Category: VEGETABLES

Hearty Alkaline Soup

~ Karine K ~ Leave a comment
Hearty Alkaline Soup
Hearty Alkaline Soup

Try this Hearty Alkaline Soup. Maintaining a balanced internal pH is important for the optimal functioning of the body, and what we put in our belly directly impacts this balance. On one side, you have foods that are alkaline in nature, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, which means that when processed by the body, they form alkaline substances. On the other side of the spectrum are foods like meat and dairy, for example, that metabolize into compounds that are conducive to acidity.

Each single ingredient in this soup is high on the list of alkaline-promoting foods. Also, instead of simmering the soup for a while until the vegetables are cooked, and therefore ripping them off their nutrients, we cut them finely and poach them. This allows to keep the majority of their nutrients and their alkaline-promoting qualities.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it. Please tag @LivityGardens on Instagram and use the hashtag #LivityGardens.

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Hearty Alkaline Soup

Hearty Alkaline Soup
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  • Author: Karine K
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8–10 cups vegetable broth (depending on your vegetable load)
  • 1/2 small green cabbage, sliced thin
  • 1 large leek, sliced thin
  • 2 carrots, grated
  • 3 celery branches, sliced thin
  • 1 bunch kale, in a chiffonnade
  • 1/2 bunch mustard (or collard) greens, in a chiffonnade
  • 2 teaspoons fresh turmeric root, grated or minced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, grated or minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
  • Sea salt and pepper, to taste
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 handful cilantro leaves

Instructions

Bring the vegetable broth to a slow boil. Turn off the heat, add all the ingredients except the lime juice and cilantro leaves. Quickly put the cover back on and let poach until desired doneness. I like to keep for a good 20 minutes. Add the lime juice and cilantro leaves and serve. Bon appétit!

PS: This is also a great base for a vegetable soup, to which you can add more spices, some beans, lentils, pasta, etc. The soup, as it is, is a very clean and nourishing soup, but may lack on your usual vegetable soup staples. Make it yours, own it! 

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Soupe alcaline consistante

Hearty Alkaline Soup
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  • Author: Karine K
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 portions 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 à 10 tasses de bouillon de légumes
  • 1/2 petit chou vert, tranché mince
  • 1 gros poireau, tranché mince
  • 2 carottes, râpées
  • 3 branches de céleri, tranchées mince
  • 1 botte de kale, en chiffonnade
  • 1/2 botte de feuilles de moutarde (ou chou cavalier), en chiffonnade
  • 2 c. à thé de curcuma frais, râpé ou émincé
  • 2 c. à thé de gingembre frais, râpé ou émincé
  • 3 gousses d’ail, émincées
  • 4 tomates, hachées
  • 1/4 à 1/2 c. à thé de flocons de chili broyés
  • Sel de mer et poivre, au goût
  • Jus de 1 limette
  • 1 poignée de coriandre fraîche

Instructions

Dans une marmite, porter le bouillon de légumes à douce ébullition. Retirer du feu, ajouter tous les ingrédients sauf le jus de limette et la coriandre fraîche. Remettre le couvert rapidement et laisser reposer pendant au moins 20 minutes. Ajouter ensuite le jus de limette et la coriandre et servir. Bon appétit!

Notes

Cette soupe est le canvas parfait pour votre création de soupe aux légumes. Ajoutez-y des épices, des haricots, des lentilles, ou même des pâtes. Laissez-vous aller!

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Rainbow Pasta

~ Karine K ~ 3 Comments
Rainbow Pasta
Rainbow Pasta

This Rainbow Pasta saves the day often in my house. Before a date night, so that the kids eat before the sitter comes, on a busy weeknight after spending the day in the garden, as a quick meal for a casual get together served with garlic bread. The possibilities are endless. Even for the vegetables you put in. The only advice when it comes to your veggies is to introduce them in the recipe according to their cooking time. I wouldn’t put chopped carrots at the same time as kale, but shredded carrots, sure. Or I wouldn’t put eggplant at the same time as spinach. You see where I’m getting. This pasta recipe is more of a guideline to build your dream pasta, or to build something that will empty your fridge and make you eat veggies. Be creative!

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it. Please tag @LivityGardens on Instagram and use the hashtag #LivityGardens.

For other great pasta recipes, please check out: Pasta with Brussels Sprouts, Leek, and Spigarello in Creamy Wine Sauce, Shiitake and Leek Spaghetti and Banza Ziti Bolognese with Italian Sausage.

