Soup

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don't miss dairy

Emily Stokes
I'm a lady who loves cheese, sour cream, & ice cream, but I recently became lactose intolerant. My key focus in recreating dairy recipes is taste, but I try to be as health conscious as possible. Some of my recipes are low lactose rather than dairy free. I'm also a writer, teacher, nanny, dog mom, housewife, native Yinzer, current Californian, and social organizer extraordinaire.

Soup

Creamy Potato Soup with Almond Milk

Creamy Potato Soup with Almond Milk from dontmissdairy.com
What better time to make potato soup than St. Patrick’s Day weekend?

I just love having an excuse to make something creamy and delicious.

Potatoes are naturally creamy when boiled and mashed, so adding dairy is just a creamy bonus. Add light tasting and sweetened almond milk instead for a cream of potato soup that is out of this world!

This simple soup has the same chowder-like texture and color of a dairy potato soup, plus a savory taste that rivals the dairy version. You won’t be able to tell there’s almond milk in it. Trust me.

Campbell’s Cream of Potato used to be my favorite lunch time soup as a kid. My mom would buy it just for me and make it on the stove top with regular milk. And if a restaurant was serving potato soup, you better believe I was ordering it. Sadly, I haven’t had it in a long time because of my lactose intolerance. 

It is possible to find delicious creamy soups at the local grocery store that are dairy free. Safeway carries Pacific brand soups, some of which are dairy free, like their Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup and their Butternut Squash Soup, which is made with soy milk. I’m still waiting for stores to sell almond milk based cream soups…maybe Pacific will take it on? I will definitely buy it! Until then, it’s not much work to make this recipe.

The best part about this creamy potato soup? No blender or food processor required! I adapted this recipe from “Unbelievably Easy Potato Soup” on food.com. 
Creamy Potato Soup with Almond Milk from dontmissdairy.com

Creamy Potato Soup with Almond Milk
Serves 4
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Total Time
30 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 tablespoons vegan butter
  2. 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
  3. 1 teaspoon sea salt
  4. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  5. 4 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
  6. 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  7. Unsalted chicken or vegetable stock to cover vegetables (about 1 cup)
  8. 2 1/2- 3 cups of almond milk* (sweetened but unflavored)
Instructions
  1. In a large stock pot, melt vegan butter over medium heat. Add onions, sea salt, and pepper and cook for two minutes.
  2. Add diced potatoes and garlic to pot and cook for 1 minute more.
  3. Pour unsalted chicken stock over vegetables until just covered and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.
  4. Lightly crush the potatoes with potato masher or fork (don't over mash).
  5. Stir in 2 1/2 cups or more almond milk until desired consistency. Start with 1 cup of milk, then add a second cup. Thin out the soup by adding 1/2 a cup at a time.
  6. Add salt and pepper to taste and top with fresh chives or parsley.
Notes
  1. *I used Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almond Milk.
Adapted from Unbelievably Easy Potato Soup from food.com
don't miss dairy http://dontmissdairy.com/

Creamy Potato Soup with Almond Milk from dontmissdairy.com

Swiss Chard and Garbanzo Bean Soup

Swiss Chard and Garbanzo Bean Soup

Nothing in my garden has done better than my beautiful and hardy Rainbow Swiss Chard.

I never would have grown Swiss Chard, but three things made it happen this year. The first was that, since I was planting in July, I needed to plant vegetables that were able to withstand brutal heat but also fare well in the coming cooler weather.

Second, my brother grew Red Swiss Chard this summer. He picked some from his garden while I was visiting in June and asked if I could cook it for him. I made it too spicy for his taste, but I loved it.

The third reason I grew this vegetable is because my husband went with me to the nursery and picked it out (how could I say no?).

At first, I thought it wouldn’t survive the heat when I planted the tiny seedlings. Even though they had partial shade during the day, they still looked a little droopy. Never did I think they would grow into tall, full, beautiful multicolored leaves, but they did!

Rainbow Swiss Chard for Swiss Chard and Garbanzo Bean Soup
It is an absolutely gorgeous plant. What’s better is that the chard plants have been in their little earth box for three months, continually sprouting new leaves.

I just keep cutting leaves off the side of the shoots near the base of the plant. I did this to make it last as long as possible, and it still hasn’t quit. It hasn’t had a single pest problem or caught a disease. It’s the healthiest, tastiest, prettiest plant that I ever did grow.

If you’re interested in starting a small patio garden, I recommend this as a perfect pot plant to begin with.

Rainbow Swiss Chard from my garden.

The hard thing isn’t coming up with recipes to use it in but having enough of it for the recipes I come up with! I planted six seedlings, and I’ve only been able to make a few recipes. I’ve been wanting to try it in a nice fall soup, and I finally got my chance.

With the recent cooler weather, my chard flourished even more, giving me a huge crop that complements this simple vegan vegetable soup very nicely. This recipe is quick to make on the stove, but you can cook it in the crock pot easily, too.

Just make sure you add the chard during the final minutes of cooking. While it can withstand longer cooking times, it tastes best lightly cooked.

And don’t you dare throw those beautiful stems away! Cook them in my Swiss Chard with Bacon recipe or fry them in some olive oil, salt, & black and red pepper.

Ingredients:
(Scroll to the bottom for easy to read and print recipe card)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups unsalted vegetable stock
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup sweet white wine, such as Riesling
1 bunch Rainbow Swiss Chard (10-12 leaves),  coarsely chopped or torn and stems removed

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot over medium heat, add olive oil, onions, salt, and pepper. Cook onions for three minutes, then add carrots, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of cooking stock and a splash of white wine. Cook for about five minutes.

Sautéing onion.

