Video: Guacamole (My Favorite!)

Okay yall!!! Here is the very first Fo' Reals Mom cooking show!!! EEE!! This is not only the first show for Fo' Reals Mom but also the first time I've filmed OR edited a video!!
It was filmed as a full length cooking show and it is titled "Dips!" In it I make 3 dips that you can take to a party (that aren't hummus!!) The first recipe I make is guacamole. I have the full recipe posted below. I am so incredibly nervous to post these videos but here goes - Enjoy!
(And if you have any ideas for the next video please leave a comment on this post!)

(This is the FULL Length video. You can watch Segment 1 HERE to see just the guacamole and Segment 2 HERE to see the nacho cheese sauce and black bean dip!) 

(For a funny behind the scenes go HERE to Counting By 12s  - It's so silly!)

I haven't met anyone that doesn't love avocados. They are so creamy, rich and have a wonderful flavor. You can eat them plain or make them into some AWESOME guacamole. I give a lot of tips in the video so i'll let you watch those to see what I say about it. This is my favorite guacamole ever and it is always a HUGE hit everybody. 

Guacamole 

8 servings

2 avocados, diced
juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced onions (shallots or any other kind of onions)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

Add all of your ingredients to a large bowl and smash together with a fork. You want a chunky and not totally smooth dip. Taste to check for seasoning (do you need more salt? more lime juice?)
Serve with chips or cut up raw veggies (or put it in burritos, on nachos, on tacos, on sandwiches, etc!)


Nutritional information per serving : Serving size: 1/8th of the dip
2 WWPointsPlus, 76 calories, 6.7g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 4.7g carbohydrates, 3.1g fiber, 0.3g sugar, 0.9g protein 

(Vegan) Soup Week Roundup!

Soup Week is officially over here at Fo' Reals Mom but that doesn't mean that the never ending posibilites of soup ends. First of all, I'm going to make a lot more. I just can't stop! And secondly there are a LOT of bloggers making amazing looking and tasting soups as well. Here are just a very small selection of soups. Some are my old favorites, my new favorites and some favorites that other bloggers have posted. Please check them out and give some more soups a try!

(Not all of the soups that I've posted from other websites are Plant Strong but they are all vegan. You can easily modify them to make them Plant Strong. Sautee vegetables in water instead of oil, leave out oil entirely, use whole grains, etc.) 

If you visit their blogs and try the food please leave a comment! Us bloggers love to hear how other people use the recipes we post!! 

(Click the link below to see more) 

Recipe: Corn Chowder

This is the last recipe I'm posting this week for SOUP WEEK. I'll post a recipe roundup of other blogger's plant strong soups! As you can tell, soup is one of my favorite foods. It's usually simple, filling and the possibilities are endless!!!

I'm ending it with some really satisfying corn chowder. It was surprisingly simple to make this into not only a vegan dish but a plant strong one as well. You just kind of chop everything up and throw it into the pot. Let it cook and then eat it. Those are my favorite kind of recipes! 

Once you get this base down you can put all sorts of different things into it to jazz it up. Maybe add in some cilantro, chili powder and cumin for a Mexican theme. Or add some chopped greens. Maybe stir in some berber spice!

I thought this soup was just as good on the third day as it was right off the stove. We even took some in a thermos for an outing and it was perfect.
I have been finding that soup is keeping me really satisfied and not hungry. AND you can eat so many healthy vegetables crammed into a soup! Hey and guess what? I think I've finally broken through with my kid and she's eating soup again. (She didn't like soup for a while. She just didn't understand the whole concept I think.)
Now if I could only convince her to use utensils while eating...

Recipe notes...

*I prefer using yukon gold potatoes for this soup but you can use whatever kind you have on hand.

*Use whatever milk alternative you want - I usually just say soy milk as a blanket term.

*You can puree half of the soup if you want an extra creamy soup. Just use your immersion blender or blend some of the soup in batches in your regular blender. If you don't want to puree the peppers you can add them after the potatoes have been cooked and pureed. Then add in the peppers and cook for several minutes. THEN add the soy milk.

Corn Chowder

about 12 - 1 cup servings

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, diced
2 cups corn kernels (frozen or fresh is fine)
3 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno (optional)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups soy milk (or other non dairy milk alternative)
5 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
additional salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot bring broth, potatoes, corn, onions, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and put the lid on. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Add in the soy milk. Now add salt and pepper to taste. Do NOT let the soy milk boil. Just keep at low and heat until warmed through. 
Serve with chips or if you're feeling festive add in some chopped avocado! YUM! 