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Rainbow Pasta

Rainbow Pasta
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  • Author: Karine K
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 1 cup red onion, diced
  • 4–5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 zucchinis, diced
  • 2 yellow squashes, diced
  • 1/2 bunch asparagus, cut into 1” lengths
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 1 bunch Rainbow chard, stems diced, leaves torn into bite-size pieces
  • 1 bunch Lacinato kale, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 1 package of your favorite pasta
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, leaves torn
  • 4 green onions, sliced thin on the diagonal
  • 1/2 cup cooking liquid from pasta
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large pot, bring some water to a boil, and add a few generous pinches of salt. Once the water boils, add the pasta, and cook according to package’s instructions. Before draining the pasta, keep about 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a very large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables (according to cooking time), keeping the chard and kale for the very end. Season with salt and pepper. Once everything is nice and cooked, but still crunchy, add the cooked pasta and some of the cooking liquid, if needed. Mix well. Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil, the fresh basil and green onions. Bon appétit!

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Pâtes arc-en-ciel

Rainbow Pasta
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  • Author: Karine K
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 portions 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive, plus un filet pour le service
  • 1 tasse d’oignons rouges, en dés
  • 4 à 5 gousses d’ail, émincées
  • 2 zucchinis, en dés
  • 2 courgettes jaunes, en dés
  • 1/2 botte d’asperges, coupées en tronçons de 1 pouce
  • 1 poivron rouge, en dés
  • 2 tasses de tomates cerise, coupées en deux
  • 1 botte de bette à carde arc-en-ciel, les queues coupées en dés, et les feuilles hachées
  • 1 botte de chou kale, haché
  • 1 boîte de vos pâtes préférées
  • 4 oignons verts, tranchés mince
  • 1/2 tasse du liquide de cuisson des pâtes
  • 1/2 tasse de basilic frais, haché
  • Sel de mer et poivre, au goût

Instructions

Dans une grande casserole, faire bouillir de l’eau avec quelques généreuses pincées de sel de mer. Ajouter les pâtes, et cuire selon les directives sur l’emballage. Avant d’égoutter, réserver 1/2 tasse de liquide de cuisson.

Pendant que les pâtes cuisent, chauffer l’huile d’olive dans une grande poêle, à feu moyen. Ajouter les oignons et l’ail et faire revenir pendant 2 minutes. Ajouter le reste des ingrédients, selon leur temps de cuisson, en gardant la bette à carde et le chou kale pour la fin. Assaisonner de sel de mer et de poivre. Une fois les légumes cuits, mais toujours croquants, ajouter les pâtes cuites et le liquide de cuisson, au besoin. Retirer du feu, ajouter le basilic frais, et bien mélanger. Garnir des oignons verts, et servir avec un filet d’huile d’olive, si désiré. Bon appétit!

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Rainbow Pasta
My chopped veggies, ready to get sautéed.

South Indian Potato Fry

~ Karine K ~ 2 Comments
South Indian Potato Fry
South Indian Potato Fry

This South Indian Potato Fry recipe is warming, comforting and easy to make. It follows the same steps as the South Indian Eggplant Fry I posted last week. Same technique, with a slightly longer cooking time and different ingredients. Personally, I feel like that’s one of the fabulous things about Indian cuisine; if you master the different techniques, you can pretty much fry, curry, korma, or pulao anything!

It is important to note here (and for the South Indian Eggplant Fry) that the potatoes are not “fried” but rather sautéed in oil in a large skillet. Indians use the term fried, because as opposed to a curry, which is cooked mostly in a sauce, the fried dishes cook in oil. But there’s nothing deep fried here, rest assured!

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it. Please tag @LivityGardens on Instagram and use the hashtag #LivityGardens.

Don’t forget to consult my other authentic Indian recipes, like this Toor Dal with Brussels Sprouts or this Chickpea Chole.

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South Indian Potato Fry

South Indian Potato Fry
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  • Author: Karine K
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 lb potatoes, scrubbed
  • 2 onions, cut into small dices
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 curry leaves (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 large heirloom tomato cut into small cubes (with seeds and skin)
  • 1–1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic-ginger paste
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala

Instructions

Put the potatoes in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Let the potatoes boil until fork-tender but not too tender that they fall apart. You want a nice structured potato. Drain the potatoes and place under cold running water for a few moments. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into cubes.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seed and let cook 2 minutes. Add the cumin seeds and curry leaves, if using, and sauté 1 minute. Add the onion and sauté while stirring for a minute. Add the turmeric, sauté, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Cover and cook, stirring often, until the onion is golden and caramelized, 7-8 minutes.

