Drawn to Food

Carrot ginger soup: vegan

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb bag of baby carrots
1 large onion chopped
1 small diced potato
1/4 c white wine
1 tbsp minced ginger
3 c water
2 tbsp veggie bouillon
Zest of 1 orange
Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped dill or parsley

Directions:

In a large sauce pot sauté carrots, onions and potato in olive oil. When just started to brown, deglaze the pan with white wine. Add ginger, water, bouillon, orange zest, salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Carrots should be soft enough to pierce with a fork. Turn off the heat.

Use and immersion blender* to puree the soup in the pot.

Place in bowls and sprinkle with dill or parsley.

Serves 3: 225 calories per serving, 675 total calories for the whole meal.

This soup tastes really good and it’s very low in calories, a bonus. We like it to be a little chunkier than totally pureed, it’s up to you.

*If you don’t have an immersion blender, put soup in small batches into the regular blender, make sure the lid is on tight and hold it down covered with a towel to avoid splashing.

Pairing:

“Beer – IPA; India Pale Ales are known for their high hop content. The citrus notes in these beers make them a perfect compliment for ginger. They will also hold up to the sweetness of the carrots. Serve chilled in a goblet.”

– Damian Kelley

Cold sesame noodles: vegan

Ingredients:

3/4 lb of spaghetti
2 tbsp sesame oil or olive oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds or crushed peanuts

sliced cucumbers

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions, drain and rinse with cold water.

While the pasta is cooking mix all the rest of the ingredients, except sesame seeds/peanuts, in a bowl and whisk till creamy and smooth.

Pour over the pasta and mix. Sprinkle each serving with some sesame seeds/peanuts and serve with sliced cucumbers. Add salt if needed.

Serves 4: 411 calories per serving, 1644 total calories for the whole meal.

This is one of our favorite recipes, it equals cold sesame noodles that we used to get as take out in New York.

Pairing:

“Cocktail – Ginger Lemongrass Martini;
Ingredients: 2 oz vodka, 1 oz ginger liqueur, 1 oz simple syrup, 1/2 lime juiced, 1 slice fresh ginger, 1/2 stalk fresh lemongrass.

Method: Muddle ginger, lemongrass, and lime juice in a shaker. Add ice and all other ingredients. Shake vigorously. Strain into frozen martini glass. Garnish with lemongrass stalk.

Wine – Off dry Riesling Pfalz Region of Germany; This region neighbors the Alsace region of France so a Riesling from there would also pair nicely. Dry mineral content and lingering peach and apricot compliment the rich nutty flavors in the dish and will bring balance to the salty soy sauce. Serve chilled in a white wine glass.”

– Damian Kelley

Wilted brussels sprout salad: vegetarian or vegan

Ingredients:

1 lb of cleaned brussels sprouts cut in strips
1 c fresh baby spinach
1 endive cut in strips
1 clove garlic
1/2 c vinegar
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

4 oz goat cheese for topping
1 tsp toasted caraway seeds

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the brussels sprouts, spinach and endive.

In a small sauce pan, mix the garlic, vinegar, honey, mustard and olive oil, over medium heat about 3 to 5 minutes till mixture thickens a little, whisking constantly, add salt and pepper as needed.

Pour over salad ingredients and toss. Serve warm topped with 1 ounce of goat cheese and sprinkle with some caraway seeds.

Serves 4: 232 calories per serving, 928 total calories for the whole meal.

This salad is delicious. The first time I made it I halved the brussels sprouts and tossed them in the olive oil and baked them at 400˙F for 15 minutes till they started to brown on the edges. I tossed them into the spinach and endive mixture and made the rest of the salad dressing cold eliminating the olive oil. Poured that on the salad and the added the goat cheese and caraway seeds.

Vegan: If you want to make this vegan use maple syrup instead of honey and add 1/2 c chopped pineapples and 1/3 c almonds to the salad. Eliminate the goat cheese. Making the serving 186 calories and the whole salad 743 calories.

Pairing:

“Beer – Saison; these “farmhouse” style ales have a very high carbonation level that helps to cleanse the palate. Often fruity, they will bring balance to the bitterness of the endive and sprouts. They also pair up perfectly with goat cheese. Serve chilled in a flared goblet.”

