Recipe Review (Trying something new!)

In which I make Susan Voisin's (fatfreevegan.com) "Tofu-Cashew Mayonnaise," and "Spicy Collards and Black Eyed Pea Soup," and tell you all about it.  

 

So, I'm trying something new. This week (yes, I'm trying to blog at least once a week this summer), I'm not sharing a recipe of my own creation, but some super delicious recipes from one of my favorite blogs - The Fat Free Vegan Kitchen by Susan Voisin. As I've mentioned before, I've been following Susan's blog for years, and it's an absolute go-to when I'm planning our meals for the week. She has a wonderful collection of soups, salads, one pot meals (especially great when the school year is in full swing), desserts, sauces, dressings, etc. that use accessible ingredients and are both delicious and extremely healthy. Love, love love!

I've made two of her recipes in the past two days, one for the first time and one that I've made many times before. I wanted to share my thoughts, and pictures, with you!
 

Tofu-Cashew Mayonnaise! 

Now, I have NEVER been a fan of mayo. Even before I went vegan - even then the thought of eggs and oil whipped into oblivion made me cringe. But there are two things I do like it in - potato salad and chickpea salad (sort of a vegan chicken salad kinda thing). There are several great vegan mayonnaise products out there - Nayonaise and Veganaise (my omnivore dads favorite). But they can be a bit pricy, and if it's not something that I'm going to use often (and that has a limited shelf life), I'm reluctant to shell out $6 for a jar of the stuff. However, that's where this tofu-cashew mayonnaise comes in!

It has started to get horrendously hot here in Texas - the high yesterday was 104- and while that absolutely won't stop me from using my stove top, it does make me start craving light, cool lunch fare. So I decided to make a batch of chickpea salad (recipe coming soon) to keep in the fridge - it's great on toast, in a pita, or on top of a big pile of greens - refreshing and oh so tasty. And it's one of those things that just gets better as it sits in the fridge, which is always an added bonus. I had come across this recipe the other day, when I was looking at some of Susan's salad dressings, and decided to give it a shot. It has 5 ingredients, and you basically just throw everything into a food processor/blender and voila! It looks and tastes like mayo, and is much, much better for you - 1 TBS has only 15 calories and less than 1 gram of fat! And, needless to say, 0 cholesterol.

As she suggests in the recipe, I ended up making half a batch (using the remaining silken tofu in a smoothy :) - because, as I said - it's just not something that I use that frequently. I followed the recipe  to the letter, but I think in future I may change one little thing... Next time, I'll probably soak my cashews (either overnight, or in boiling water for 30 minutes) before blending them with the other ingredients. I think it would make it just a little smoother, and more like the real thing. Nevertheless, it tasted fantastic in my chickpea salad.

Spicy Collards and Black Eyed Pea Soup

 

I have made this recipe countless times before - it usually goes into fairly regular rotation once the weather starts to cool down and I'm in full-on soup obsession mode. However, despite the heat, this week I really, really wanted some soup. And this one's always a hit. I do take a few more liberties with this one- adjusting the spices to my own tastes. I just can't handle too much spice, so I make this mild, and give my husband the bottle of Sriracha and let him torture his taste buds as he will. To that end, here are my alterations:

1) I omit the cayenne and hot sauce - for me, the paprika and chipotle chili are enough for a nice subtle heat.

2) I usually don't add the additional 2 cups of water, because I like my soup a little thicker.

3) I add 1-2tsps of garlic powder - because I really, really like garlic. 

4) I add 1tsp of liquid smoke in the last few minutes of cooking. I think it adds such a nice depth of flavor, and it just seems to finish the dish for me. 

 

We love it over rice, with a nice drizzle of flax oil. 

Chickpea madness coming soon...

Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini Lasagna with Toasted Walnuts

It's been a while... Let's make some lasagna! 

