November, among other things, signals the start of casserole and potpie season. This is a season I love–there’s nothing like making up one large casserole on a Sunday or Monday night and then eating it all week. Sure, it gets a little old by the end of the week, but for my rather busy lifestyle, it’s a blessing. Plus my casseroles generally involve biscuits, a key component that makes the casserole all the better.  I mean, think about it, where would civilization be without biscuits?  Nowhere, that’s the answer.  To make this dish gluten-free, of course, all you need to do is sub your favorite gluten-free biscuit recipe for the one below.  Jessy has a great looking one that I’ve yet to try, but I bet it’d go fabulously with the casserole!

My kickoff casserole for this season is a sweet potato and eggplant casserole. There are other vegetables involved–broccoli, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes–but for me, the highlights were the sweet potatoes and eggplant. I topped it with Italian herb biscuits and for a one pot dish (hooray for dutch ovens) I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Happy weekend everyone! Go out an enjoy the nice weather if you’ve got it or stay bundled up inside with a cup of hot cider if it’s chilly where you are!

Sweet Potato & Eggplant Casserole

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp smokey hot paprika
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 c vegetable stock
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 large potato, chopped into equal sized pieces
1 large carrot, chopped into equal sized pieces
2 medium sweet potatoes, chopped into equal sized pieces
1 medium large eggplant, chopped into equal sized pieces
1 small head of broccoli, chopped into florets
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/4 c soy yogurt

1 c all-purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sage
5 tbsp Earth Balance
2/3 c soy milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or a dutch oven. Saute the onion over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, paprikas, cumin, and salt and cook for 1 more minute until fragrant.

Add the potato, carrot, tomato, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the sweet potato, eggplant, and zucchini and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, combine the flours, baking powder, herbs and salt in a bowl. Add the Earth Balance in tablespoon chunks and cut with a pastry blender or with a fork until the butter is combined with the flour and crumbly. Add the soy milk and mix until the dough just comes together. Divide into 6-8 biscuits.

Stir the nutritional yeast and soy yogurt into the vegetables. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish (skip this step if using a dutch oven), and top with the biscuits. Bake for 20 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and cooked through.

The thing that I love, and now miss, the most about the farmers market is that I never know what I’ll come home with. Earlier in the summer I played around with different kinds of eggplants–multi colored thai eggplants, white ruffle eggplants, “regular” eggplants, you name it–but, for the past few weeks, it’s been greens. The other week I scored the largest chinese cabbage I’ve ever seen in my life–the thing must have weighed three pounds–and it cost only $3. There wasn’t any way that I could pass up on a giant Chinese cabbage, even though I had no idea what to do with it, so I carted it home and then started looking around cookbooks and the internet to see what other folks have done with it.

This Chinese cabbage wasn’t a Napa Cabbage, it was a leafy, green thing, kind of like mustard or turnip greens. So when I saw this recipe from the LA Times for Mixed Greens Soup, I figured, why not, I have more than enough green leaves to go in it so why not see how it tastes? I wanted a huge batch of hearty soup, so a potato based, green soup sounded perfect. The end result was delicious–potatoey and green and hearty–and perfect with a slice of fresh baked bread (or three slices…I tend to overdo it with the bread, it’s just so good). The flavor of the greens isn’t intense at all, in fact, the potato seemed to come through more than the greens, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing because it’s all very balanced. The soup, of course, can be made like the original recipe with various different kinds of greens. And the best part was, I still had half of the leaves left over to blanch and freeze!

Chinese Cabbage Soup

adapted from the LA Times

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large carrot, chopped
2 large leeks, chopped, white part only
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 c vegetable broth
1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
12 c Chinese cabbage, chopped
1/2 c soy milk
1/4 c nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a medium to large stock pot over medium heat and cook the carrots and leeks until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté an additional minute until fragrant but not browned.

Add the vegetable broth, potato cubes and the chopped greens; stir.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover partially and simmer 1 hour. Remove from heat and purée in a food processor until smooth.

Return the soup to the heat and simmer, uncovered, until it thickens slightly, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the soy milk and nutritional yeast, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. Serve with bread.