– Damian Kelley

Miso vegetable soup: vegan

Ingredients:

6 c water
1 tbsp veggie bouillon
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (carrots/broccoli)
1 bag frozen shiitake mushrooms
half head of green cabbage cut into bite size pieces
3 cloves of garlic diced
1 tbsp chopped ginger
2 tbsp miso concentrate
6 chopped scallions
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In large sauce pot place water along with bouillon, and all the vegetables, garlic and ginger. Bring to a boil, lower and cook for about 15 minutes.

Add the miso concentrate and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve topped with scallions. Add salt and pepper if needed.

Serves 4: 62 calories per serving, 247 total calories for the whole meal.

If you want to add soba noodles you can do that in the last 4 minutes of cooking. One small banded pack makes about two cups of noodles. That will add 57 calories to each serving.

This dish is very nutritious and very low in calories. It was tasty, but i think next time I would like a little more creaminess and might add a potato or maybe sauté some onions and the mushrooms before making the soup part.

You can use fresh vegetables instead of frozen for this dish, but we shop weekly and sometimes by the end of the week we are throwing away vegetables, so we like to have some dishes that use frozen veggies that won’t go to waste.

This was based on a recipe in Forks over Knives magazine Summer 2020

Pairing:

“Beer – Semi Dry Hard Cider; Crisp apple flavor will brighten the dish while the residual sugar will offset some of the saltiness of the miso. Serve ice cold or over ice in a pint glass.

Wine – Unoaked California Chardonnay; Mellow stone fruit and tropical fruit flavors will bring balance to the savory shitake mushrooms without overpowering the subtleties of the miso. Serve chilled in a white wine glass.”

– Damian Kelley

Orzo and beans: vegetarian

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter
1 chopped onion
1/4 c white wine
2 c water
1 tsp bouillon (vegetarian)
1 c orzo pasta
1 can kidney beans
salt and pepper
cilantro

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan sauté onion in butter. After it turns golden brown add white wine to deglaze the pot.

Add water and bouillon and bring to a boil. Add orzo, lower heat to simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Drain and rinse the beans and add to the cooked orzo. Stir and turn off the flame and let sit for 5 minutes, the orzo will absorb some more of the liquid this way.

Add salt, pepper and cilantro to taste. If you like, you can add 2 tbsp of salsa to the dish.

Serves 4: 303 calories per serving, 1212 total calories for the whole meal. Salsa adds about 5 calories per tbsp.

This recipe was really good. We both agreed we liked the orzo better than rice and beans, but rice would also work, giving it a different calorie count of 323 per serving.

We might add in right before serving a diced avocado and 1 c of fresh grape tomatoes (sliced in half) for variety next time, adding 64 calories per serving.

Pairing:

“Albarino, a medium bodied white wine from the Rías Baixas region of Spain will stand up to the richness of the beans and butter while complimenting the herbaceousness of the cilantro. Serve chilled in a white wine glass.”

– Damian Kelley

Blueberry chili: vegan

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1 carrot chopped small
1 large onion chopped small
1/3 bag of mini peppers or 2 red peppers chopped small
1/4 c white wine
1 c Rao’s Arribiata sauce
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 c frozen blueberries
2 cans red kidney beans
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
juice from 1 fresh lemon
cilantro to taste

Directions:

In a large sauce pot sauté carrot, peppers, and onion in olive oil. After it turns golden brown add garlic and sauté for a minute longer. Add white wine to deglaze the pot.

Add canned tomato and Rao’s sauce, blueberries, cumin, chili powder, and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, lower and simmer covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Drain and rinse the beans and add to the pot with lemon juice and cilantro. Stir and turn off the flame.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4: 380 calories per serving, 1520 total calories for the whole meal

This recipe was delicious. Tonight we ate it plain without any rice or pasta. I think I would like it with some rice next time. To keep the calories down I would have a half a serving with a 1/2 cup of rice for 311 calories.

This was based on a recipe in Forks over Knives magazine Spring 2020

Pairing:

“Chocolate Stout of UK origin; Chocolate and Blueberries, am I right?!? These brews often have a bit of sweetness that will cut through some of the heat that the red peppers will bring. Earthy tones will compliment the root vegetables. Serve cold in an imperial pint glass (20 oz).”

– Damian Kelley