Nutritional information per serving : Serving size: 1 cup soup
3 WWPointsPlus, 103 calories, 0.9g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 22.9g carbohydrates, 2.6g fiber, 4.9g sugar, 4.4g protein 

Recipe: The CHEESIEST Vegan Cauliflower Soup

I have to tell you something that may not surprise you: I am a reformed cheese-a-holic. Well sort of. We're vegan so we don't eat dairy. You know what? No problem! We've got this soup. And all of the cheese sauces I make!
When I first made this and tasted it my eyes grew WIDE. WIDE WIDE, I tell you. I kind of gasped even. I had DONE IT. I am very pleased with the cheesiness of this soup. Everything goes together so well and .. and.. there are just no words. Taste it for yourself. Follow the recipe exactly and taste it for yourself. Everything that goes into it makes it have a really wonderful flavor that lingers on your tongue.

This is a new Fo' Reals Mom household staple. My kid gobbled it up. The kid that thinks she doesn't DO soup. Oh she does soup now. 

It's really great as a meal on its own but shines as a starter for a meal. We had some for lunch and then some for dinner with black bean burgers. It was fantastic both ways. 

We love to eat it with crackers or thick crusty bread for dipping. Do whatever makes you happy though. (Just as a side note, kids LOVE to dip!) 

 Recipe notes...

* You can make this recipe soy-free by omitting the silken tofu and replacing it with 1 cup milk replacement of your choice (I suggest a nut milk like almond) and 1/4 cup flour (rice or all purpose flour.)

*The cayenne pepper can be left out or reduced but there was not a hint of spiciness to the soup, just a warmth and background flavor. 

The CHEESIEST vegan Cauliflower Soup

10 - 1 cup servings

1 head cauliflower

5 cups vegetable broth

1 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

1/2 roasted red bell pepper (about 1/4 cup jarred roasted bell pepper)

1 12oz package lite silken tofu (Mori-nu brand) 

2 Tablespoons light miso 

1 cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup soy milk (or your favorite milk alternative)

1 Tablespoon yellow prepared mustard

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons tahini 

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Remove the outer leaves of the cauliflower and peel the tough outer skin of the stem with a vegetable peeler. Chop it all up into bite sized pieces and add to a large soup pot. Add the vegetable broth, onion and garlic to the soup pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it's boiling put on the lid and turn down to low. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. 

While the soup is simmering place all of the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth. 

When the cauliflower is tender add the sauce to the soup pot and stir to combine. 

I like to puree half of the soup with my immersion blender or you can use your regular blender. Just remove several cups and blend until smooth. You can also just puree the whole soup if you don't like chunky soups. 

Check the seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste (your vegetable broth may be more or less salty than mine.) 

Nutritional information per serving : Serving size: 1 cup soup
3 WWPointsPlus, 123 calories, 3.1g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 14.8g carbohydrates, 5.7g fiber, 1.8g sugar, 11.5g protein 

Recipe: French Onion Soup with Vegan Cheesy Toast

Oh man, nothing says luxury to me like french onion soup. It seems like something you only get when you're out at fancy places. Or if you bought those little frozen soups at Trader Joe's (which were always just way too dang salty.) 

This soup is actually quite simple once you get past the cutting the onions part. I've heard a ton of different things to do so you don't get teary eyed but I'm not sure anything short of the goggles will work. I won't ever bother with buying them but I can see the appeal! I always end up wearing mascara (not waterproof, mind you) on days that I'm chopping onions and have stream of black down each side of my face. I always forget and then only hours later see myself in the mirror. 

Well, maybe to solve this I'll just buy some waterproof stuff next time. 

Oh yeah and don't forget the vegan cheesy toasts floating on top of the soup. I made a nutty swiss cheese sauce and poured it on top of little rounds of bread. You can broil them separately or put them on the soup and broil the whole thing. You pretty much HAVE to have them to have french onion soup.

The soup only has ONE secret magical ingredient: shiitake mushroom powder. You just take a package of dried shiitake mushrooms (or any other dried mushrooms for that matter) and blend them up! It worked fine in my regular blender and if you have a spice grinder it would be even better. It adds an incredible depth of flavor to this soup as well as many others. You can mix it with some other spices and use it as rub. You can sprinkle it over stir-fry. You can really do so many things with this stuff!

Recipe notes...

*You can use all purpose or rice flour in the soup and cheesy sauces.

