Vegan with a Vengeance

oil
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    Â½ cup grated apple
    Â½ cup chopped apple (¼-inch pieces)
    FOR TOPPING:
    Â¼ cup all-purpose flour
    Â¼ cup brown sugar
    Â½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    Â¼ teaspoon ground allspice
    Pinch of salt
    3 tablespoons canola oil
    Prepare the topping by mixing all the dry topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Drizzle the oil in while mixing with your fingertips until crumbs form. Set aside.
    Preheat oven to 375°F, lightly grease a twelve-muffin tin.
    In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Create a well in the center and add the apple cider, oil, and vanilla. Mix, then fold in the grated and chopped apple.
    Fill each muffin cup two-thirds full. Sprinkle the crumb topping over each muffin. Bake for 22 minutes.

SOUPS
    Sometimes I double these recipes and make a big batch to either freeze or eat throughout the week. I love making soup for several reasons, like it’s delicous and fast, but the biggest impetus is that everything goes in one pot and there arent’s a gazillion dishes to clean up (or let sit in the sink for a week) afterward. All of these soup recipes are hearty enough to be meals, with some rice or good crusty bread.

Carrot Bisque
    SERVES 8
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    I’ve never been crazy about carrot soups, they always seemed a little too skimpy and health-foody for me. But this slightly sweet, incredibly creamy and hearty carrot soup changed all that. It’s easy to make, to boot.
    3 pounds carrots, peeled and diced into a little smaller than ½-inch pieces
    1 large onion, chopped
    2 tablespoons peanut oil (vegetable oil will do)
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1 tablespoon curry powder
    Â½ teaspoon salt
    A few dashes fresh black pepper
    3 cups vegetable broth, or 1 bouillon cube dissolved in 3 cups water
    1 (13-ounce) can coconut milk
    1 tablespoon maple syrup
    In a stockpot over low-medium heat, cook the carrots and onions in the peanut oil for 7 to 10 minutes; cover and stir occasionally. You want the onions to brown but not to burn, although if they burn a little bit it’s not the end of the world. Add the garlic, curry, salt, and pepper; sauté for 1 more minute. Add the 3 cups of broth, cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.
    Add the coconut milk and bring to a low boil. Turn the heat off. Use a handheld blender to puree half of the soup; if you don’t have one, then puree half the soup in a blender and add it back to the soup pot (see Punk Point). Add the maple syrup and stir. Serve hot.
    PUNK POINTS
    If you are using a blender to puree the soup, let the soup cool a bit so that the steam doesn’t cause the blender lid to pop off and hot soup to splatter everywhere. Once the soup has cooled, give it a few pulses in the blender, lift the lid to let steam escape, and repeat.

Corn Chowder
    Serves 6
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    Fresh, sweet corn, especially in the summer when it’s in season, has such a pure taste I sometimes just like to just eat it raw. Potatoes give this soup a creamy, hearty body and the jalapeños give it just a little kick.
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 medium-size onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
    1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped (about 1½ cups)
    1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
    2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and thinly sliced (use just one if you like less heat)
    1 teaspoon dried rosemary
    1 teaspoon dried thyme
    A few dashes fresh black pepper
    1 teaspoon salt
    3 cups vegetable broth or water
    3 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 5 ears of corn)
    2 medium-size russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½-inch chunks
    1 bay leaf
    Pinch cayenne
    Juice of 1 lime
    Â¼ cup plain soy milk
    1 tablespoon maple syrup
    In stockpot sauté the onions, bell peppers, carrots, and jalapeños in the olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add rosemary, thyme, black pepper, and salt; sauté 1 minute more. Add the broth, corn, potatoes, bay leaf, and cayenne. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Uncover and simmer 10 minutes more to let the liquid reduce a bit.
    Remove the bay leaf and puree half the chowder either using a handheld blender or by transferring half the chowder to a blender, pureeing till smooth (see Punk Point on page 56), and adding back to soup. Add the lime juice to