Kitchen Fun!

Corn Chowder
I found another way to use silken tofu where you don't notice its texture! This is in creamy soups and chowders (used in place of dairy).

This soup is easy and absolutely delicious. I can't believe there is no dairy in it! 

The ingredients are as follows:
3.5 cups of vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
2 medium potatoes (chopped into 1 inch cubes)
3 cups of frozen (thawed) or fresh corn
package of 12.3 ounce silken tofu (the Mori-Nu brand is just the right size) pureed until smooth in a food processor or blender

First boil the broth with all the spices in it. Add potatoes, cover and cook on high until tender. Then turn down to low. Add tofu and corn. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Then enjoy. It taste amazing as a leftover too!

I will definitely be playing around with silken tofu in soups this coming winter!

A Delicious Stack

We had a bunch of extra red bell peppers that I was worried about going bad so I roasted them. They are perfect in this lunch of a simple stack with the pepper, tomato and mozzarella cheese. Topped off with a balsamic vinaigrette and dried basil. Yes, it completely fell apart when I ate it!

Freezing Fresh Carrots

I have frozen fresh carrots in the past, but never properly. So internet searching I went to learn how to help these orange guys maintain their flavor.

These were baby carrots that I chopped up. Then put them in boiling water for 2 minutes. Then added the carrots to ice water for an additional 2 minutes. 

This blanching process takes care of natural enzymes and bacteria that can cause the carrots to lose flavor, color and nutritional value. So now I have 2 batches in freezer bags ready to be added to soups in the near future!

Thank you for stopping by! ~Val