*Use any kind of red wine that is palatable enough to drink. You'll have enough leftover in the bottle that you'll want to drink it!

*If you can't find ANY dried mushrooms anywhere then you can either eliminate it entirely or finely chop 1 cup of fresh mushrooms and cook them with the onions.

French Onion Soup with Vegan Cheesy Toast

8 - 1 cup servings

Soup: 
3 large sweet onions, cut in half and sliced thin
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon flour
5 cups vegetable broth
2 Tablespoons mushroom powder
1/2 cup red wine
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1.5 teaspoons dried)
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped (or 1.5 teaspoons dried)

Cheesy Toast: 
1 baguette (vegan and whole wheat if possible)

1/4 cup flour
1 Tablespoon tahini
4 teaspoons light miso
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup water


Mushroom Powder:
dried mushrooms (I used a 3 oz bag and it made several CUPS. You can use a small 0.5 oz bag for this recipe)
-Blend the mushrooms up in a blender or spice grinder until fine. Store in an airtight container.

Make the Soup:
Heat up a large nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook for 6-8 minutes or until they start to brown slightly. Make sure to stir them while cooking. Once they are lightly colored add in the salt and 1/4 cup water. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized (30-45 minutes.) Stir occasionally and add additional water if necessary.
When the onions are caramelized turn the heat back up to medium high and stir in the flour. Now add your red wine, broth, mushroom powder and herbs. Bring the mixture up to a boil and then turn to low. Let the soup simmer for 25-30 minutes. Taste for seasonings and add additional salt if necessary.

Make the Cheesy Toast: 
While the soup is simmering blend together everything but the baguette for the cheesy toast. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan over high heat. Whisk the mixture continuously until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Once thickened take off the heat.

Slice the baguette into thick rounds. Spoon some of the cheesy mixture onto the rounds.

To Serve: 
Broil the cheesy rounds of bread until lightly toasted and place on top of your individual bowls of hot soup. Alternatively, you can place your soup into oven safe bowls and top with the cheesy bread. Place the whole bowl under the broiler and cook until the bread is lightly toasted. Be careful when you take it out the oven!
Serve with some wine, a salad and good company!

Nutritional information per serving : Serving size: 1 cup soup with 1oz bread slice and 1/8th cheese sauce
4 WWPointsPlus, 163 calories, 1.7g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 28.6g carbohydrates, 2.9g fiber, 2.3g sugar, 6.6g protein

Recipe: Curried Black Eyed Pea Soup

I think that this will be a week full of SOUPS! Or stews! Or soups, stews, chilis, chowders, etc. While I call this one a soup I think it is more of a stew with how chunky it is. You know what though? I don't know where to draw the line between soup and stew. There is NO WAY I'm going to use Ray-Ray's "stoup" term either. 

Whatever it is technically called, I call it good. It's an awesome way to get a ton of veggies into your day. I know the ingredient list is a bit long but trust me on this one. It's such a nice combination of flavors and super healthy.

Okay, I did serve it with some really decadent paratha bread but that's not such a huge deal. I had my kid eat it anyway. I was SO FULL from this soup that I couldn't eat anything else.
I packed some in the Mr.'s lunch and he loved it too!

Recipe notes...

*You can use any kind of beans that you want here. I think that chickpeas/garbanzo beans would be obvious but consider trying lentils, pinto beans or even large lima beans.

*You can also change out the greens if you don't like or cannot find collard greens. Kale or spinach would be lovely. If you use spinach I would suggest throwing it in at the last couple of minutes so it doesn't get horribly overcooked.

*You know what your family and yourself can handle when considering spice levels. My daughter doesn't mind spicy but if you are unsure then leave out the jalapeno and start with 1/2 of the curry and 1/2 of the garam masala. Be sure you buy mild curry is that it isn't spicy to begin with.

Curried Black Eyed Pea Soup

makes 12 - 1 cup servings

2 cans black eyed peas, drained (or about 3 cups)
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, minced (optional)
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 cups collard greens, chopped
1 - 15oz can diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups vegetable broth
2 Tablespoons mild curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon of salt (or more to taste)


Set a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add in the onion, pepper and carrot. You can add in a couple of tablespoons of water to keep everything from sticking if your pan is not nonstick.
Cook the vegetables until the onions are translucent, about 5-6 minutes. Stir while they are cooking to prevent sticking.
Turn the heat up to high and add in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and place the lid on the pot. Turn the heat down to low and simmer the soup for 25-30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
Check the seasonings (do you want more salt? more spice?) and serve!
I suggest serving it with some yummy flatbread or pita.