So, I've been away for a while... since January, to be precise. But there is a reason - my graduate program took me to Taiwan for three months. It was a very interesting experience, and though I did find, and eat, a lot of very tasty vegan foods (don't even get me started on the tropical fruits! Fresh pineapple, dragon fruit, green mango with papaya... mmm...), I did not do a whole lot of cooking. Partly due to my hectic schedule, and partly due to my limited kitchen supplies.

When I returned to Austin in mid May I immediately began hot gluing and paper crafting for my end of June wedding, which left little time for blogging. We had a super simple backyard wedding with a dessert reception. Dozens of cupcakes (I don't care if they say cupcakes are dead, or if cronuts are the new cool kids on the block - cupcakes will always have my heart), toppings, sauces, cookies, brownies, etc. My fabulous aunts made southern style pies and cobblers - which added a wonderful bit of family tradition. My best friend frosted the cupcakes beautifully, and the entire kitchen was a bustle of family and friends and sweets. And, of course - everything was vegan :) And pretty damn tasty, if I do say so myself! That's what really made the day perfect. All of that love just made everything sweeter.

I know it sounds crazy, or just stupid, but I really wanted to do most of the cooking for our wedding myself. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - cooking feeds my soul. It makes me happy. To me, there is no greater way to show your love for people, than to cook them delicious, healthy food (or ridiculously sinful sweets).

For our rehearsal dinner, I made four of these big roasted eggplant and zucchini lasagnas, and they went over quite well (even with the many non-vegans)! I actually made them on Wednesday afternoon, pre-baked them, and stuck them in the freezer until the dinner on Friday night. The left overs were pretty tasty too.

My pictures never seem to do things justice :/

This is a recipe I've been working on for a while, and I am absolutely in love with it! The sauce is, quite frankly, what makes this lasagna. The roasted eggplant and zucchini, with the occasional whole clove of roasted garlic, burst with flavor, and soak up all of the tomato-y goodness, while toasted walnuts add a savory crunch. This recipe is fairly easy, and freezes quite well, and you can make it in parts if you like. You can even make the sauce and tofu ricotta the day before you plan to assemble.



Tofu Ricotta: (adapted from Isa Chandra Moskowitz fabulous recipe found in one of my all time favorite vegan cookbooks- Vegan With A Vengeance)

• 1 lb extra firm tofu (non GMO)
• juice of one lemon
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ - ½  tsp salt
• pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1 tsp dried - but fresh really is best)
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1-2 TBS Gomasio (toasted sesame seeds) (Optional)

Remove the tofu from the package and give it a few good squeezes to remove as much excess tofu liquid as possible. In a medium sized bowl, crumble tofu with your (very clean!) hands until it resembles the texture of ricotta. Add the remaining ingredients, and mix thoroughly. I like to just use my hands for this,  so that you can really make sure that everything is incorporated. Taste for seasonings, and adjust as needed. Cover, and place in the fridge until ready to use. You can even make this the day before if you like. The flavors just get better the longer you let them sit :)

Roasted Veggie Sauce:

• 1 eggplant, peeled and cut into ½” cubes
• 4 zucchini cut into ½” cubes
• 1 large onion, medium dice
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into ½” cubes
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 TBS olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

• 1-14oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• ½ - ¾ jar store bought pasta sauce (I like Newmans Own, or Whole Foods brand)
• 2 cups frozen chopped spinach (or your favorite leafy green)
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• salt & pepper to taste
• ¼ cup fresh basil, roughly chopped (or 1 tsp dried basil if fresh is unavailable)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

You will need two baking sheets. Spread the chopped onion and bell pepper in a fairly even layer on one baking sheet, and the eggplant and zucchini on the other. Divide the garlic cloves and olive oil between the two sheets. Add salt and pepper to taste, and mix to coat everything. Cover with tin foil, and bake for 30 minutes, stirring half way through. After 30 minutes, remove the tin foil, stir, and place the veggies back in the oven for another 30 minutes, until the onions and peppers are golden and beginning to caramelize, and the eggplant and zucchini are tender and also beginning to caramelize.

Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool a bit while you assemble the remaining sauce ingredients.