I don’t know about you all, but I am stoked to be in November. My plans for the month include hunkering down and getting work done, baking up a storm up pies and bread (gluten free especially!) for the next Alternative Thanksgiving talk (November 17!), and embracing the change from autumn to winter here in the gorgeous mountains of southwestern Virginia. I’ve already accomplished more in the first 2 days of the month than I think I did for the last two weeks of October, so that’s exciting, and, last night, I went on this spectacular night hike up to Dragon’s Tooth. Hiking during a full moon was surreal–we never needed to use our head lamps–and the wind breaking over the jagged teeth-like rocks at the top and the stars and the cows mooing in the valley–it was all just amazing. I think I might have to start a monthly night hike on the full moon from now on!

But of course, Halloween was on Saturday, and three carved pumpkins make a lot of pumpkin seeds. I don’t know if there’s some trick for cleaning off the seeds from the pumpkin gunk, but I think it took almost an hour for me to separate the seeds from the other stuff. Given that I’ve never actually managed to roast pumpkin seeds without burning them, I was terrified that all my work would be in vain, but, thankfully, they turned out great! I made three kinds–cinnamon spice, hot curried, and Old Bay–and while all of them have their merits, I think the cinnamon spice ones were my favorite. If you have some seeds lying around still, I’d recommend roasting ‘em up! They’re perfect for snacking, for topping salads with, and for throwing on top of soups and pretty much any other entree.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds x3

To prep the seeds:
Separate the seeds from the pumpkin gunk.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add 1/2 tsp of salt per 1 1/2 c of pumpkin seeds.

Boil the seeds for 10 minutes, drain, set aside.

For the Cinnamon Spice:
1 1/2 c pumpkin seeds, cleaned and boiled
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
2 tbsp raw sugar
1 tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a bowl, toss together the seeds with the spices, sugar, and oil. Spread on a baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until browned but not burned.

For the Hot Curried Pumpkin Seeds:
1 1/2 c pumpkin seeds, cleaned and boiled
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp hot curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp corriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a bowl, toss together the seeds with the spices, salt, and oil. Spread on a baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until browned but not burned.

For the Old Bay Pumpkin Seeds:
1 1/2 c pumpkin seeds, cleaned and boiled
1 1/2 tbsp Old Bay spice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a bowl, toss together the seeds with the Old Bay, salt, pepper, and oil. Spread on a baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until browned but not burned.

October, where have you gone?! My goodness, it’s been a crazy-awesome month MoFoing with you all. I wish I could have kept up the pace a bit better, but the conference in Houston, Alternative Thanksgiving, and school kept getting in the way. You all were so inspiring and now I’ve got a long list of recipes to catch up on: A-K’s Vegan Haggis, Lazy Smurf’s Sanguine Moon Curry, Monica’s Carrot & Walnut Tofu Neatballs, Chow Vegan’s BBQ Yuba Ribs, Becky’s Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup, and Becka’s Chocolate Breakfast Soft Serve, among others.

One recipe that I did get around to making this month after it was posted was Mihl’s beautiful Dark Wholemeal Bread with Flax Seeds. The loaf only lasted three days, it was that good, and, remember, there’s only one of me eating my food. Good heavens, the crumb, the dark nutty flavor, the satisfying swipe of each piece against my soup bowl! Mihl’s a goddess of bread baking and her recipe turned out absolutely perfect when I made it. Thanks to her and Peter Reinhart, I will never be able to make a loaf of bread without starting a poolish or biga the night before–the extra fermentation works wonders!

Dark Wholemeal Bread with Flax Seeds

from Seitan is my Motor

17.5 tbsp whole wheat flour
17.5 tbsp water
0.6 tsp active dry yeast

10.5 tbsp whole spelt flour
7 tbsp whole rye flour
10.5 tbsp water
2 tsp salt
1.2 tsp dry active yeast
3.5 tbsp whole flax seeds
3.5 tbsp water

The day before mix whole wheat flour and water in a bowl. You can mix it with a spoon just until everything is combined. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap and let rest on the counter for at least 8 hours/overnight.

The next day, add remaining flours, salt, remaining yeast, and 10.5 tablespoons of water.

In a small bowl mix flax and 3.5 tbsp of water and set aside.

Knead the dough for ten minutes. Because the dough consists of whole meal flours only it won’t be as elastic as regular bread dough. This bread has a relatively high water content, so it will also be considerably wetter, a bit like thick cake batter.

During the last minute of kneading add the flax mixture. The flax should have absorbed all the water by now. Knead the dough for another minute or until the flax is well incorporated.

Preheat your oven to 480°F.

Oil a loaf pan or line it with parchment paper and transfer the dough to the pan. Let the dough rise until doubled, or for one hour.

