I am excited about the premise behind Vegan Unplugged, a way to thrive during various emergencies, when utilities are disrupted. I have never been interested in the survivalist mentality, but am determined to become self-sufficient so I might thrive.
As I suspected, we will adapt the recipes in Vegan Unplugged. I always adapt recipes. Last night we experimented with corn chowder. The recipe calls for a vegan variation on the white sauce soup base. I've learned to amplify the nutritional level of this base to fit the ETL lifestyle by simply pureeing and seasoning white beans. The texture is slightly different, but the results are tasty. Also, my son is allergic to corn. We talked about what sort of vegetable would suite the base and decided the base tasted an awful lot like the Chicken a la King we used to eat and love. However, peas didn't seem like the right vegetable Soooo this is our version, which can be a pantry diving dinner or a garden feast. Dr. Fuhrman would be proud.
On a sad note, I lost my camera somehow and cannot take pictures of my creations. I am not the type to loose things so this is doubly distressing. I use my camera to make videos for my online school so have had to make some adjustments there, too.
King's Chowder
1 small onion, pureed (or 1 t. onion powder)
1 t. fresh thyme or 1/4 t. dried
1 large potato, cubed (or 1 can cubed potatoes)
2 c. cooked white beans (or 1 can white beans)
4 c. vegetable or onion broth (or 2 cubes Rapunzel Vegetable Bullion+4 c. water)
1 c. sliced mushrooms (or 1 small can mushrooms)
1/4 c. minced red pepper (or 1 2oz. jar pimentoes, drained)
2 c. chopped broccoli stems and florets (or 1 c. dehydrated broccoli, rehydrated)
Dash Cayenne
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pantry Diving/Emergency Thriving instructions:
Mash beans with a fork until as smooth as possible in your soup pot. Stir in other ingredients and simmer until heated. Add more water if it is too thick. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. If you are like me and always have sprouts growing in your kitchen, you can still eat fresh greens with this meal. Anyone can grow sprouts in a sprout bag if the weather is below freezing. Vegan backpackers do it all the time. If not, I suggest you serve a bit of dried/canned fruit and a marinated vegetable salad of some sort, artichokes, sauerkraut, or harvard beets. Minced marinated artichokes are wonderful with a big bowl of sprouts. Brown rice crackers are great beside a bowl of soup. Emergencies are prime time for constipation because of the lack of fiber in the typical bug out kit. Don't go there and add more stress.
Garden Feast Directions:
Over the lowest heat, saute onions and mushrooms about 20 min in your soup pot. Add potato, broth, and broccoli stems. Simmer until veggies are tender. Puree cooked white beans. Add them along with pimento, thyme, and broccoli florets and simmer just until broccoli becomes bright. Add more broth if it is too thick. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve this with brown rice crackers, a large green salad, and baked apples.
