Turns out that this winter is proving to be quite feisty, hitting European countries with days on end of below freezing temps during the day. It’s certainly not a pleasure to have to go out.
Now, however, is the perfect time to cook some delicious vegan recipes to keep us warm. Here are my favorite recipes to cook once the temps go down. They make use of many staples everyone should have in their pantry. Even if you are not following a vegan diet, these recipes are an excellent choice for when you are looking for a light and nutritious meal.
Modified Greek Beans Soup
Greek beans soup (or Fassolatha) is the most popular winter soup in Greece and a staple of the Mediterranean cuisine. It is also vegan, making it a good choice during lent, as well.
To make the dish, you will need:
- 2 cups of canned beans (of your choice, but while beans are preferred) or 1 cup dry beans
- 2 large carrots
- 1 large onion
- ½ large celeriac root or 2-3 celery sticks
- 2 tomatoes (can be canned)
- 1 bay leaf
- a sprinkle of oregano
- a sprinkle of salt
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 2-3 cups of water (boiled in a kettle)
Those are the traditional ingredients but when I have parsnips in the pantry, one of them also makes it to the pot. And many times I like to keep it rustic and don’t cut the veggies in cubes.
The above yields two large bowls (or four small ones if you insist on eating it with bread).
If you use dry beans, soak them overnight and, when you start to put together the dish, boil them for about half an hour.
In a large pot, heat the oil, add the bay leaf and oregano and the onion. Let it turn a bit golden, then toss in the carrots, together with the celery (and parsnip). What I do is add a bit of water (½ cup) and let it simmer for 5 minutes before adding the beans and the tomatoes. Add more water (2-3 cups, depending on how thick you want the soup to be) and simmer for at least 30 minutes, if you used dry beans. If you chose canned beans, as soon as the carrots are cooked, the dish is done.
If you are a vegetarian, serve the soup with some feta cheese crumbled on top.
Red Lentils Thick Soup
Photo by Cris Puscas
Lentils are among the healthiest foods and have a high ratio of protein per calorie, making them an amazing choice for the vegans.
My favorite way to incorporate lentils into my diet is a thick soup I make whenever it’s cold outside. And by cold, I also mean rainy days during summer.
To make this soup you will need:
- 1 cup dry red lentils (my favorites)
- 1 large carrot, grated
- ½ large celeriac root, grated
- 1 medium parsnip, grated (optional)
- 1 bay leaf
- a sprinkle of oregano
- a sprinkle of salt
- 1 peperoncino (Italian hot chilli peppers)
- 2 tomatoes, grated (can be canned and diced)
- 2-3 cups of water (boiled in a kettle)
- 2 TBSP olive oil
Start by grating the carrot, celeriac root, and parsnip. In a pot, heat the oil and add the veggies, along with the bay leaf, peperoncino, and oregano. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add about ½ a cup of hot water and the tomatoes. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the salt and the lentils add the rest of the water. For each cup of dry lentils, you need about 3 cups of water. If you add more, the soup won’t be that thick. Depending on the beans, boil for 15-20 minutes. Makes two large bowls.
Easy Vegetables Soup
For the base you will need:Vegetables soup is the ultimate comfort food for me. I must admit I don’t shy away from adding some homemade noodles in there. Whenever it’s cold or I just feel icky, vegetables soup it is.
- 1 large carrot, cubed
- 1 medium parsnip, cubed
- 1 parsley root (whole, for flavor only)
- ¼ large celeriac root, cubed
- 1 tomato (can be canned)
- 1 onion (whole, for flavor only)
- 1 cup peas (can be frozen)
- 1 cup green beans (can be frozen)
- 3-4 cups of water
- bunch of fresh parsley
- salt & pepper
- 2 TBSP olive oil
In a pot, start by adding the water, together with the parsley root, tomato, and onion. Let is simmer as you are cutting the rest of the veggies into cubes. Once done, add the carrots, parsnips, celeriac root, peas, and green beans to the pot. Add the oil and salt. The veggies should cook in about 15-20 minutes, depending on how small you cut them. Fish out the parsley root (I like to eat that too, but not everyone is a fan) and the onion. Cut the parsley leaves and sprinkle on top. Makes two large bowls (or about 4 small servings, if you use small bowls). Serve with fresh pepper sprinkled on top.
If you have vegan noodles handy, you can add a cup in the soup. The homemade ones take a minute to cook.
Mushrooms Risotto
I’m not particularly found of any rice recipe but somehow, this combination hits the spot every winter. It is the recipe I make maybe once a month, though.
To make this dish you will need:
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2-3 cups raw mushrooms, diced (I use white button)
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tomato (can be canned)
- salt & pepper
- a sprinkle of oregano
- 3 cups of water (boiled in a kettle)
- 2 TBSP olive oil
Start by dicing the mushrooms, onion, and carrot. In a large pan, heat the oil and add the diced veggies in. Let them cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the tomato, salt, oregano, pepper, and the boiled water. A cup of dry rice needs 3 cups of water. Boil for 15-20 min (or the time listed on the rice package). Pay attention if you used mixed rice (wild with brown, for example) as the cooking time may increase quite a bit. Makes two large bowls.
You can also use canned mushrooms for this recipe. And, if you want, you can either not add carrots at all, or include other vegetables. Red bells peppers and celeriac root are good options. You can also swap the risotto for bulgur (which cooks in about the same time).
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About
Cris Puscas
Cris Puscas is a contributing writer at BookDetoxRetreats.com. Passionate about Mediterranean food and countries, she loves to discover healthy vegan recipes to try.
