Yesterday seemed like a chowder day. The days are getting shorter, my husband and I had spent most of our day outside, tending to the homestead and all of the "fall chores" one must accomplish before the first freeze (according to the Farmer's Almanac, usually around October 10th). When I am tired, it is difficult for me to think about more than one pot meals. I can do the prep, I cannot do the dishes after--oh, he'll help, but still . . .
I whipped this up based upon two different recipes in two books: New England Soup Factory Book, by Marjorie Druker and Clara Silverstein and The 30-Minute Vegan by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray. This clam-less chowder was incredible if I don't say so myself. Big thanks to the vegan book for making the cream sauce a very bold, and very tasty cream. Big thanks to the New England cookbook for offering a few twists on the seasonings to try. We both loved this!
Vegan Save-The-Clam Chowder
1/2 cup arame seaweed
3 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 russett potatoes diced
1 portobello cap, diced
5 garlic cloves minced
1 carrot diced
1 onion diced
2 celery stalks sliced thin
2 teaspoons Spike seasoning
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Amino Acids or low-sodium soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon taragon
1 teaspoon celery seed
fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup macadamia nuts (*or Silk Soy Creamer--2 cups)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Soak the arame (sold in the seaweed section at Whole Foods) in 3 cups water, set aside. Chop all veggies add to soup pot with oil. As this cooks, don't forget to stir, the mushroom needs to release its juices. Also, the potatoes need to soften a bit. Meanwhile, place the macadamia nuts in a blender and pulse a few times by themselves. Then, slowly add 2 cups of the water the arame was sitting in--not the seaweed, then blend it until the nuts are smooth--it will be creamy looking. Add the nutritional yeast and Braggs to this. Then pour the cream mixture and the rest of the arame with its water into the soup pot. Add the remaining seasonings and let sit on low heat for about fifteen minutes. Turn off heat and serve with crackers!--look for the bay leaves and remove them!
*I would think that if you had no macadamia nuts on hand, you could easily sub the soy creamer here--just watch the consistency--and be sure to add the nutritional yeast to the creamer then add to the soup.
Mmm, I love a good chowder!
ReplyDeleteMe, too! It warmed up as a wonderful leftover--
ReplyDeleteif you give it a try, let me know what you think. Thanks!