Crock Pot French Onion Soup // Video

A recipe! Better yet, a slow cooker recipe! This is a soup that we make relatively frequently. You know, when we get sick of all the Pumpkin Chili and Miso Split Pea Soup. It’s really simple. Really satisfying. Really tasty. And picky kids will give it a try if you pretend the onions are noodles. I share this tip from my own experience -- it works!

Yum.

Would make a great Super Bowl dish, don’t you think? (And I'm not trying to be cute. I genuinely, positively have NO IDEA who is playing this year. Guess I should quickly figure out my team allegiance before the kickoff.)

Here’s a video, and there’s a brief recipe below with some notes on bread baking, etc.



BTW: I am going to do a whole review on my Aroma Rice Cooker (plus it's a steamer AND slow cooker -- all in one!). I love it. I LOVE IT.

CROCK POT FRENCH ONION SOUP

What you’ll need . . . 

• 3 large onions, cut into circles
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance or butter (or some oil)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup Fre alcohol-removed champagne (or cooking wine, beer, etc.)
• 8 cups vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method . . . 

1. Combine onions with Earth Balance, sugar, and balsamic vinegar. Cook on high for one hour, stirring occasionally.
2. Then add in the flour and garlic powder. Let soak in a few minutes.
3. Add in the champagne, stock, salt, and pepper. Then cook for 6 hours on low. More if you have the time. (Note: I cooked mine between 4 and 6 hours on my Aroma cooker’s slow cook setting, which I assume is high -- worked really well).

My soup recipe is mostly riffed off Tyler Florence's French Onion Soup. Just lazier and vegan (yeah -- the soup itself is vegan, so you can try to top it with vegan cheese if you like!). Then all you need to do is make yourself some easy French Bread (I used THIS recipe), cut into smallish pieces, and plop it into the bowl.


Top everything with Swiss or Gruyere cheese.

Broil until browned and bubbly.


Enjoy!

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Open-Faced Asparagus and Tofu Sandwich

Those Chevron Peanut Butter Cookie Bars are a tough act to follow. That's for sure. But today's recipe is for a super open-faced sandwich. And it's pretty customizable, which I love. It may seem like a lot of steps for a sandwich -- but well worth it, I promise.

NOM.

OPEN-FACED ASPARAGUS AND TOFU SANDWICH

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cake of extra firm tofu, drained
• Some type of spices to rub in (we used a smoked paprika-chipotle combo)
• 6 to 9 sprigs of asparagus
• Goat cheese (ours was a fig variety)
• Sliced French bread (3 slices)
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup

Method . . .

1. Once you've drained the tofu, cut it into three big slabs. Then rub in a generous amount of spice.
2. In a frying pan over medium-high heat, toss in 2 tablespoons oil. Then cook tofu on each side until well browned. Set aside.
3. In the same pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Then toss in the onions. Cook for a couple minutes. Then add the maple syrup. Cook until browned. Set aside.
4. Steam asparagus by pouring 1/4 cup of water into a high rimmed pan. Put in your asparagus once the water is boiling. Then cover and let steam for 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside.
5. Toast bread to your liking. Then spread a generous amount of goat cheese on each slice.
6. Place a slab of cooked tofu atop the bread. Then the asparagus. Then the onions.
7. Repeat with all slices.

So, as you see, we're eating more soy. (By the way, we got a ton of great, thoughtful comments on last week's post about the topic. If you haven't weighed in yet, now's your chance!)

If you're following Writing Chapter Three, there are a couple new posts for you to catch up on. First, I wrote about how Ada's 5 months old and we're swaddling again. And today I wrote the second installment of the Zero-Intervention Hospital Birth series: Goals.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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