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I’ve been working on this Curry Soup recipe for a while, and I do believe I’ve got it right!  It is so very creamy and delicious.  (NSNG = No Sugar, No Grains)

It is mildly spicy, so if you need to kick it up a notch, then add some crushed red pepper flakes to your individual soup bowl, or else experiment with adding some Thai chilies to the simmering soup itself.  (I’m usually afraid to over-spice the soup so I tend to err on the side of mildness!)

This recipe makes about 9 pints.  Have some for dinner and freeze the rest in pint jars!

Here are some notes about a few of the ingredients.  Once you get these items, you’ll be able to make this recipe again and again!

Garam Masala is a blend of Indian cooking spices.  I get mine from the bulk spice section of my food Co-op.  The blend includes cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, pepper and coriander.

Medium Yellow Curry Powder is a spice blend that I have from the Savory Spice Shop.  It contains coriander, turmeric, ginger, fenugreek, anise, cumin, Saigon cinnamon, black pepper, regular yellow mustard, cayenne, mace, and cardamom.

Red Curry Paste (from Thai Kitchen) contains red chili pepper, garlic, lemongrass, galangal (thai ginger), salt, shallot, spices and kaffir lime.

Ginger Juice (from The Ginger People) is a convenient way to flavor soups with ginger.  I just don’t like to hassle with fresh ginger.  And, I guess I prefer ginger juice to powdered ginger.

Natural Value Coconut Milk, in the BPA-free can, is the brand of coconut milk I buy.  It does not contain guar gum like some other brands do.

Curry Soup with Cashews, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds & Unsweetened Coconut Shreds

Curry Soup with Cashews, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds & Unsweetened Coconut Shreds

INGREDIENTS:

1 T coconut oil

4 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 orange or red pepper, chopped
2 carrots, chopped in discs
2 celery stalks, sliced on the diagonal
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
30 button or crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 zucchini, chopped (*keep separate from the other veggies)

1 t fenugreek seeds
2 t Garam masala spice blend
2 t medium yellow curry powder

4 C water + 2 t veggie broth powder (Vegebase)

3 t ginger juice (The Ginger People)
2 t Red Curry Paste (Thai Kitchen)
15 oz diced fire roasted tomatoes
15 oz tomato sauce

15 oz (cooked) garbanzo or great northern beans, rinsed
13.5 oz coconut milk (without guar gum) (Natural Value)

For Garnish:
Cashews or peanuts
Toasted pumpkin seeds (Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes.)
Finely shredded unsweetened coconut
Crushed red pepper flakes

ASSEMBLY:

  1. Heat the oil and the fenugreek seeds in a large soup pot on medium heat.
  2. Gradually add the veggies except for the zucchini.  (The zucchini will turn to mush if you let it simmer for the whole time.  The zucchini will be added to the soup in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.)
  3. Add the spices.
  4. Add the water, broth, ginger juice, and tomato products.
  5. Simmer, covered, for about an hour, or until the potatoes are cooked.
  6. In the last 5-10 minutes of cooking, add the zucchini, beans, and coconut milk.
  7. Portion in wide mouth pint freezer jars.  Makes 9 pints.
  8. Garnish with nuts, seeds and/or unsweetened coconut shreds.
Natural Value Coconut Milk

Natural Value Coconut Milk

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

 

#NSNG Technical Shirts

#NSNG Technical Shirts

I’m excited to announce that I was a guest on the Angriest Trainer podcast!  Check it out here…

Angriest Trainer 185:  The Vegan Episode!!!  (53:30 minutes)

According to my phone records, this experience was my “15 minutes of fame” (+2 minutes).  It’s crazy to think that “little old me” would end up rubbing shoulders with some influential names in Hollywood.  Pinch me!

I’m so very thankful that I was given this opportunity to “tell the world” my story of vegan transformation.  At the same time, I was completely outside my comfort zone and super nervous.  I’m extremely introverted!

Despite my fright, I wasn’t about to blow my chance to effectively speak up for the animals– especially considering that the vast majority of the Angriest Trainer’s fans are not vegan.

For this occasion, I did 100 Saadatjoo push-ups and I poured myself a little shot glass of Villa Cappelli olive oil.  I didn’t want a dry mouth!

