lately, i have been a busy little bee cooking up a bunch of new projects. currently, i am working on a revamp of newfoodtuesdayz. in the works are more user friendly recipes, beautiful, easy to use recipe archives and new features like online ordering for my cake business.

so i have been going through old posts, looking for direction and inspiration. i went all the way back to the beginning. and one of the first posts was an all time favorite. potato leek soup. i believe the recipe i used was from one of my idols, martha. the recipe gave my my first real cooking tip. since leeks can be dirty and gritty, slice them and soak them in some water. all the dirt will wash off, drain the leeks and pat them dry and they are ready for use. 

not only did i learn my first pro tip, for the first time, someone cooked a recipe from newfoodtuesdayz. now, it wasn't really MY recipe, but it didn't matter then.

but that's not even the best part. the friend who cooked the soup? my dear friend lindsey who is working with me on the other BIG project i am working on. a CAKE calendar. yes. you read that correctly. i will let you process for a moment... 

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yes. a calendar all about cake. here is a taste from our first shoot.

while you contemplate what cakez i could possibly come up with, here is MY version of potato + leek soup. sorry martha, mine is my better. 

potato + leek soup
serves: 4
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 35 minutes
total time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 2 tbs olive oil. 3 large leeks, white and light green parts sliced .25 inch thick (soaked in water, strained and dried). 1.5 lbs yucon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped. 1 tbs minced garlic. .5 cups marsala wine. .5 tsp nutmeg. 5 small sage leaves, chopped. 6 cups chicken stock. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp fresh ground pepper. 1 cup seasoned croutons. hand immersion blender, blender or food processor. 

start by hearing the oil over medium high heat until hot. add in the leeks and cook until starting to brown. about 5-8 minutes. season the leeks with a couple pinches of salt and one of pepper. add in the garlic and cook until it is fragrant. about 1 minute. 

pour in the marsala and while it bubbles up, scrape up any browned bits. 

add in the potato, sage, nutmeg and the remaining salt and pepper. bring the soup to a boil. about 7-10 minutes. reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid had reduced a bit. you should have lost about .5 inch of liquid from the original liquid lime on your pot. once you can smash a potato piece against the side of the pot, it is ready. 

remove from the heat and blend until smooth. 

serve hot with croutons.

xo,a

potato + leek soup serves: 4 prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 35 minutes
total time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 2 tbs olive oil. 3 large leeks, white and light green parts sliced .25 inch thick (soaked in water, strained and dried). 1.5 lbs yucon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped. 1 tbs minced garlic. .5 cups marsala wine. .5 tsp nutmeg. 5 small sage leaves, chopped. 6 cups chicken stock. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp fresh ground pepper. 1 cup seasoned croutons. hand immersion blender, blender or food processor. start by hearing the oil over medium high heat until hot. add in the leeks and cook until starting to brown. about 5-8 minutes. season the leeks with a couple pinches of salt and one of pepper. add in the garlic and cook until it is fragrant. about 1 minute. pour in the marsala and while it bubbles up, scrape up any browned bits. add in the potato, sage, nutmeg and the remaining salt and pepper. bring the soup to a boil. about 7-10 minutes. reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid had reduced a bit. you should have lost about .5 inch of liquid from the original liquid lime on your pot. once you can smash a potato piece against the side of the pot, it is ready. remove from the heat and blend until smooth. serve hot with croutons.

let me just start by saying i believe that what you put in your body, or the bodies of your children is a personal choice. it is up there on my list of things not to engage people too deeply on. right along with personal religion and child rearing choices. it is your body, your life, your future. i don't care if you eat fast food all day or have never let an animal product pass your lips. i just hope you are happy with whatever choices you are making. 

with that being said, i don't prescribe to the idea that we should be eating animal proteins every day. nor am i in the camp that believes you should not consume animal products for health or moral reasons. i believe in everything in moderation. animals, sweets, exercise, indulgence, depravation. EVERYTHING in moderation. 

the reality is that i have friends and family that fall into all types of eating genres. gluten free, vegans, full on meat eaters, those that only eat fish. the full spectrum. so i'm often pushing myself to cook in new ways so that when i do have someone that is dining with me with a restriction, i know how to meat it in the best and most delicious way possible. 

enter these vegan carrot cake loaves. i combined a few recipes i researched to come up with what i believe is the most flavorful and moist combination. what i love about vegan baking is that the ingredients i subbed for standard baking ingredients like eggs and milk had their own unique flavor that they bring to the party. almond milk & applesauce are delicious in their own right. and the hint of coconut doesn't hurt either. 

vegan carrot cake loaves
serves: 12 loaves
*cooks note: you could easily make this into a 9 x 13 sheet cake version or two 8 or 9 inch rounds prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
bake time: 20-25 minutes
total time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 2.25 cups all purpose flour. 3 teaspoons baking powder. 1 tsp baking soda. 3 tsp cinnamon. .25 tsp nutmeg. .25 tsp allspice. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 cup applesauce. 1 cup almond milk. 2 tsp vanilla. .5 cup sugar. .5 cup brown sugar. .5 cup melted coconut oil. 2 cups grated carrots (if you do not like yours too chunky you could also give the carrots a couple turns in your food processor for a smoother texture). vegetable oil cooking spray. mini loaf pan. optional for serving: butter, cream cheese frosting or one of them many great vegan frostings the interwebs have to offer). 

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. in a large bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients. in another bowl, whisk together your oil, almond milk, apple sauce, vanilla and both sugars. 

slowly add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients, stirring as you combine. 

mix in your carrots. 

spray your loaf pans (or whatever pans you are going with) with your cooking spray. pour your batter in evenly. 

bake until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. about 20-25 minutes. allow the loaves to cool slightly. 

remove them from the baking pan and set them on a wire rack to cool. 

if you are eating them warm with butter, you can enjoy now. you can also top them with cream cheese frosting and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. bring them back to room temperature or even warm them a bit in the oven or toaster oven before enjoying. they are fabulous with coffee or great on their own. 

xo, a

vegan carrot cake loaves
serves: 12 loaves
*cooks note: you could easily make this into a 9 x 13 sheet cake version or two 8 or 9 inch rounds prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
bake time: 20-25 minutes
otal time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 2.25 cups all purpose flour. 3 teaspoons baking powder. 1 tsp baking soda. 3 tsp cinnamon. .25 tsp nutmeg. .25 tsp allspice. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 cup applesauce. 1 cup almond milk. 2 tsp vanilla. .5 cup sugar. .5 cup brown sugar. .5 cup melted coconut oil. 2 cups grated carrots (if you do not like yours too chunky you could also give the carrots a couple turns in your food processor for a smoother texture). vegetable oil cooking spray. mini loaf pan. optional for serving: butter, cream cheese frosting or one of them many great vegan frostings the interwebs have to offer).
start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. in a large bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients. in another bowl, whisk together your oil, almond milk, apple sauce, vanilla and both sugars. slowly add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients, stirring as you combine. mix in your carrots. spray your loaf pans (or whatever pans you are going with) with your cooking spray. pour your batter in evenly. bake until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. about 20-25 minutes. allow the loaves to cool slightly. remove them from the baking pan and set them on a wire rack to cool. if you are eating them warm with butter, you can enjoy now. you can also top them with cream cheese frosting and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. bring them back to room temperature or even warm them a bit in the oven or toaster oven before enjoying. they are fabulous with coffee or great on their own.