. It has been an easy transition. This is our second time hosting a family, and the previous experience left everyone involved a whole lot more damaged than when we ever expected. But I didn't want that experience to keep me from doing something that I feel we will be doing for the rest of our lives (living with others in community). So when the opportunity to have another family stay with us, presented itself, well, how could we not say a resounding "yes!" The family sharing our house with us eats a whole lot like us, so that has made it a whole lot easier!!! Bella, my daughter, asked me "mom, do they eat like us?" a few days ago.....it made me smile....my daughter is ever aware that we don't eat what the typical American family eats....sometimes it's hard, when you want to fit in...and your mother doesn't think eating processed foods should be the compromise......sigh...

On the plus side, my garden (along with the massive weeds) are growing at rapid rates.... strawberries should be ready in a few weeks, kale should be harvested any day now, and my greenhouse looks like a jungle, as I have tried to use up every available space! I have 20 tomatoes several peppers, 7 cukes, 5 corn, habenero's, and herbs that I love (the basil is already being used)....it can only get better. This year is my first year using my greenhouse, and possibly, my last....as there is this growing longing for a larger garden and for goats and chickens to take care of....My dog Lexi, got into my newly sprouting baby carrots, and destroyed a bed...I can't tell you how bummed out it made me, and how I wished I could've caught her! Since I didn't, she is happily prancing outside following me while I check on the gardens, unaware that she commited a mortal sin....

 So today I made a recipe from here....I only slightly altered the soup to be vegan.....It is by far, my favorite soup. I shall be making it again, and again.....and again....

Vegan French Onion Soup
1/2 c of earth balance (you can use your favorite oil, I used the soy free earth balance)
3 large onions diced (I gotta wear goggles for this)
1 carton of mushrooms (I love the meaty flavor and I think it complements the onions)
fresh sprigs of thyme
a couple of bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 c of dark red wine
1-2 quarts of veggie broth (make sure it doesn't have "natural flavoring" aka msg on ingredient lists, or make your own :)
a few slices of gf bread
sprinkles of daiya cheese

put first 5 ingredients in a pot and let simmer till onion is tender and caramelized (30-40 minutes depending on your onion cut)

meanwhile preheat oven to 350 and spread some earth balance on your bread....bake bread with butter for 5-10 minutes and then add sprinkles of daiya cheese.....

after it's the onions' ready, add 1 c of dark wine and let simmer till the wine evaporates....mmm... go ahead and add 1-2 quarts of veggie broth and bring to boil.....then reduce heat

cube up the gf toast with daiya and stick desired amount in bottom of a bowl.... scoop up some soup and slowly eat, so you can fully enjoy the extreme flavor delight.....yum!!!

I can almost smell the soup....mmmm...

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Vegan Black Bean Soup

it's been a very mellow day...the temperature is hoovering around 0 degrees (a heat wave, compared to the -40 week we had)...i stayed home most of the day but had to drop off and pick up kids from school....i was able to do my yoga x (i am currently in the middle of doing my first round of p90x) and bake and cook....i made some red curry for dinner, and attempted to make a soft, fluffy, light, gluten free lemon/apple cake.....it did not come close to soft or light....sigh.....i will keep on keeping on.....

one of the most difficult things about making food for my family has always been the question "what should i make for dinner?"....breakfast is easy...savory or sweet? lunch has a way of doing it's self....but dinner usually has it's expectations...lol....i used to think what am i going to make...i don't anymore...well, it's not that i don't ask myself that, anymore. it's that i ask "what do i have in the fridge that needs to be used?" this has changed how i cook. it's not stressful to come up with something, anymore.....so if i see a gorgeous produce in the the organic section..i buy it and come up with something to make out of it (i love to juice veggies). i also have bulk bins with beans (black, white, and garbanzo) for meals....i prefer to have them dry, they store better, do not have bpa.....and are very convenient....it wasn't too long ago that i couldn't even tell you how to prepare beans (they come in a can right?). but times have changed. the only issue with dry beans is that you actually have to have the foresight to plan a meal with them the following day, because soaking helps break down the outer shell protection that is hard to digest (aka gas!).  i decided to make another soup this week using black beans and great northern(white). it came out great, but toby and i had quite the experience jumping around and doing our cardio after beans (never again)...

i made this soup without any tomatoes (but you can add them, half the water and add a can of diced tomatoes) because i get terrible acid reflux from tomatoes (i refuse to stop eating them).... this is a great, thick, warm, satisfying soup....with lots of great flavor..here's how to make it

Vegan Black Bean Fiesta Soup

 2-4 cups of water (or veggie broth)
1 medium onion
2 cans of black beans or 2c of black beans
1c of great northern beans (or just add another cup or two of black beans, i just like the color contrast)
1 colored pepper (red or orange....optional)
1 carrot sliced
1 garlic clove (i use my garlic press)
2T of olive oil
2 celery stalks
1/2t of cilantro (the only recipe that i can actually tolerate cilantro)
1/2t of oregano
a few fresh sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2t chili
1/2t of cumin

salt and pepper to taste


warm up a skillet then stick the diced onion and oil together...add sprigs of thyme and bay leaves.....as the onions start to soften...add diced celery....and let cook  some more....go ahead and add all the spices....i prefer to let the spices mingle in the beginning....add carrots and peppers and garlic....then add the water or broth (i made my own broth, you can also use some of the water from cooking the beans....) and finally add the beans....bring soup to boil and let simmer for 30 minutes this is when the salt and pepper are adjusted and tasted.....as the soup cools i add half the mixture in my vita mix (blender would work just fine) and blend away....i get a creamy, but still lumpy soup...... top off with tomatoes and jalapenos.....enjoy!

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