knoephla dumpling soup

Overview

Time: 45 minutes
Dishes: large pot, large bowl 

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

I bring you a German soup, which is byway of Minnesota and the Dakotas, where there are large settlements of German emigrants from the Russian Empire (source: Wikipedia). Although I gathered this tid-bit from Wiki, most of the recipes I researched also alluded to Germany, Russia and the middle United States. 

This is traditionally a chicken and dumpling soup, finished with cream or milk at the end. Of course, it takes nothing to substitute chickpeas and nondairy milk to make this soup. The dumpling recipe uses aquafaba (the liquid from your can of chickpeas) and does a beautiful job of keeping the dumplings together and billowy-soft. 

I rolled my dough too thick and wound up with huge dumplings. Make sure to roll them at most 1/2-inch or even better, 1/4-inch, to get smaller and daintier dumplings. Don't get me wrong - this was really delicious, even with my gargantuan dumplings. 

This soup is almost as thick as a stew, with all the vegetables and dumplings, and is very lightly creamy. It isn't as thick as a cream of broccoli soup (for instance), but instead has a hint with the milk. The dumplings and potatoes also help to thicken the soup a bit. It is rich and certainly classifies as a comfort soup. If it is chilly where you are right now, this is a perfect soup to make today. 

Although you can definitely have this soup on the table in 45 minutes, the ingredients list is a bit lengthy, so I've classified it for the Weekend. I leave it up to you to decide. 

If you need inspiration for your weekly menu, check out ours HERE.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Remember to save the liquid from the chickpeas (the aquafaba)
• Peel and chop the potatoes while the soup comes to a boil.
• Prepare the dumpling while the soup cooks.
• Cut the dumplings at least into 1/2-inch disks, but if you have the patience to roll it into 1/2-inch rope, cut into 1/4-inch disks.

 

(Printer-friendly doesn't seem to be so friendly. Just select the text between the arrows (including the white space to add margin on the top), right-click, select Print, and now it's printer-friendly. Can also be saved as PDF:  choose Save as PDF in Destination drop-down, instead of a printer.)

Knoephla Soup

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

Makes 4 to 6 servings 

weekend

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, reserve the aquafaba (liquid)

2 carrots, sliced

2 celery ribs, sliced

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon Easy Savory Broth Mix or 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon

1/2 teaspoon thyme  

8 cups water

1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

7 tablespoons soy milk

3 tablespoons reserved aquafaba 

2 cups soy milk

2 tablespoons minced parsley

1. Base: Add the oil to a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas, carrot, celery, onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Stir as needed. 

2. Seasoning: Add the garlic, bay leaves, broth mix and thyme to the Base. Stir and cook for 1 minute.   

3. Broth: Add the water, potatoes and chickpeas. Increase heat to high, bring to boil, reduce to strong simmer, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.  

4. Knoephla: Combine the flour, baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper (to taste) in a large bowl. Add the milk and aquafaba. Knead in the bowl until the dough is smooth. Add 1/2 - 1 tablespoon more flour only if needed. Roll the dough into a 1/2-inch thick rope. Cut off 1/2-inch pieces and add to the simmering Broth. Cover and continue to simmer the soup for 10 more minutes.   

6. Finish: Add the milk and parsley to the Broth. Taste for seasoning. Discard bay leaf. Serve. 

© 2021 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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vegan vegetarian meatless plant-based

mexican breakfast burrito with salsa fresca

 

Overview

Time: 35 minutes
Dishes: air-fryer or oven, medium skillet, medium bowl 

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

I wonder if every family has members who have as strong food opinions as mine does. Until now I did not realize how divided we are when comes to sweet potatoes. One camp thinks it is way too sweet for savory dishes and the other camp believes that it is perfect, especially when paired with its food affinity, such as black beans.

This intense emotion runs so deep that my son went to the trouble of removing the sweet potatoes from his prepared burrito! After I patiently and painstakingly explained to him that the flavor profile is very much a "thing", and pointed out that he omitted the Salsa Fresca, which would have balanced the sweetness of the potatoes with its acid and heat, he gave it a second try. 

The burrito is stuffed with Breakfast Tofu, black beans, cheese, sour cream, avocado and Salsa Fresca.

So, dear readers, if you are in my son's camp, thinking that sweet potatoes are too sweet in savory dishes, by all means - use regular potatoes! Regardless of the potato you choose, however, please don't skip the Salsa Fresca. It truly does add the final touch that pulls all the flavors of this breakfast burrito together into …sweet... harmony.  

If you need inspiration for your weekly menu, check out ours HERE.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Preheat the oven and gather your ingredients.
• Start the potatoes first. 
• If you need to make the Breakfast Tofu, prepare it after the potatoes are cooking.
• Make the salsa before warming the beans and tofu.

(Printer-friendly doesn't seem to be so friendly. Just select the text between the arrows (including the white space to add margin on the top), right-click, select Print, and now it's printer-friendly. Can also be saved as PDF:  choose Save as PDF in Destination drop-down, instead of a printer.)

Mexican Breakfast Burrito with Salsa Fresca

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

Makes 4 servings 

weekday

2 medium sweet potatoes or regular potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 small tomatoes, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 small onion, finely minced

1/2 small jalapeno, finely minced

1 tablespoon lime juice 

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained  

2 cups mashed Breakfast Tofu (1 recipe) 

1/2 cup shredded or 4 slices nondairy yellow or orange cheese

4 fajita-size flour tortillas

1/2 cup vegan sour cream

1/2 cup salsa

1 avocado, sliced 

1. Potatoes: Preheat air-fryer or oven to 400F. Peel and dice the potatoes. Spray with oil. Season with chili powder, cumin and salt.  Bake until tender. Air-fryer: 15-20 minutes, shaking the basket as needed. Oven: 30-40 minutes.

2. Salsa Fresca: Combine the tomato, garlic, onion, jalapeno and lime juice in a medium bowl. Salt to taste.  

3. Beans and Tofu: Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the beans, tofu and cheese. Cook until heated through, about 4 minutes.     

4. Burrito: Warm the tortillas in the microwave (between two plates for 1 minute), oven or over the stove. Divide the baked sweet Potatoes and the Beans and Tofu among the burritos.  Add sour cream, Salsa Fresca and avocado. Season generously with salt. Roll up and serve. 

© 2021 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

Pint It!

vegan vegetarian meatless plant-based