Somer McCowan Archives - Forks Over Knives

Moroccan Lentil Soup

Somer McCowan — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 01:48:26 +0000

My Australian sister-in-law Annette made this soup for us while her family was here vacationing in the United States. Here’s my interpretation of her soup, which is easily the most popular soup recipe on my website.

Recipe from The Abundance Diet

Yield: Makes 6 servings

6 cups vegetable broth
2 cups chopped onions, cut into ¼-inch dice
2 medium carrots, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
2 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1½ heaped teaspoons ground cumin
¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1½ cups split dry red lentils, picked over and rinsed
⅓ cup chopped parsley
⅓ cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
⅓ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste

Instructions

Heat ¼ cup of the vegetable broth in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic and sauté, adding additional broth as necessary to keep the vegetables from burning, until the onions are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and ground ginger. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the flavors to bloom. Add the remaining vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, and lentils and bring to a boil.
Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes or until the lentils are fully cooked.
Add the parsley, cilantro, and lemon juice and stir to combine. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.
For texture variation, pulse the soup a few times with an immersion blender.
For extra brightness, squeeze an additional slice of lemon over each bowl.

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Chocolate Pancakes

Somer McCowan — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 23:55:19 +0000

Everybody deserves to have a little chocolate for breakfast once in a while. These pancakes got five-star reviews from all of my testers. This recipe requires a nonstick skillet to keep the pancakes from sticking. Serve with whatever fresh fruit you like—we enjoy them with strawberries, raspberries, bananas, or a combination of all three.

Yield: Makes 12 pancakes

1¼ cups whole-grain gluten-free flour (see Notes)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon vegan mini chocolate chips (optional; see Notes)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup unsweetened, unflavored almond milk
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or ¼ teaspoon stevia powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

Instructions

Combine the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, flax, chocolate chips, and salt) in a medium bowl. Whisk until fully combined.
Combine the wet ingredients (almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and vinegar) in a small bowl, and whisk well. This will create a vegan buttermilk for your pancakes.
Add the vegan buttermilk and the applesauce to the flour mixture, and stir until the batter is just combined.
Let the batter stand for 10 minutes while it rises and thickens as the flaxseeds soak; it may nearly double in size.
Heat a nonstick skillet or electric skillet griddle over medium heat and mist with a tiny bit of nonstick spray, if desired. (If you have a large skillet, you can cook multiple pancakes at once.) Scoop the batter into 3-inch rounds. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the bubbles have burst in each of the pancakes and the tops start to appear dry. Flip the pancakes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. You should get 12 pancakes total. Notes: Flour – You can use any other whole-grain flour if you prefer. Chocolate chips – Two brands of vegan mini chocolate chips I like are Enjoy Life and Lily’s (stevia-sweetened).

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Cherry Soft-Serve Ice Cream

Somer McCowan — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 15:20:20 +0000

This is a vegan version of Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream. It’s a delicious, refreshing, and guilt-free soft-serve dessert.

From The Abundance Diet

Find this cool dessert recipe and more kid-friendly ideas in the Forks Over Knives Recipe App.

Yield: Makes 4 Servings

4 medium-sized bananas, cut into 1-inch pieces and frozen
1 cup frozen cherries
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, as needed
2 tablespoons mini vegan chocolate chips

Instructions

In a food processor, combine the frozen banana pieces, cherries, and vanilla extract.
Process until creamy, adding almond milk one tablespoon at a time as necessary.
Pulse in the chocolate chips. Serve immediately.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAdHWRiSt_4

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