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Oct 13, 2015

"cook the pantry" + chipotle corn chowder + giveaway




Today is the day that Cook the Pantry (Amazon, B&N), by Robin Robertson , is available for sale! Robin does it again! Simple, easy and quick vegan cooking! Cook the Pantry contains over 100 recipes of fast easy and delicious recipes.

Cook the Pantry is based on Vegan Unplugged, a previous book by Robin, that focused on emergency cooking when the power goes out. That guide contained 70 or so recipes and this new book revamps about 30 of those recipes, using fresh ingredients and newer techniques. Even if you have Vegan Unplugged, this book has about 70 new recipes! That is 70 more ideas for making dishes in a snap.

Here are some of the dishes I made using Cook the Pantry:




This bowl meal is full of protein and deliciousness! The sauce is so good that my kid was eating the cheese sauce right out of the container, while she was impatiently waiting for the rest of the meal! We added some leftover tortilla chips and a few slivers of scallions. Why not? Cooking the pantry is about using what you have available.




What a gorgeous salad this turned out to be! Flavored rice, topped with hearts of palm, cucumbers and slivers of nori. A sushi roll turned inside out and assembled right into a bowl. Since I had some green beans that needed to be used up, I figured this would be the perfect place. This dish continues to show the versatility of Cook the Pantry.





Apparently we really were on a Mexican food kick, because we chose this Nacho Pie, which is actually unbaked, so it was a snap to make after soaking the nuts. It is filled with pinto beans, olives and homemade pickled jalapenos and homemade salsa fresca. Simple to throw together and very tasty. Again, I had a few produce items to utilize, the tomatoes and scallions, so onto the pie they went.




I think out of the several dishes we tried this week, this was one of our favorites. It is a Chickpea-Artichoke Cake served with an easy Lemon-Thyme Aioli. So good! I was going to save a few for the lunch box, but nope, it was all gone. Very tasty and, again, easy and quick.

All in all we ate pretty well this week - and dinner was ready in 20 minutes, as promised. There were the occasional soaking of the nuts, but that is something that can be done in the morning, or as Robin suggests, soaking in boiling water for a few minutes.

The book is full of Annie Oliverio's (yes, another book by her!) gorgeous food photography and it is in full color. It is printed by Vegan Heritage Press, which has been making full-color, photo-packed cookbooks over the last few years, which pleases me to no end. The quality of the book is exceptional, making this a wonderful addition to any home.

Easy, delicious, quick recipes, full-color book, beautiful photos and top notch publishing. Robin has written over 20 cookbooks, and this book is another one in a long line of exceptional recipe development by one of the most beloved vegan authors.

Try a recipe for yourself! Vegan Heritage Press is sharing the recipe below from Cook the Pantry, for Chipotle Corn Chowder.

But before you do, let's do a giveaway of Cook the Pantry, Robin style! To enter to have a chance to win, leave a comment below telling me what obscure ingredient you have in your pantry, freezer or fridge. For a second chance to win, like me on Facebook or follow on Pinterest. Once you've done that, come back here and leave a second comment (not in the same comment as before) telling me what you did: facebook or pinterest.

Contest is open to US residents and ends Monday at midnight, October 19. Good luck! I will choose the winner at random and make the announcement in a new blog post soon after the contest is over. It is helpful if  you are following this blog via email or RSS feed (link) to be sure to receive the notification.










Chipotle Corn Chowder
Makes 4 servings

This sweet, satisfying chowder is made with frozen whole kernel corn. The garnish of pimientos and parsley adds a dash of color. (Recipe from Cook the Pantry © 2015 by Robin Robertson. Photo by Annie Oliverio. Used by permission Vegan Heritage Press LLC.)

1 tablespoon safflower oil
1 medium onion, minced or shredded
1 carrot, finely chopped or shredded
1 russet potato, finely chopped or shredded
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
2 cups vegetable broth
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen corn kernels
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 cups plain unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked for 3 hours, then drained
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 (2-ounce) jar chopped pimientos, drained

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and potato. Cover and cook for 4 minutes to soften. Stir in the celery salt, broth, corn, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, stir in the coriander, liquid smoke, and almond milk, and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, combine the drained cashews and chipotle in a blender with 1 cup of the simmering broth from the soup. Blend until smooth and creamy, then add 1 more cup of the soup and blend until smooth. Stir the mixture back into the soup. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with parsley and pimientos.