In a large pot, add all of the remaining sauce ingredients, except for the fresh basil. Add the roasted veggies, and stir to incorporate. Cook over medium heat for about 30-45 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is heated through and the spinach is thawed. Taste for seasoning, and adjust as needed.

The Rest of the Package:

• 1 package whole wheat no-boil lasagna noodles
• ½ cup black olives, torn into pieces
• 1/3 cup chopped and toasted walnuts

Toast the Walnuts:

Now this is really simple. Finely chop the walnuts. Place a paper towel, or clean kitchen cloth on a microwave safe plate, and spread the walnuts evenly over it. Microwave for one minute, stir. Repeat this process an additional two times unill the nus are warm and fragrant. Done.

ASSEMBLE!!! 

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a 9"x13" lasagna pan, spread a few tablespoons of the sauce just to cover the bottom. This helps to reduce sticking. You can also rub down the sides of the pan with olive oil, but I usually skip  this step.

Line the bottom of your pan with a layer of lasagna noodles. Add 1/4 of your roasted veggie sauce, and spread evenly to cover the noodles. Next, sprinkle 1/4 of your tofu ricotta on top of the sauce layer. Repeat this process to create the next layer- noodles, sauce, tofu ricotta, but this time add 1/2 of your toasted walnuts. Repeat - noodles, sauce, tofu ricotta. Repeat for your final layer, and sprinkle the remaining walnuts and the black olives on top. Cover with tin foil, and bake for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, remove tin foil and continue baking for another 30 minutes, or until the top is bubbly and golden and a knife slides easily through the layers of noodles. Allow to cool, and serve!

Comforting Southern Style Chicken(less) Soup with Dumplings

 I don't know about you, but when I start feeling sad, anxious or overwhelmed the act of cooking always makes me feel better. Chopping a zucchini into perfect half moons, the sizzle of onions sauteing, the crush of a clove of garlic beneath my knife  - I find these actions very calming. They allow me to turn off the rest of the world for a bit. Even if I can't control the things that are going on around me, or the state of the world, in my kitchen I have control. Plus, the payoff is usually delicious :)

Late last night, I needed to escape. I've had several people ask me about a vegan chicken noodle soup recipe lately, and while I usually just answer with "try some miso soup!" I decided to give it a try. I don't really keep mock chicken or beef broths on hand, I usually opt for the no-salt added veggie broth cubes, but here a little something extra is necessary. I found this great recipe for vegan chicken-style broth powder from the Healing Heart Foundation ( Chick'n Style Seasoning Blend ). It comes together very quickly in a food processor or blender, and stores easily in an airtight container. Of course, I made a few modifications:

I added:
1 tsp of dried rubbed sage
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper (or more if you like)
and only used 1 TBS of the dried parsley

While I heartily enjoy soups containing noodles or rice, when you start talking about comfort food, my mind goes to one thing: dumplings. When I was little, I remember sitting in my great grandmother's kitchen, eagerly helping measure flour and poke at things with my wooden spoon as she taught me how to make true southern dumplings. Plump, savory and delicious. The dumplings I use here are healthier, and of course veganized. Don't get me wrong- the soup would be delicious on it's own, or with some whole wheat elbow or ditalini pasta, but the dumplings add that extra bit of creamy carby goodness. It's not much to look at, but damn it tastes good! Next time, I'm going to try to make these dumplings gluten free using chickpea flour -I'll let you know how they turn out. This makes a great, healthy one pot meal (you've got your veggies, protein and starch all in one pot). Serve with some good crusty bread, bundle up and enjoy! And like most soups, it tastes even better the next day.

