Kiki & Bug

Hey friends! Long time no talk. I’ve been super busy and last week marked my first full week back at work. I’m in my classroom but there’s definitely a difference in preparing for this school year than ones in the past, as you can imagine. I’m so excited to be back with my kiddos, in any capacity but can be daunting to navigate what our year is going to look like and all the uncertainty that still surrounds it due to Covid 19. Anyway, I wanted to give y’all a quick update on my plant based journey this month!

I’ve made it through week two!! So this is promising, y’all. So far every meal I’ve cooked I have really enjoyed! I’m definitely going to save these recipes for future use even if I don’t continue eating plant based twice a week. I wanted to share my favorite recipe from last week and it is a vegan potato leek soup.

The first time I ever had leeks was in Switzerland when I was 13. They brought out this bowl filled with green goop and I was so against trying it. The waiter told us it was cream of leek soup. At the time I had no idea what a leek was and not too big on the overall presentation of what was put in front of me. That being said, I have always been good about trying new things despite my initial hesitations. So, like the polite human being I am while travelling, I tried it! I LOVED IT! So when I decided to switch to plant based twice a week I knew I wanted to find a recipe to try! So, here it is! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Have a great week!

Vegan Potato Leek Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 large leeks (white and green parts only, chopped)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 5 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 14 oz can coconut cream
• fresh chives, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Add the chopped onion and leeks to a pot with the garlic and olive oil. Saute until softened. Add in the thyme, rosemary, and coriander powder.
2. Add the chopped potatoes, bay leaves and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer until potatoes are soft and cooked.
3. Remove from heat and remove bay leaves.
4. Add in the coconut cream.
5. Blend the soup using an immersion blender or if you don’t have one, I just use a traditional blender and transfer the soup in stages. Blend until smooth.
6. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste. Serve with fresh chopped chives.

Enjoy! Till next time, y’all!

xoxo- Kristen Jean