Add the potato cubes to the skillet. Mix thoroughly until the potatoes are coated with the spice and onion mixture. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the tomatoes and 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, stir well, and continue cooking, covered, for an additional 5-6 minutes. Add the chili pepper, the garlic-ginger paste, and the garam masala, and stir well. Continue cooking until the potatoes are nice and tender, about 2-3 minutes. Remove to a serving bowl. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Bon appétit!

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Pommes de terre sautées du sud de l’Inde

South Indian Potato Fry
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  • Author: Karine K

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 livres de pommes de terre, lavées
  • 2 oignons, hachés
  • 1/3 tasse d’huile d’olive
  • 1/2 c. à thé de graines de moutarde noire
  • 1 c. à thé de graines de cumin
  • 2 feuilles de cari (en option)
  • 1/2 c. à thé de curcuma
  • 1 grosse tomate (environ deux tasses), hachée
  • 1 à 1 1/2 c. à thé de sel de mer
  • 1/2 c. à thé de poudre de chili (ou au goût)
  • 1 c. à thé de pâte de gingembre et ail
  • 1 c. à thé de garam masala
  • Garniture: coriandre fraîche

Instructions

Déposer les pommes de terre dans une grande casserole et couvrir d’eau. Porter à ébullition et laisser cuire jusqu’à ce que les pommes de terre soient cuites, sans toutefois se défaire. Vous voulez une pomme de terre qui se tient. Égoutter et rincer à l’eau froide. Retirer la peau avec les mains et couper en cubes.

Chauffer l’huile dans une grande poêle à feu moyen-vif. Ajouter les graines de moutarde et cuire 2 minutes. Ajouter les graines de cumin et les feuilles de cari, et cuire une minute. Ajouter les oignons et faire revenir, en remuant, pendant une minute. Ajouter le curcuma et faire revenir, en remuant, pendant 3 minutes, jusqu’à ce que l’oignon soit translucide. Couvrir et cuire, en remuant souvent, jusqu’à ce que l’oignon soit doré et caramélisé, environ 7 à 8 minutes.

Ajouter les cubes de pommes de terre. Bien remuer afin de couvrir les pommes de terre du mélange d’oignons et épices. Couvrir et cuire pendant 5 minutes, en remuant de temps à autre. Ajuster le feu afin de prévenir que les pommes de terre ne collent. Ajouter les tomates et le sel de mer. Bien remuer et continuer de cuire, couvert, pendant 5 à 6 minutes. Ajouter la poudre de chili, la pâte de gingembre et ail, et le garam masala. Bien remuer et continuer de cuire pendant 2 à 3 minutes, jusqu’à ce que les pommes de terre soient tendres. Transférer dans un bol de service et garnir de coriandre fraîche. Bon appétit!

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I went to a vegan BBQ…

~ Karine K ~ 2 Comments

So, yes. I did it. I put the words vegan and BBQ in the same sentence. I know. But Monday night was a feast in the greater, powerful sense of the term. Not only a feast for the eyes, but a fuzzy feeling inside, and this delightful state of not wanting to stop eating. Ever.

The vegan BBQ started with the vegetables. Of course. Aren’t they so enticing? Organic plants that just won’t stop giving. The colors, the smells… Even the kids wouldn’t stop eating the raw veggies before I grilled them. My first star was the BBQ’ed cauliflower. I often go back to the same BBQ sauce my mom used to make (from scratch), and use it on different vegetables. I only swapped the butter in the recipe for an Earth Balance spread.

Start with some vegetables...
Start with some vegetables…

Then came the corn, onions, zucchinis, mushrooms, peppers, and more onions, because I have a serious addiction to onions, garlic, anything belonging to the Allium genus really.

The trick when grilling a bunch of vegetables is knowing when to put them on, so they are all ready at the same time. It takes a bit of practice and common sense, but just think about it before putting them on. Obviously, a zucchini will cook way faster than an onion. Here’s a chart from Addicted to Grilling, it could help at least steer you in the right direction. The other important thing is oiling your vegetables. That will impart flavor, of course, but it will prevent from sticking. So now, close your eyes and imagine a BBQ filled with stuff. Now imagine that this stuff is all vegetables!

Vegetables on the grill
Vegetables on the grill

Feel free to add skewers of marinated tofu, tempeh, or seitan. I made some freekeh to accompany the vegetables, served with a Pepita-Cilantro Pesto, from another recipe, and I had a meal. Trust me, the flavors of the grill can also be applied to a vegetable. Those portobello mushrooms were better than a flatiron steak. Great thing also is if you have leftovers, you can either reheat the next day in the oven, or make a vegetable soup. Either way, you can’t go wrong! Enjoy your vegan BBQ!

A Plant-Based BBQ
A Plant-Based BBQ