Comforting Southern Style Chicken(less) Soup With Dumpling

• 1 tsp olive, grapeseed, or coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, small dice
• 3-4 carrots, diced
• 3 celery stalks, halved lengthwise and diced
• 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
• 1 lbs extra firm tofu, cut into small 1/2" cubes  
• 9 cups water
• 1 no-salt added veggie broth cube
• 3.5 TBS  chicken broth powder (recipe at link above)
• 1 TBS nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp rubbed sage
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp tamari
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ tsp ground pepper (or to taste)

Dumplings

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 TBS olive oil
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• pinch pepper
• 1.5 TBS  nutritional yeast flakes
• ¾ tsp salt
• ½ tsp rubbed sage, parsley or thyme
• 3/4 cups water

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add water, and all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the carrots and celery are tender.

Meanwhile, prepare the dumpling batter: Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the water. Mix until you have a thick, sticky dough (add a little more water 1 TBS at a time if your dough is too dry) – careful not to over mix.

Once the carrots and celery are tender, bring the heat back up to a boil. Using two teaspoons, drop dumpling batter into the soup. Reduce the heat back down to a simmer, and cover leaving the lid cracked to let out steam.  Cook for another 15-20 minutes until the dumplings are cooked through. Ladle up and serve!

Vegan Fettucini Alfredo with Peas and Parsley

So, it's been awhile... however in my absence from the blogosphere, I did manage to successfully complete my first semester of graduate school! And it was fantastic! Oh the stories... And now I have over a month until school starts up again, and I plan to blog as much as possible. Well, and maybe work on a few projects :)

I have lots of recipes to catch up on, but to start things off, I thought I'd share this recipe for vegan Alfredo sauce that I came up with a few nights ago. It's super simple, and very quick - while the pasta's cooking, the sauce comes together in 5 minutes, so dinner can be on the table in under half an hour (apart from soaking the cashews, but you can prep those about an hour before you're ready to start dinner, or even the night before!).  Andrew and I have been talking about trying a vegan Alfredo recipe for a while now, and last night was the night.

I knew that silken tofu would be instrumental in achieving the creamy texture and appearance of an Alfredo sauce, and I've had quite good results using raw cashews in my vegan cheese sauces and "cheese" cakes, so I hoped that combining the two would give me the results I wanted. And they did! Granted, it's been quite some time (over ten years, in fact) since I've eaten actual Fettucini Alfredo, but this came pretty damn close to my memories of it, and Andrew agreed :)  I wanted to cut the creaminess of the sauce with a little freshness and add a bit of color, so I threw in some fresh parsley and some peas... delicious! This is a MUCH healthier alternative to traditional Alfredo sauce, which is heavily laden with heavy cream and cheese. Here, tofu, cashews and peas lend lots of protein, and while the nuts and Earth Balance add a bit of fat, if this recipe were split into 6 servings, each would still have under 10 grams of fat. And most of that is the good kind! So give it a try. 

Vegan Fettucini Alfredo with Parsley and Peas

• 1 lbs fettucini noodles
• 1 cup frozen peas
 

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 pkg soft silken tofu
• 1/2  cup + 2 TBS nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup raw cashew pieces
• 1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 TBS earth balance, or coconut oil (optional)
• 1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, washed and stems removed

Beforehand: 
One hour before you intend to start dinner, place the cashews in a small bowl, and cover with boiling water. Set aside to soak. You can also get the cashews  started the night before if you like. Just cover them with warm water, then place a plate or some cling film on top of the bowl to cover, and let them set overnight.

Begin!:
Boil water for pasta. Place pasta in boiling water. During the last 2-3 minutes of the pasta cooking, add the peas!

While the pasta is cooking:
In a food processor or blender, mince the garlic cloves first. Then add 1/4 cup of the almond milk, and all of the remaining ingredients, except for the parsley, and blend until smooth and creamy. If the sauce is too thick, gradually add more almond milk, until you've achieved the desired consistency. Add the parsley, and pulse 2-3 times to incorporate it. Taste for seasonings, adjust and the sauce is ready!

Assemble:
Drain the pasta and peas, return to pot and add the sauce. Stir to coat the pasta, and serve with roasted veggies or a simple spinach salad. And it actually tastes pretty decent the next day too :)

Lazy Sunday Summer Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Gluten-Free

Summer Rolls!

