Peanut Butter Chocolate Popcorn

This recipe is vegan and MSPI safe. Sometimes, you just need a treat.  In this case, we had a friend who generously spent a lot of time making us vegan, MSPI safe, freezer friendly meals to eat after our new baby was born. Well, he's here and her meals have been a life saver! Thanks Sam! We have a fun little policy at our house that we never return a container empty. In this case, what came to us as vegetable soup (soooo delicious) is returning in the form of peanut butter chocolate drizzle popcorn. Can I just say, "oh my!?" I made one batch and couldn't stay out of it so I had to make a second batch. Ha!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Popcorn

Makes 12 cups

1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 T Earth Balance
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
8 cups plain organic popped corn
3/4 cup chopped vegan dark chocolate or chocolate chips

In a saucepan, combine the honey, sugars, Earth Balance, and sea salt, and heat over medium until the mixture comes to a boil.  Add the peanut butter, and stir until combined.  Remove from heat, and add the vanilla, stirring.  Pour over the popcorn and gently mix.  Spread out onto a lined sheet pan, and allow to cool.

Melt the chocolate and drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn, and allow to cool and harden.

Break into small chunks and store in an airtight container.

Mulligatawny soup

We have been on an Indian food kick at our house, Vegetable Korma, Curry, Spiced Lentils, Hummus, Naan, and now Mulligatawny Soup.  

Typically Mulligatawny Soup is pretty spicy when you order it from a restaurant. This version was a little sweeter, although, you could certainly spice it up if you don't have little ones with sensitive palates. 

Mulligatawny soup

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Earth Balance Soy Free
• 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp minced garlic
  
• 1 1/2 c baby carrots, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced or chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled, chopped into small pieces
• 1 apple, peeled, chopped into small pieces
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp vegan bouillon (Better than Bouillon or Rapunzel Vegan Vegetable Bouillon )
• 4 cups water
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp apricot jam or mango puree
• 1 cup basmati or jasmine rice
• original hummus, for serving
• Cilantro to garnish (optional)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Prepare vegetables. I used my small Ninja food processor to chop the onion, celery, carrots and sweet potato. The size of the vegetables isn't important as they will be pureed later, but they do cook faster if chopped smaller.
2. Melt Earth Balance and oil in a large saucepan and stir in the chopped veggies. Cook over  medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring regularly until the vegetables soften and begin to brown. 
3. Stir in the diced apple and add curry powder. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes more. Stir and watch closely so as not to burn.
4. Stir in the bouillon, water, tomato purée and apricot jam or mango puree. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat slightly and leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally . Cook until the vegetables are soft.
   
5. While the soup is simmering, cook the rice per instructions. Drain the rice and rinse under running water until cold.
   
6. When the soup is ready, carefully blend with an immersion blender until smooth before stirring in the cooled rice. Be very careful as the soup is hot and can splatter. If you don't have an immersion blender and are using a food processor or a regular blender the soup MUST cool first or you will have an explosion.
   
7. Add water to achieve desired consistency. Heat the soup until hot and check the seasoning, add salt and black pepper to taste.
   
8. Serve the soup with a spoonful of hummus or vegan sour cream and sprinkled with cilantro.