Transfer it to your oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 420°F and bake for another 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. A very good way to determine if your loaf is done is a candy thermometer. Stick it into the center of the baked bread and if it registers 93°C/200°F the bread is done.

Let cool completely before slicing.

This week has been a little bit insane, and it’s aiming to be only more so until November hits on Sunday, so bear with me these last few days of Vegan MoFo 2009. I tried…but, well, last year was a bit more successful on the daily posting side of things.

Lately I’ve been making a lot of soup–it goes a long way, is cheap, filling, and absolutely satisfying with a slice or two of bread and a nice little salad on the side. The current soup is a mash-up of butternut squash, acorn squash, Indian spices, and coconut milk. It’s a little spicy and hearty, squashy and coconut milky all at the same time–a blend of flavors and textures that I really enjoy. If you have the time, straining the soup will help take out any little bumps and squash pieces in the soup, but I don’t mind them so I just whir it through the food processor and leave it at that.

Curried Winter Squash Soup

1 medium-small butternut squash, roasted
2 acorn squash, roasted
1 tbsp vegetable oil/olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp hot curry spice
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp corriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 can coconut milk
1 c water (or more if needed to thin the soup)

Saute the onion until translucent, approx. 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and spices, cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Remove from heat.

Scoop the roasted squash flesh into a food processor. Add the onion-garlic-spice mixture. Add the coconut milk and water and blend until smooth. Add more water as needed.

Pour into a pot to reheat. Serve with bread & a salad or side of your choice.

Makes 8-10 servings.

First of all, I swam a mile today!!!! Wooohooo! It’s not my first, but it’s been awhile since I’ve dedicated enough time and energy to attempt one, and I feel like I might be getting back on track exercise wise. Last week I started swimming with my friend A. here and it’s made all the difference. We swim at the same pace and I find myself so much more relaxed in the water (and thus able to swim a lot farther) with her as a partner. So yay, I’m excited! Swimming is so the best justification for cooking all the time.

Another great justification for cooking all the time is the produce here. I know I’ve gushed about it in nearly every post, but I just can’t get over how local and fresh and organic and delicious and relatively affordable everything is. I spend all my money at market or at the co-op, true, but for me it’s all I spend money on. That and my membership to the YMCA so I can swim off the pounds. One of the foods I’ve been loving, and eating tons of, since moving here is the apples. Some are hit-or-miss, i.e. the Arkansas Black Apple, and some are just darn delicious like the Granny Smiths and the Golden Crisps. Some make great pies, some beg to be munched whole, some make great hiking companions, and some like to hang out in bowls of oatmeal. It all depends.

Some, however, want to be made into apple butter. It’s surprising that I haven’t made apple butter before, given my addiction to it, but I’m never buying the stuff again now that I know how easy it is to make. My one complaint is that the texture isn’t quite right–the jar I’m working on now is a little gummy and hard. It tastes won-der-ful, and it does spread, but it takes a little work. Does that mean I overcooked it? This batch of apple butter was also my first attempt at canning, so I hope I did everything right (I sterilized the jars and lids and then sealed everything in a hot water bath), but time will tell, I suppose.

Seriously, if you’ve never made a fruit butter before, get on it! Butter-free, fruity, and delicious on everything, you can’t go wrong. In fact, I have a pumpkin waiting around begging to be cooked into a nice batch of pumpkin butter…

Apple Butter

from Simply Recipes

8 lbs of good cooking apples (I used Granny Smith)
2 c apple cider vinegar
4 c water
8 c sugar
1 tsp salt
4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp allspice
Grated rind and juice of 2 lemons

Cut the apples into quarters, without peeling or coring them (much of the pectin is in the cores and flavor in the peels), cut out damaged parts.

Put them into large pot, add the vinegar and water, cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cook until apples are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Ladle apple mixture into a food mill and strain the mixture through, removing the seeds and peel. Measure resulting puree. Add 1/2 cup of sugar for each cup of apple pulp (approx. 8 cups). Stir to dissolve sugar. Add a dash of salt, and the cinnamon, ground cloves, allspice, lemon rind and juice. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Cook uncovered in a large, wide, thick-bottomed pot (CP note: I used 2 large pots, and the cast iron one seemed to work a lot better than the stainless steel pot) on medium low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Scrape the bottom of the pot while you stir to make sure a crust is not forming at the bottom. Cook until thick and smooth when a bit is spooned onto a cold plate and allowed to cool (1 to 2 hours).

Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal. If you plan to store the apple butter un-refrigerated, make sure to follow proper canning procedures.

