Vegan Adventure #21 and VeganMofo #6

I am finally posting my VeganMofo entry about the Baked Potato and Greens Soup with Potato-Wedge Crouton along with Tempeh Bacon.  I would like to blame work and my laziness for this post taking so long.   What drew me do this recipe was that it was actually starting to get cold outside for a bit and I thought that a nice potato soup would be good to go with the weather change.  It did actually get a little warmer over the next few days, but it was still a good idea.  Also, I was looking for something cheap to make 🙂

I actually baked up the baked potatoes last Wednesday night in hopes of making the soup Thursday.  Then I got busy doing other things and it didn’t happen.  When Friday rolled around I made the soup in the morning before going to work at 4pm.  By the time the soup was finished I had to leave so I didn’t have time to make the potato-wedge croutons, and I had just stuck the tempeh bacon in the fridge to marinate.  So the hopes of posting this last Friday went completely out the window.

Saturday morning I woke up and went to work and when I got back around 5pm I decided that it was time to finish up the soup and take pictures.  I cooked up the croutons and bacon and heated up the soup.  I was pleasantly surprised.  The soup was much better the next day and adding a strip of crumbled up tempeh bacon gave it a nice smokeyness that it was missing the first time around.  Oh, and the crouton.  I LOVED IT.  It had the perfect blend of spices on it.

A couple of hints for anyone making this.  I baked the potatoes ahead of time so that they were cool enough to handle and I could just make the soup instead of having to wait an hour for the potatoes to cook.  Also, it was never mentioned in the recipe but I peeled my potatoes before I chopped them up and put them in the soup.  When I marinated the tempeh bacon I used a plastic bag so that everything got coated evenly and it was easy to turn the bacon over, just flip the bag.  Everyone is probably screaming at me right now because I Just wasted a plastic bag   Sorry, for my wastefullness.

Baked Potato and Greens Soup with Potato-Wedge Croutons

Source: Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

6-8 baking potatoes (3 1/2 pounds), baked and cooled

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large yellow onion, sliced into short strips

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried rubbed sage

1 tsp salt

Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup dry white wine

4 cups vegetable broth

4 cups kale, torn into bite-size pieces (about 6 leaves, rough stems removed)

1/4 cup plain soy milk

Potato Wedges

2 heaping tbsp coarse cornmeal

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp paprika

Generous pinch of salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

olive oil in a spray bottle or enough for light frying

To bake the potatoes, preheat the oven to 350°F, poke the potatoes with a fork a few times, and wrap them in aluminum foil.  Place in the oven and bake for about an hour or until easily pierced with a fork.  Let potatoes cool enough until you can handle them.

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 potatoes in half lengthwise.  Reserve three of the halves to make the potato wedges.  Slice the rest into 3/4 inch chunkcs.

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 chinks 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

Meanwhile, prepare the potato wedges.  Slice the reserved potato halves in half lengthwise so you have six pieces.  Preheat a heavy-bottom skillet over medium-high heat.  Combine all the ingredients for the wedges (except the oil) on a plate.  Wet the potatoe wedges wiht a little water and dredge the two cut sides in the cornmeal mixture.

Lightly coat the skillet with oil.  Cook the potatoes on each cut side for abo ut 4 minutes, or until golden and crispy.  Spray with oil as you alternate cooking sides.

The soup should be done by this point.  Use a potato masher to mush up about half of the soup (for once, don’t use an immersion blender; it will make the potatoes pastry and yucky), add the soy milk, and mix.  If it is too thick, add a little water or vegetable stock.

Ladle into bowls and top with a potato wedge.

Tempeh Bacon

Source: Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

3 tbsp Bragg Liquid Aminos or tamari or soy sauce

1/3 cup apple cider

1 tsp tomato paste

1/4 tsp liquid smoke

1 (8 oz) package tempeh

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp peanut oil or vegetable oil

To make the marinade, combine the Bragg, cider, tomato paste, and liquid smoke in a wide shallow bowl and mix with a fork until the tomato paste is fully dissolved.  Set aside.

Cut the tempeh into thin strips (less than 1/4 inch thick) lengthwise.  You should be able to get about twelve strips.  Rub the strips with the crushed garlic, then toss the garlic cloves into the marinade.  Submerge the tempeh strips in the marinade and let sit, turning occasionally, for at least an hour and up to overnight.  After marinating, discard the garlic.

Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the tempeh strips and cook for 4 minutes on one side; the bottom should be nicely browned.  Flip the strips over and pour the remainder of the marinade over them.  If there isn’t much left add a splace of water.  Cover and let cook for 3 more minutes, until the liquid is absorbed.  Uncover and check for doneness; if necessary, keep cooking uncovered until all sides are nicely browned.  Remove from heat and serve.