So it's Sunday. It's been a very long week. Andrew and I have both been working different hours, seeing each other for a few minutes in the morning, and for an hour or two at night (when I tend to be so tired he practically has to drag me to bed). However, today we both had the day off, and actually had time to do normal human things, like sleep in, go to the grocery store, put away laundry, clean up the multiple little craft explosions around the house, and drink many leisurely cups of tea. It's been a very nice day of calm. The crazy will start right back up again tomorrow morning, but I've made a point of trying to keep today as homework free as possible (by doing ALL of it yesterday). Though we did stop by the Fine Arts Library, where I picked up about twenty large, heavy, and beautiful books on Tudor fashion, Elizabethan Pageantry, Dior, Alexander McQueen, Fashion & Fetishism, etc. I love libraries. And I seriously love that as a graduate student I get to keep books ALL SEMESTER LONG! Muahahahhahahahahaha!

Anyway... to top off this lovely lazy Sunday, we decided to make Summer Rolls. I know, summer rolls in the fall? However, since Austin seems to have forgotten the fact that it is now mid October (today it got up to 88), these seemed quite apropos.

Summer rolls, Vietnamese style spring rolls, or fresh spring rolls (call them what you will)  usually consist of raw veggies/salad, perhaps tofu, rolled in a rice paper wrapper. They're cool, sticky, crisp and delicious. And they go together fairly fast, since there's really no cooking involved (ours took a bit longer because we wanted to add some baked tofu, which took about 20 minutes to prepare), especially when you have a little assembly line going. We only used about 1/3-1/2 of our wrappers and and made about 15 good sized rolls. And they're super fun! This recipe is just what I happened to have on hand tonight- but you could put just about anything you like in these and I'm sure they'd be delicious. The peanut sauce is based on the one I use in my Pad Thai, and also ridiculously easy to make :)

Summer Rolls

• 1 12oz package 22cm round rice paper wrappers
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow summer squash, cut into small matchsticks/julienned
• 1 carrot, cut into small matchsticks/julienned
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 2-3 cups mixed greens, spinach, etc. 
• Alfalfa sprouts
• 1 15oz block tofu, baked (this is my go to method for baked tofu), sliced into 1/2" strips, and cooled

Prep all of your veggies and tofu. It's best to just soak the wrappers as you go - by the time you're done filling one, the next one should be soft enough to begin filling. Follow the package directions on your wrappers for this (I ended up filling a large wide pan with very warm water, and soaking the wrappers for about 5-10 seconds). Lay your softened wrapper out on a plate or cutting board, and fill with goodies! They don't have to be pretty, just try to make sure the ends are closed to prevent the veggies from spilling out (this isn't hard since the rice paper wants nothing more than to stick to itself). Continue assembling until you run out of ingredients.

They're not the most glamorous, but this was our first time :)

Inside!

Peanut Sauce

• 3 TBS chunky peanut butter
• 1 1/2 TBS rice wine vinegar
• 1 1/2  TBS wheat-free tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tsp agave nectar

Mix all ingredients together. Dip away!

Andrew with a hand full of summer roll and a bowl of sriracha.

Tech and Curry!

So it's been many a month since my last post - and all I can say is, I'm sorry but graduate school (while absolutely, mind-blowingly awesome!) is hard. And time consuming. I have several recipe's on backlog, several started blog posts, but just haven't finished them. However, right now I'm sitting backstage overseeing my wardrobe crew during the season's first tech, during which the shows four actors have no quick changes, and no costume changes period (which basically means we don't have a whole lot to do). So I'm using this time to start blogging again (I've already spent 4 hours on homework :).  I'm starting small, starting simple - with curry :)

*The curry in this picture doesn't actually have the tofu in it - my last batch disappeared before I could capture it on film, so this one's filling in :)