Makes approximately 7 pints.

Saturday–thank goodness. This week seems like it’s dragged on and on. Most of this might be due to the 3:45 am wake up time I had on Tuesday for filming the morning show segments. Most of this might be related to the fact that I gave up coffee this week (seriously not the best week to do this–but I do feel clearer headed and more focused already!). But mostly I think I just haven’t had a break. So today, while I had planned on going to an urban farming conference down the street from me, I’m just going to take it easy, buy some produce at the farmers market, and cook a nice breakfast. Sometimes my body just needs a break, and when it does, I’ve got to listen! Later on I will hit up the 350 Rally for the International Day of Climate Action and show my support for the planet, but for right now, I’m going to cozy up to a plate of fried maple pumpkin polenta, tempeh tube sausage patties, and sauted garlicky kale (the below is obviously not polenta or kale–it’s french toast and tofu scramble).

Tempeh Tube Sausage

1 block of tempeh (can be gluten-free)
2 tbsp tapioca starch
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos/soy sauce

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the tempeh and boil for 10 minutes. This will help to eliminate the bitter taste.

In a food processor, combine the boiled tempeh with the rest of the ingredients.

Roll the sticky “sausage” into balls, flatten, and fry in oil over medium heat on the stove for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.

While I owe you guys a recap of my Alternative Thanksgiving talk and demo this past Tuesday night, I just must share this amazing, oh-my-goodness-this-is-the-perfect-autumn-easy-but-fancy-pants dinner. Last week Barbara of Dish ‘n’ That shared the most amazing looking polenta recipe from Cuisine magazine: Maple Pumpkin Polenta. As soon as she posted it, I knew I had to make it. I mean, pumpkin and maple syrup and polenta all in one dish? How much better can it get?! The recipe comes from Gigi Trattoria in Rhinebeck, New York, and all it is is roasted pumpkin (or canned), maple syrup, and polenta. So simple yet so flavorful! I can’t keep myself from scooping up additional servings.

But I needed something to go with the amazing polenta and that’s where, per usual, the lovely Grandin Village Farmers Market comes in handy. Paul Carter of Thistle Dew Farm in Charlotte County Virginia is my mushroom hook-up. He’s the one who supplies me with the utterly amazing (yet sadly now out-of-season) Chicken of the Woods mushrooms. Now, thankfully, Hen of the Woods are in season! For several months Holeman & Finch (my favorite restaurant in Atlanta) had a roasted Hen of the Woods Mushroom with polenta on their menu and I’ve been itching to recreate it for awhile, so now was definitely the time. At $5 a container, they’re not the cheapest items, but freshly foraged mushrooms are my Achilles heel.

Also at the farmers market, I scored a head of Tatsoi “Spoon” Mustard Greens. I was attracted to the mustard greens because 1) I’d never heard of them before, and 2) they whorl around a center stem like baby bok choi, and seriously, how cute is that? I’m such a sucker for cute food. All I did to these lovely greens was chop off the chunky midstem and then saute them in olive oil with garlic. A little bit spicy, a lot green and good-for-me tasting–they were the perfect accompaniment for the mushrooms and polenta.

The best part about this meal is that it’s so easy to whip up. The polenta takes 15-20 minutes and while it’s cooking you can saute the greens in one pan and the mushrooms in another. Plate all the pieces together and voila–one ridiculously good meal. And I must admit, it’s nice to be back in the land of cooking non-Thanksgiving food. I’ve got to get on the breads and pies, but that’s easy…and far less squash-oriented!

Pan Roasted Hen of the Woods Mushrooms with Maple Pumpkin Polenta and Tatsoi “Spoon” Mustard Greens

For the Polenta
adapted from Dish ‘n’ That/Cuisine magazine/Gigi Trattoria

1 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 c ground yellow cornmeal
1 c pumpkin puree (fresh or 100- percent-natural canned pumpkin)
1/6 c pure maple syrup
1 tbsp Earth Balance
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. (CP note: I used the pumpkin juice left over from roasting my pumpkin–the juice you squeeze out when you put the roasted pumpkin in a cheesecloth.)

Add salt and the olive oil, reduce the heat to a simmer and gradually whisk in the cornmeal, a small amount at a time to prevent clumping.

Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the polenta is tender and is pulling away from the sides of the pan, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the pumpkin puree and maple syrup, and cook for another minute or two.

Then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Earth Balance. Add salt and pepper, if needed.

