Italian Veggie Soup (Stew?)

It seems my mom is getting a little more interested in the food I make. Although she draws the line at certain raw foods and rather foreign cooked concoctions (such as anything Indian), she's beginning to have me make meals for her, and even will have juice as meals, too!
And I enjoy it. I'm strange, and packing lunches gives me a sense of pleasure. (I swear, being able to pack lunches is the one reason why I would want kids)

Although this was a few weeks ago, she asked me to make her soup with lots of veggies. Which was fine with me! I've since made this recipe twice, and it's just so good! And it was a great way to use up some of the vegetables that had been in our fridge for some time, too.
Now, I'm not really sure whether it should be called soup, as it was more veggie than broth, but whatever works, I guess...




Italian Vegetable Soup
~Swirl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
~4 cloves garlic, minced
~1 large onion, diced
~1 C carrots, diced
~2 medium potatoes, diced
~3 celery stalks, chopped
~1 medium yellow squash, diced
~1 medium zucchini, diced
~2 C vegetable broth
~2 C water
~1 24 or 26 oz can of tomato sauce
~2 bay leaves
~2 Tbsp dried parsley
~1 Tbsp dried oregano
~1/2 Tbsp dried dill
~1 Tbsp dried basil
~1/4 nutrional yeast
~ 1 can kidney beans
~ 1 can corn
~ Salt and Pepper to taste

1.) In a large pot, heat the oil on medium-low. Add the onions and garlic, and let cook until the onions are translucent.
2.) Add all of the vegetables (carrots, potatoes, celery, squashes), herbs, water, broth, tomato sauce, and nutrional yeast and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let simmer for 40 minutes.
3.) Add the beans and corn and allow to simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste (it may be salty enough depending on the tomato sauce and broth used)
4.) You can add some more water or broth if you want it more liquidy.




I love adding some kale to mine once it's ready to be served. The heat of the soup just in a bowl makes the kale crispy and warm! :)

Haitian-style Sweet Potato Cakes

We were learning about Haiti in French class when my teacher announced a project we had to do, not surprisinlgy, about Haiti. There were several options to choose from, but, again,not surprisingly, I decided to bake something...
I missed the day the food projects were due for familial reasons, and with snow days and midterms to follow, I didn't hand this project in until 2 weeks later... oops...

I first looked for Haiti recipes online, and although I did try out two of them (one of which was really tasty!), I wanted to make something that was mine. Using some of the staple ingredients in Haiti desserts (sweet potatoes, bananas, coconut), I decided to make little cakes!

Haitian Sweet Potato Cakes
2 C peeled and grated sweet potatoes

1 large banana
1/2 C vegan brown sugar
1/2 C vegan dark brown sugar
1/2 C coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 C plain, unsweetened plant milk (I used soy)
2 C whole wheat flour
1 C white whole wheat flour
1 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

More cinnamon for top.

1.)Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2.) Pour the sweet potato into a bowl, and mash in the banana. Add the brown sugar, dark brown sugar, vanilla, milk, vinegar, and coconut milk.
3.) In a larger, seperate bowl, whisk together the flours, white sugar, salt, baking powder and soda, and the spices.
4.) Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until well combined. Pour into a greased 9x12 inch pan. Sprinkle on top some more cinnamon.
5.) Bake for 35-45 minutes in the oven. A toothpick should come out clean when inserted, but the cake itself will be very moist- in a good way!


I made a sugar glaze to top over them once they were done by mixing confectioner sugar with some water and pouring over the top, and that definitely turned out well!

My french class seemed to like them, so hopefully you will too, Happy Baking!