I won't lie, there has been many an evening after a LONG day in the shop, sewing/researching/mulling a hat - when popcorn is the most attractive dinner option. Quick, easy, and soothing. But now that I've gotten a bit more into the groove of things, I've had more time (and made myself find more time) to find my zen in the kitchen. Because if there's one thing that brings me sanity, and soothes my soul, it's cooking. And this is one of my favorites. It's delicious straight out of the pan, but it's even better the next day, as the flavors have had a chance to meld and get cozy with one another. This recipe originally started as my version of chana masala, but I've recently started adding cauliflower and tofu to the mix, and I don't know that I'll ever go back. I love the way that the cauliflower and tofu absorb all of the flavors of the curry, and still retain a good deal of their textures. I also love how easy this curry is to assemble, it's a meal I can basically throw together in my sleep now. I hope you enjoy it! I really want to get back to weekly blogging, but I can make no promises - please be patient with me, and eat some curry while you wait :)

Simple Sunday Night Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 TBS brown mustard seeds
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 – 14 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or, spice things up and add 1 can of navy beans instead!)
• 1- 14 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes, with some of the liquid drained off 
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets 
• 1 block extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 2-3 heaping tsp of sweet curry powder (one of my favorites comes from The Spice House)
• ½ -1 tsp salt
• 1 ½ cup chopped frozen kale
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• juice of 2 small limes

Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium sized pot, over medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds, and cover the pot. Allow the mustard seeds to pop for about 30 seconds to 1 minute (you want them to toast and pop, but not burn). Carefully remove the lid (watch out for rogue mustard seeds!), and add the onion. Saute for about 2 minutes, until the onion is beginning to brown. Add the garlic and ginger, and sauté for another 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, beans, cauliflower, curry powder and salt. Stir to combine, cover and turn the heat down to a simmer. Allow to cook for about 15 minutes, covered and stirring frequently, then add the tofu and kale and cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is very tender. Add the coconut milk and lime juice. Let cook for a few minutes more to heat through, then taste for seasoning and serve over rice :) 

Packing, Sewing, and Black Bean Soup! 

 

This week has been rather hectic. I'm getting ready to move down to Austin, to start graduate school and the next phase of this "life" thing. So packing, packing, packing! And finishing up a few sewing projects, helping my mom decorate her new office, and then a little more packing with some much needed yoga thrown in. Needless to say, I haven't been in the kitchen quite as much as usual, due to the fact that my days seem to melt away before I have time to notice. However, Monday night, I decided that Tuesday I would cook! I'd been craving black bean soup, so I put some dry black beans to soak overnight in preparation for the next day. I made this Tuesday afternoon when I needed a break from sorting. packing and cleaning, then let it sit for a few hours until dinner. Delicious!

This isn't an original recipe, it's one that I found while staring starry-eyed at my favorite blog search- Taste Spotting. The recipe comes from Vega-Licious, and I've made it several times now. It's quickly become my favorite black bean soup recipe -it's so comforting. If you're pining away for the perfect black bean soup (and of course you are), seriously give this one a try. It's thick, and savory and cumin-y (yep, that is now a word). And, as usual it's even better the next day! The full recipe makes a LOT of soup, so I usually cut it in half which still makes about 8 + servings. Top it with some crushed baked tortilla chips, avocado and fresh tomatoes. So good.

Here is the link to the recipe: Vega-Licious Vegan Black Bean Soup (you have to scroll down a bit as this takes you to all of her soup recipes).

Of course, I don't follow the directions to the letter- because what fun would that be? Here are the things I change.

• As I mentioned before, I usually cut the recipe in half, so I only use 2 cups of dried black beans.
• I don't add the cayenne pepper, but use Mrs. Dash Chipotle spice blend instead (regular chipotle chili pepper would be delicious as well), because it provides less heat but a little more smokey chili flavor.
• Instead of plain old crushed tomatoes, I use fire roasted diced tomatoes instead and just mash them up in the soup.
• And I'm not always a huge cilantro fan, so to still get some of that brightness at the end of the cooking process, I add the juice of one or two limes during the last 5 minutes or so of cooking. Mmmmm mmmm good!  

Black Bean Soup with a side of pear :)