Sautéing onions and carrots

2. When onions are translucent looking and carrots become soft, add celery, sage, thyme. Cook for two minutes.

Add celery.

3. Add garlic, stir, and cook for no more than 30 seconds. Add vegetable stock, the rest of the white wine, and garbanzo beans and stir.

Add garlic.

Add vegetable stock.

Garbanzo beans in a colander.

4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

5. After 15 minutes, add the chard and stir. Cover and cook for five more minutes. Remove pot from heat and uncover. Serve and enjoy. I’d love to hear your comments!

Chopped Rainbow Swiss Chard with Stems removed.

Adding the chard to the soup.

Swiss chard and garbanzo bean soup

Close up of swiss chard soup.

Even closer close up of swiss chard soup.

Swiss Chard and Garbanzo Bean Soup
Serves 6
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
35 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
35 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  2. 1 yellow onion
  3. 1 teaspoon sea salt
  4. 1 teaspoon black pepper
  5. 2 carrots, diced
  6. 2 celery ribs, diced
  7. 1 teaspoon sage
  8. 1 teaspoon thyme
  9. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  10. 4 cups unsalted vegetable stock
  11. 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  12. 1/4 cup sweet white wine, such as Riesling
  13. 1 bunch Rainbow Swiss Chard (10-12 leaves), coarsely chopped or torn and stems removed
Instructions
  1. In a large stock pot over medium heat, add olive oil, onions, salt, and pepper. Cook onions for three minutes, then add carrots, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of cooking stock and a splash of white wine. Cook for about five minutes.
  2. When onions are translucent looking and carrots become soft, add celery, sage, thyme. Cook for two minutes.
  3. Add garlic, stir, and cook for no more than 30 seconds. Add vegetable stock, the rest of the white wine, and garbanzo beans and stir.
  4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
  5. After 15 minutes, add the chard and stir. Cover and cook for five more minutes. Remove pot from heat and uncover. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
  1. You can cook this in the crock pot, too. Just make sure you add the chard during the final minutes of cooking. While it can withstand longer cooking times, chard tastes best lightly cooked.
don't miss dairy http://dontmissdairy.com/

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Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs

Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs from dontmissdairy.com

I have the best dog of all time.

After spending hours yesterday creating this amazing soup, I went to store it in the refrigerator and missed the shelf completely, letting go of the container so that it hit the floor and exploded everywhere.

An entire quart of chicken stock and turkey meatballs spilled in growing puddles all over the kitchen floor and all I could do was watch. My neighborhood was stunned into silence at the expletives issuing from my apartment. Even Eric and Mia, who witnessed the whole disaster, had no words.

My chicken loving Chihuahua stood there in shock, as the scent of warm chicken stock filled the air. Even minutes later, once all the shock was past, I was in tears, and Eric began consoling, Mia continued to stand there, just watching, being the best dog that there ever was.

It’s possible she could sense how sad her mommy was (though I doubt it). The more likely reason was the training we’ve just started helped her “stay” for the treat until she was given the command. Though, there was definitely some confusion and intuition there. I imagine what was going on in her little brain was something like: “Mom just went crazy over this chicken stuff, she’s really stressed out and I want to please her by being a good girl. I’m going to stay and then she’ll give me chicken.” She was so good that after I cleaned up the bulk of the mess, she got to clean up the rest.

Honestly this was one of my worst food fails ever. I could care less about spilt milk–I made each and every single one of those tiny turkey meatballs by hand. I drove to the store for the sole purpose of buying little star shaped noodles. And it was about 80 degrees in my kitchen.

It was such a stupid clumsy accident that I can really only blame it on the fact I had changed into my glasses very early this particular evening, as I was having irritation in one of my eyes. My glasses are a whole prescription higher than my contacts and I can’t see out of them nearly as well. I’ve been putting off buying new lenses for two years and I really need to get new ones. This was the last straw.

Poor mom. Poor meatball soup. It really was delicious! At least I was able to take a few pictures before it went on the floor. I even enjoyed a couple small bowls. I will definitely make it again, and I hope someone else will, too!

Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs
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For the Meatballs
  1. 1/4 lb ground turkey
  2. 1 egg
  3. 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
  4. 1/3 cup parmesan cheese (or nondairy alternative)
  5. 1/8 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
  6. 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  7. 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
  8. 1/8 teaspoon Italian seasoning
For the Soup
  1. 2 cups unsalted chicken stock
  2. 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
  3. 1 carrot, finely chopped
  4. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  5. 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  6. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  7. 1 cup fresh baby spinach, packed
  8. 1/4 cup tiny uncooked noodles
  9. fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
Instructions
  1. To make the meatballs, combine turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning in a small bowl. Mix with your hands until all ingredients are well blended.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a medium size casserole dish with cooking oil. Using a tablespoon to scoop, shape mixture into bite size mini meatballs and place in casserole dish. They can be close together but not touching. Cook for 15 minutes.
  3. While meatballs are cooking, prepare your broth in the crock pot. Add chicken stock, onion, carrot, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Save the greens and noodles for later.
  4. When the meatballs are done, add them to the chicken broth in the crock pot. Cook on high for two-three hours. During the last 10-15 minutes of cooking, add noodles and stir. Set a kitchen timer to help. When there are three minutes left, add the spinach and stir. Once the timer goes off, remove from heat. Serve topped with parmesan cheese and parsley. Don't spill.
don't miss dairy http://dontmissdairy.com/
Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs from dontmissdairy.com 

Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs from dontmissdairy.com 

Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs from dontmissdairy.com 

Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs from dontmissdairy.com 

Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs from dontmissdairy.com 

Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs from dontmissdairy.com 

Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs from dontmissdairy.com