For the Hen of the Woods Mushrooms
adapted from New York Magazine

1/2 lb hen-of-the-woods mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped into three pieces
1 tbsp Earth Balance
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp fresh-cracked black pepper

Turn mushroom over to expose the stem. With paring knife, remove the core of the stem.

Using your hands, gently break mushroom into pieces. In a 12-inch sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium flame. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper.

Place them in the heated oil, taking care not to overcrowd the pan, and cook for 3 minutes. When the mushrooms have a golden-brown surface, flip them with a spatula and continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add Earth Balance and rosemary, and baste mushrooms for 1 minute. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil, and serve.

For the Mustard Greens

1 head Tatsoi “Spoon” Mustard Greens
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
fresh cracked pepper to taste

Snap the mustard green leaves and stems off the center stem of the tatsoi head. Rinse the leaves of any grit.

In a pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the minced garlic and saute for 1 minute until fragrant.

Add the mustard greens and saute for 3-5 minutes until just wilted (add 1 tbsp of water if necessary). Serve!

First of all, I want to extend a warm welcome to everyone who found the site via WDBJ Channel 7 Roanoke’s morning show! If you’re interested in seeing step-by-step instructions for how to construct the Gluten-Free, Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash I demonstrated on today’s show, click here. Other Vegan, Vegetarian, and Gluten-Free Thanksgiving recipes can be found at the top under the Thanksgiving Tutorials tab.

My talk and demonstration will begin at 6 pm at the main branch of the Roanoke Public Libraries at 706 South Jefferson Street. Throughout the event I will discuss the vegan and gluten-free lifestyle, demonstrate one or two recipes, and pass out free samples. Additionally I will answer any questions you might have about what vegans eat, what gluten-free means, and offer suggestions for how to veganize or make gluten-free your own family recipes. Come armed with questions! I’m excited to answer them!

If you missed the WDBJ segments this morning, you can visit WDBJ and see the videos under their Video Gallery or link to them here:
Part 1: The Stuffing
Part 2: The Squash
Part 3: The Gravy

I’m honored to have been asked to be on the show and even though it was the earliest I’ve been up in a long long long time, it was a great experience. I’m looking forward to tonight, and I’ll see you all at 6 pm sharp!

I’m starting to get a little burned out on cooking right now, just a little. If you head over to the Thanksgiving Tutorials section you’ll find lots of new goodies: gluten-free cornbread, stuffed acorn squash, cranberry orange relish (among others). By this time next week I’ll be in Thanksgiving overload–and it’s only October! It is exciting though, so I can’t complain too much, and thankfully folks managed to eat a huge chunk of the stuffings, squash, and relish last night at a potluck I hosted. As a magnet on my fridge says, “good cooks never lack friends.” So true!

In other news, it’s been cold and wet over here in southwestern Virginia–I know I’m farther north than I used to be, and at a higher elevation, but I wasn’t expecting it to be in the 40s so soon. The weather report says it’s going to warm up again next week, but I’m not sure if I can believe it. My friends who are thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail reached just north of here and have realized that the weather is downhill, as well as their hike, from now on. Thankfully they’re southbound, so they’re not hiking up into New England’s nasty end-of-autumn-beginning-of-winter-weather. Dorian, as you can see, is enjoying the local fauna.

For these cold and blustery autumn days, when I’m not cooking up a Thanksgiving dish or meal for Alternative Thanksgiving, I’ve begun to make a lot of soups. Soup is just so warming–anything that warms my nose back to a regular temperature while I’m eating it gets major points in my book. This Southwestern Cabbage Soup is my answer to a clean-out-the-fridge-and-pantry day: half a cabbage, a can of beans, potatoes, onions, a habanero pepper, chipotle chili powder. Corn would have been nice, but I didn’t have any. So my serving of cornbread on the side had to suffice. The soup couldn’t have been easier or more convenient to make and it definitely warmed my spirits while the rain poured.  As with any recipe like this, mix and match whatever ingredients you have on hand–the flavor builds with almost any ingredient!

Southwestern Cabbage Soup

1/2 cabbage, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 onion, chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 habanero pepper, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
5 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp chipotle chili powder

Warm the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the salt and potatoes. Cover and cook until they are a bit tender and starting to brown a bit, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the onion and cook for another 5-7 minutes, until the onion softens. Add the minced habanero pepper and chili powder and cook for 30 seconds more.

Add the vegetable broth, beans, and cabbage and bring the pot to a simmer. Let the soup simmer for 35-40 minutes, serve with cornbread.