Vegan Soul Food, part 2

View from the apartment window - a departure from the usual clear sunny fall days we've been having in KC this fall

I love fall. It's my favorite season by far. The clear blue Midwestern skies, the crisp and vibrant leaves and the cool breezes catch me by surprise and flood my senses with beauty every year. I'm also a fan of fall because I love the bounty of the fall harvest.

This next recipe helped warm me up on a particularly chilly and rainy fall day (the only one we've had so far in KC).

Mustard Greens and Roasted Sweet Potato Soup (Adapted from Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry)
Yields 4 servings

1 large sweet potato (about 1 lb, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch squares)
2 tbsp olive oil
Coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 425F. Toss the sweet potato, 1 tbsp olive oil, and 1/4 tsp salt in a large bowl. Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined baking dish. Roast for 1 hour or until the potatoes start to crisp (after 1 hour, the potatoes were pretty soft, so you may want to try 45 minutes). Stir the potatoes every 15 minutes.



5 c. simple veggie stock (use canned or boxed, or use the recipe below)
1 lb. mustard greens (tough stems removed, cut into bite sized pieces, I used a pre-cut 10 oz. bag and it turned out fine)

Bring stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add greens and cook, uncovered for 4 to 6 minutes. Once the greens have softened, remove from heat and set aside. With a slatted spoon, strain the greens out of the saucepan and set aside in a bowl.

1 tsp mustard seeds
3 cloves garlic (minced, I used one huge clove of elephant garlic that a friend and I grew in our garden this summer)

In the medium skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and cook, stirring occasionally. When mustard seeds start to pop (after 2-3 minutes), add the garlic and saute for 1-2 more minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic and mustard seeds. Next, add the greens that were set aside along with 1/4 tsp salt. Saute the greens to evaporate most of the liquid. Add the greens mixture back to the saucepan with the stock.

  

2-3 tsp apple cider vinegar
Pepper

Add the roasted sweet potatoes to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add vinegar and pepper and additional salt to taste. If desired, also add cayenne pepper or hot sauce.

Simple Stock (Adapted from Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry)
Yields: About 1 1/2 quarts

1 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions (quartered)
1 large carrot (sliced thin)
4 celery ribs (sliced thin)
8 oz white mushrooms (sliced thin, stems included)
1 clove garlic (unpeeled, smashed with the side of a knife or a garlic press)
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
9 c water

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and cayenne. Saute, stirring frequently, for 5-10 minutes, or until vegetables are softened. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 1 hour (can let it go longer if you like).

  

Strain out the vegetables, pressing down with a spoon to catch all of the stock.

Use this stock immediately, refrigerate, or freeze.

Enjoy!

Delicious soup making leads to a steamy apartment :)