Villa Cappelli is a sponsor of the Angriest Trainer Podcast.  It's the best olive oil and has the "Puglia pinch."

Villa Cappelli is a sponsor of the Angriest Trainer Podcast. It’s the best olive oil and has the “Puglia pinch.”

BTW– Do you even know about this podcast?  Let me explain:

The Angriest Trainer is Vinnie Tortorich… AKA “Hollywood’s Go-To Fitness Trainer.”  Vinnie’s simple, but effective approach to getting rid of unwanted body fat is…

“No Sugar, No Grains” – NSNG

I found out about Vinnie Tortorich and the Angriest Trainer podcast because I started listening to the Rich Roll podcast.  Rich had Vinnie on his podcast (RRP #12).  Vinnie is not 100% “plant powered,” but he is funny and informative.  Naturally, I started listening to Vinnie’s podcast, too.

Right away, I appreciated Vinnie’s acceptance of vegans.  And more– I realized that the NSNG dietary approach is quite accessible to vegans.  (NSNG does not necessarily mean “low-carb.”)

By following this approach for just a short time, I’ve become more lean than ever before, but without being hungry.  It really does work.  Check out my pages, “What I Eat,” and “#PPNSNG Kitchen” for more details.

"Put Life into Living and Do it with Enthusiasm!" - Vinnie Tortorich

“Put Life into Living and Do it with Enthusiasm!” – Vinnie Tortorich

A Facebook group called “Vinnie Tortorich’s No Sugar No Grains” was created for fans of the podcast.  This is a place for people to support each other, share recipes, and seek advice about all things NSNG.  Endurance runners and triathletes in the group discuss how NSNG improves athletic performance.  It’s all about becoming “fat-adapted.”

I know this might come as a shock, but in the Facebook group, vegans and omnivores actually co-exist without killing each other.  (GASP!)  It’s pretty refreshing.

I joined the Facebook group 6 months ago.  Initially, I admit it was a stretch for me to purposefully place myself where I knew I’d see animal-based food and read discussions about animal products on a regular basis.  Although it was difficult, I joined for 2 reasons:

  1. I wanted to add a vegan presence to the group.
  2. I wanted to demonstrate that NSNG can be done quite easily without consuming animal products.

Over these months, I’ve found that the vegan NSNG perspective is still needed.  I’ve observed that many former “plant-based” people end up going back to eating animal products as a result of listening to the podcast (in particular, bacon, eggs, and high fat dairy).  This is hard to witness and makes me very sad.

In order to support other vegan NSNG fans who prefer not to see animal-based food pictures or enter in discussions about animal products, I joined with 2 others (B.J. & Ciry) to create a dedicated “Plant Powered” Facebook group.  (B.J. was the happy-go-lucky Texan interviewed before me on “The Vegan Episode!!!”  Check out his blog, “Living Better.”)

Honestly, I’m hoping that the supportive environment of the PPNSNG group will help stop the trend of folks returning to eating animal products.  I do sincerely thank Vinnie for talking about the plant powered group and stating in his own voice that NSNG and vegan diets can go together.

Join me at “Vinnie Tortorich’s Plant Powered No Sugar No Grains.”  You don’t have to be vegan or 100% plant powered to be a member.

Finally…

Read “Fitness Confidential,” by Vinnie Tortorich and **Dean Lorey.  It’s really the best way to get to know Vinnie.  It’s part weight loss/fitness manual, part memoir, and part survival story.  (Literally, Vinnie survived cancer and then finished “The Toughest 48 hours in Sport,” the Furnace Creek 508 Bicycle Race.)

Who knows?– It might just inspire YOU to find out what you’re really capable of.  It had that effect on me!

"Fitness Confidential" - By Vinnie Tortorich & Dean Lorey

“Fitness Confidential” – By Vinnie Tortorich & Dean Lorey

(**Dean Lorey was in the opening segment of the “The Vegan Episode!!!” (although he’s not vegan).  He mentioned his upcoming new show on CBS this Fall called “The Crazy Ones.”  It stars Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar.  I’m planning to watch it!)

.

"There are those who are appalled because I am so vocal about injustice, yet I am equally appalled by their silence." Lujene Clark

“Every time you purchase animal products you pay assassins to murder sentient beings for you.”

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"My purpose is not to offend you, it is to provoke you to think." Unknown

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