VeggieTalk

The minute spring arrives, I’m completely in the mood for main dish salads. Here’s one I’m making tonight. The delicious twist is the addition of a prepared chutney, which you can find in the international aisle of well-stocked supermarkets as well as natural foods stores. It’s simple to prepare and is chock full of protein, veggies, and even fruits. To complete the meal all you need is a simple pasta or grain dish; to make it even simpler, serve with a fresh bread or pita with hummus. This recipe is from Vegan Express.

Tropical Tofu Salad with Chutney Mayonnaise

4 to 6 servings

I love this salad with mango, but since it’s not always available, pineapple is a good alternative.

• 1 large broccoli crown, cut into small florets
• Two 8-ounce packages baked tofu, diced or cut into strips
• 2 medium mangos, peeled and diced, or one 20-ounce can diced pineapple, well drained
• 2 large celery stalks, sliced diagonally (see note)
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, optional
• 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup mango chutney, or other fruit chutney
• Mixed baby greens, as needed
• Green sprouts (sweet pea shoots, broccoli sprouts, or other), as needed

Steam the broccoli florets in a large saucepan until bright green and just tender-crisp. Transfer to a colander and rinse with cool water until the broccoli stops steaming.

Combine the broccoli with the tofu, mango, celery, and optional walnuts. Stir together.

Combine the mayonnaise and chutney in a small bowl and stir until smoothly blended. Pour into the salad and toss gently.

To serve, mound a small amount of the salad on some baby greens on individual plates and top with some sprouts.

Note: This is not in the book, but since I have some bok choy in the fridge — a great spring veggie — I’m going to substitute it for the celery. I may also substitute pecans for the walnuts since someone brought me a big bag of them as a gift.

Erik Marcus of Vegan.com recently ran a nifty feature on the top 10 vegan recipes of 2008. He contacted the authors of the top recent vegan cookbooks, in which he included Vegan Express, and asked each author to pick a favorite recipe from the book. I chose one that I love to make due to its extreme ease, the Nearly Instant Coconut Corn Soup, which is accompanied by the gorgeous photo taken by Susan Voisin of the FatFree Vegan Blog.

Here are the featured recipes: 1) Plantain Omelet - From Mark Reinfeld and Bo Rinaldi’s Vegan Fusion World Cuisine.

2) Thai Coconut Corn Soup - From Nava Atlas’ Vegan Express.

3) Indonesian Coconut Rice - From Robin Robertson’s Vegan Fire & Spice.

4) Baked Ziti - From Beverly Lynn Bennett’s Vegan Bites.

5) Moroccan Phyllo Rolls - From Dreena Burton’s Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan.

6) Italian Stuffed Crepes - From Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Nonna’s Italian Kitchen.

7) Chickpea Curry - From Hema Parekh’s The Asian Vegan Kitchen.

Desserts:

Banana Chocolate Bread Pudding - From Isa Chandra Moskowtiz and Terry Hope Romero’s Veganomicon.

9) Root Beer Float Cupcakes - From Hannah Kaminsky’s My Sweet Vegan.

10) Fresh Mango Cobler - From Ani Phyo’s Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen.

So this week, instead of one Recipe of the Week, you’ve got ten! To view the entire list (and thus access the recipes) click here.

Though this is listed as the first fall soup in my book, Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons, I was craving this soup this week. I haven’t made it in ages! It’s still a good soup for a chilly spring evening, particularly on a rainy day; but it’s definitely not a warm weather soup. It’s surprisingly filling — I couldn’t eat the rest of the meal after having a hearty bowlful.

Baked Onion Soup

6 servings

Here’s a vegan take on the French classic, with bread and melted cheese. Ceramic crocks with handles are the ideal bowls for this soup, but any type of ovenproof bowl will do. You’ll cry a river while cutting the onions, but you and your family or guests will weep tears of joy while eating this heavenly soup.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 medium onions, quartered and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups water
• One 32-ounce carton low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Long narrow French or Italian bread, as needed
• 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella-style nondairy cheese (see Note)

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onions and sauté over medium-low heat until golden. Add the garlic and continue to sauté slowly until the onions are lightly and evenly browned, stirring frequently, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Pour the water over the onions and give them a good stir. Then add the broth, wine, and mustard. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cut the bread into 1-inch-thick slices, allowing 1 or 2 slices per serving depending on the size of your soup bowls. Bake for 15 minutes, or until dry and crisp, turning the slices over once about halfway through the baking time.

To assemble the soup, place one layer of bread (1 or 2 slices) in each ovenproof bowl and ladle a serving of soup over it. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of the grated cheese over each. Place the bowls on 1 or 2 sturdy baking sheets to make them easier to handle. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve at once.

Note: If you don’t care for nondairy cheese, skip it! Simply float the toasted bread in the hot soup, or make it into croutons instead. No need, then to put the crocks or bowls into the oven.

Per serving: Calories: 307; Total fat: 15 g; Protein: 7 g; Fiber: 6 g; Carbohydrate: 37 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 613 mg