Nutritional information per serving : Serving size: 1 cup soup
2 WWPointsPlus, 80 calories, 0.4g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 17.6g carbohydrates, 4.5g fiber, 4.4g sugar, 2.4g protein 

Recipe: Vegan Beer Cheese Potato Skins with Bacon Crumbles

I can't think of anything better to plop down in front of the TV with than these. They are MADE for watching TV, especially games. I mean, they are basically bar food, right? I made them EVEN MORE amazing by topping them with a creamy beer cheese sauce and some bacon crumbles. Can you believe this is vegan? 

What do vegans eat? Oh, not much, just stuff like THIS. 

You can top them with all sorts of extras too. Maybe some olives or vegan sour cream? Or what about some guacamole?! Or salsa! Now that's my kind of meal, right there!

Now I'm not going to say that you could fool someone with these. To me, they are vegan and perfectly so. I don't even LIKE trying to "fool" people. I like to show people that yeah, it is vegan food, but yeah guess what? It's super tasty too.

You'll have some cheese sauce leftover and some of those bacon crumbles leftover. I'm sure you can think of things to do with them but here are some hints: beer cheese on french fries, on tacos, bacon crumbles on anything with potatoes.. You shouldn't be too upset about extras, right?

Recipe notes...

*For the beer I suggest a good amber ale - not an IPA because the bitterness will be way too overpowering. I used a hefeweizen for these and it was awesome. 

*For the roasted red peppers you can use jarred or you can roast your own. Just roast them over a gas burner, on the grill or under the broiler in your oven until they are charred all over. Place them in a bag and let them steam for a few minutes to loosen the skins. Rub the skins off and proceed!

*You can use whatever kind of flour you have around usually. All purpose is good and so is brown or white rice flour. You can also use 1/2 the amount of cornstarch or arrowroot powder in place of the flour (use 2 Tablespoons.)

Vegan Beer Cheese Potato Skins with Bacon Crumbles

makes 16-24 skins (4-12 servings depending on how hungry you are!)

Beer Cheese Sauce

1 & 1/2 c. beer 

1/4 c. roasted red pepper

1/2 c. nutritional yeast

1/4 c. flour (all purpose or rice flour works well)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 Tablespoon miso paste (white/yellow)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon mustard powder

1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)

Bacon Crumbles 

1 cup tvp granules (textured vegetable protein)

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon soy sauce or tamari

3 Tablespoons liquid smoke

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 cup hot water

4-6 medium sized baking potatoes, scrubbed (You can bake several more potatoes at the same time if you need more for say a party or something. The cheese sauce and bacon crumbles will yield extras!) 

to serve: : sliced green onion, sliced black olives, Tofutti Sour Supreme, a beer

*Since you can make the Bacon Crumbles ahead of time I suggest you do so!

Make the Bacon Crumbles: 

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Combine all of the ingredients and stir. Let it sit until the liquid is totally absorbed by the tvp. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out the tvp into a single layer. Bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to make sure that it toasts up evenly. You want them to be completely dried out when you remove them from the oven. Let them cool and store them in an airtight container. 

Bake the Potatoes: 

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. After scrubbing the potatoes poke them all over with a fork. Place them directly on the oven rack and bake for 45-60 minutes. 

Let cool slightly and then cut into quarters. With a spoon gently remove the soft inside of the baked potato from the skin, leaving about 1/4 inch of flesh attached. (That sounds horrible but I can't think of another way to say it.) You want them to have structure so don't leave them super thin. In fact remove LESS than you think at first and you can go back to remove more if necessary. 

Make the Beer Cheese Sauce: 

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth. Pour into a pan over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer. Whisk the sauce continuously and cook until nice and thickened (3-5 minutes.)

Assemble your Potato Skins: 

Keep your oven at 425 degrees (after taking the potatoes out.) Line the baked potato skins on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spoon in 1-2 Tablespoons of the beer cheese sauce into each of the skins. Put the pan into the oven and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until the edges get nice and crispy.

Top your hot potatoes with Bacon Crumbles, green onions, Sour Supreme, olives, guacamole, salsa or whatever else you like! 

Nutritional information per serving : Serving size: 2 potato skins with 3 Tablespoons of beer cheese sauce and 1 teaspoon of bacon crumbles (does not include optional Sour Supreme or other toppings)

4 WWPointsPlus, 160 calories, 1.0g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 28.1g carbohydrates, 5.9g fiber, 1.1g sugar, 11.7g protein