I think I've mentioned before that, as a kid, my vegetable preferences were limited: I liked salad, carrots (though not cooked), peas, corn, and broccoli/cauliflower/brussels/spinach disguised with cheese and consumed in the smallest allotment that could excuse me from the dinner table. I liked these items plain, and I did not like them mixed with any other foods. So you can probably guess how I felt about Split Pea Soup with Kielbasa -- one of my family's staples on a cold winter's night in the Chi-state area; surprisingly, it is a veganized version of this soup that I ended up creating and loving on a similarly chill-inducing January evening in MA.
We were in the process of getting more snow (shock!), and all I wanted was a hearty, warming meal. I had been sick all week, so last Friday was my first foray back into the kitchen and its relatively unstocked fridge. Thankfully, I had odds and ends, including the required (and unexpected) parsnip, some spicy seitan sausage, and of course split peas. The pantry and freezer always provide! I also wanted to use the slow cooker, so I turned to the "Split Pea and Parsnip Soup" (p.42) in Robin Robertson's Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. I followed the recipe exactly (including the carrot sub when I peeled one of my parsnips right into the trash...doh!), but I turned it up to high for the last half of the cooking time. Note: even at low for 4 hours and high for 2 the peas were still al dente, so if you like things SUPER mushy, you might want to go on the longer end of the time. At the end of the time, I added vegan Worcestershire for the liquid smoke and quickly blended it all with the immersion blender. YUM! I then chopped the seitan sausages into 1/2 in. pieces (mine were homemade from One Pot Testing, but the kind of your choice should provide similar smokiness) and added them to the slow cooker to continue heating on high for about 30 min. (until the hub got home). With the addition of the sausages, the recipe extended from the noted 4-6 servings to approximately 8-10, so this is great for a freezer option or a filling and easy meal for a crowd!
As for the savory biscotti, I had seen Giada De Laurentiss on "Giada at Home" earlier in the week during my illness-induced daytime cooking show marathon, and once I had started the slower cooker, the biscotti just kind of came to mind as the perfect accompaniment. Plus, I was very intrigued with it when I was watching the show because I couldn't remember ever making a savory biscotti. The original recipe can be found on Food Network http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/savory-biscotti-recipe/index.html.
The original was not vegan, so here are the necessary vegan substitutions for my adaptation of Giada's Savory Biscotti:
* use vegan butter for regular (Earth Balance rocks)
* 1/4 c. of the tiniest possible dice of extra firm tofu (unpressed) for the goat cheese (a great suggestion from the web that I took on a chance on, as it was not recommended for bread-esque prep)
* 2 flax eggs for regular (use warm water)
** 1/4 - 1/2 c. of vegan milk of your choice (I used soy) to bind the biscotti. No milk is called for in the original, but it was virtually crumb until I added a bit of the milk. Add about a 1/4 c. and then by tablespoon as needed.
From there, I followed the directions in the original recipe, though I used my immersion blender instead of the stand mixer for the butter through "eggs" (no particular reason for this) and needed some extra time in my oven. As always, just check out the color included in the recipe.
This biscotti is INCREDIBLE on its own and really brought out the flavors already present in the soup. I thought the floral element might be a bit too striking for the hub as this is "HerbesDeP's" biscotti for sure, but he absolutely LOVED them. Many people in the review section on Food Network also thought so highly of them that they used them as gifts and used the recipe as a base for other savory biscottis -- both great ideas! If you are looking for a cracker/bread/crouton alternative to your favorite winter stews/soups, I encourage you to try out this Veganized Savory Biscotti.
Stay warm!
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