48 comments:

  1. Hey, I just liked you on facebook and I'm looking forward to checking out your page.

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  2. My weird ingredient is seaweed nori sheets, my husband bought them and we keep saying we are going to try them in a recipe but haven't yet. Looking forward to trying this book, even if I don't win :)

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  3. I have so many wonderful vegan cook books, I always say I won't get another. But then something like this comes along. These recipes look quick and easy enough to pass on to my husband so he can make lunch once in a while.

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  4. I have dried black fungus that I bought at the Asian market. I've had it in dishes from Chinese restaurants before, but haven't tried it out on my own yet.

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  5. I like your Facebook page and follow you on Pinterest. :)

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  6. I have some asofetida and dried whole lemons from the Indian Grocery.

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  7. I have tamarind paste in my fridge. I was so excited when I bought it, but now its been in there an embarrassingly long time without being used!

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  8. I have some amchur powder that I'm still waiting to use in some Indian cooking.

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  9. I have curry leaves in the freezer, and jackfruit in the cupboard.

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  10. I have filé powder, fermented tofu and crème de marrons.
    Chely C.

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  11. I followed you on pinterest.

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  12. I am not sure if this is obscure but sure took me a long time to find, canned jackfruit.

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  13. I also follow you on Facebook and Pinterest!

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  14. I don't think I have anything too obscure, but I do have the world's largest tub of miso!

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  15. I follow you all over the internet, love your cookbooks, just won Vegan-ease (heck yes yay!) and here I am trying to win what looks to be another amazing book. I have an addiction and you're enabling it and I'm so appreciative! :)

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  16. Hmm, I think my pantry is probably pretty tame. I don't believe I have anything obscure, but I do have a big container of nutritional yeast in the cabinet. I use it in pretty much everything. :)

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  17. I have fresh lemongrass stalks, put them in freezer, never seem to use a recipe for them

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  18. I have some wakame (seaweed) in my pantry that I'm a little scared of!

    gaia at cinci dot rr dot com

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  19. I follow you on Pinterest.

    gaia at cinci dot rr dot com

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  20. I have some strange flavored olive oil that I received as a gift.

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  21. I follow you on Facebook!

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  22. I don't have anything obscure,but I do follow you on Facebook and Pinterest!

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  23. Liked on FB and followed on Pinterest.

    I guess the weirdest thing in my pantry is a bunch of bottles of fancy mustard in different flavors. A relative asked what I wanted for Xmas that she could buy in our neighborhood and I said food gifts I can't usually afford on my budget are always much appreciated (I gave pine nuts, saffron and vanilla beans as examples), but by the time she got to the store all she remembered was "food gifts" and she just bought me whatever was in a fancy holiday-looking box. I am by no means looking a gift horse in the mouth - it was lovely of her to get me anything - but I have no idea what I'd use these for.

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  24. This looks like another useful cookbook. I've got some vinegar powder a friend gave to me and I've really no idea what to do with it!

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  25. I follow you on Pinterest.

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  26. I have a can of anchovies that have been there for a long time!

    - Judith

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  27. There is a discount store that I frequent, so I have some odd pantry items that I've gotten for great prices. A few include: various seaweeds (wakame, dulse) and liquid aminos, and jars of organic tahini (99 cents each!). This cookbook sounds amazing and a great thing to have around for an emergency situation.

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  28. I followed you on Facebook and Pinterest (since I like them both).

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  29. Another book I would LOVE to win! You now me...I'm following you! LOL :) Everything looks so incredible!!! Happy Friday btw!

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  30. I have kombu, wakame and nori. I use the kombu in beans, but I really don't enjoy the fishy taste of seaweeds. :(

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  31. Canned jackfruit! (But I might use it tonight)

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  32. Karen Goodwin Delaney likes you on Facebook, karengdel follows on pinterest, AND I subscribe via email

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  33. (subscribe with my yahoo account which doesn't have the number 1 before the @, since I'm commenting with my google / gmail account :) )

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  34. Hmmm so much stuff Amba, Harissa, schug, Labne,silan

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  35. We have some jackfruit in the freezer.

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  36. I follow you on Facebook and Pinterest.

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  37. We have red curry paste in the refrigerator. Does that count?

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  38. An obscure item I have in my pantry is maitake mushrooms...I'm a mushroom lover but only recently tried these ones!

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  39. I also like you on Facebook!

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  40. I have tamarind paste in my pantry.

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Thanks for your comment! I'll check if it's spam and post if it is not. I appreciate your time and effort for commenting! ~ Zsu