Fresh Carrot Salad with Sunflower Seeds and Blueberries

I love cooking - that much should be obvious.  But there are days when even I can't take it.  Days that are so hot, and so lazy, that I just want a 5-minute meal.  To put a bunch of things in a bowl and be done.

Today was one of those days.  And it also happened to be the day that one of my friends sent me the link to the New York Times Minimalist guide to summer salads.  The list is extensive, with almost any ingredient I could think of, put together with ingredients I might not have thought of right away. 

Number 7 on the list caught my eye immediately.  I had carrots.  I had blueberries.  I love both.  It was a done deal. 

This salad comes together in a matter of minutes, and will be a lovely addition to whatever else you're having for dinner, or great on its own as well.  The crunchy carrots and sunflower seeds balance the berries, and the lemon and pepper bring out the flavors in a refreshing, delicious way.  It's delightful.

Save this one for a hot day when you want something quick, refreshing, and cool.  And enjoy.


Fresh Carrot Salad with Sunflower Seeds and Blueberries (from this list)

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup blueberries
1 - 2 tsp. olive oil
2 - 4 tbsp. lemon juice (to taste)
black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients.  Eat.  Enjoy. 

Flourless Mini Carrot Cakes for Passover

I am really on a roll with Passover food this year.  Usually I stick to a few favorites, but this year I've tried out several new recipes fit for the holiday, including this one and Flourless Orange Almond Cupcakes from last month.  The great thing about Passover food is that so much of it is naturally gluten-free.  It's kind of like our holiday, too.

I love carrot cake to begin with, and so when a friend of mine from school brought me a recipe for a flourless Passover version, snipped from the newspaper, I got really excited.  It only requires a few ingredients, and is sort of like a soft, lighter pudding version of the dense carrot cake I'm used to.  (Not that I'm disparaging the density of that cake.  I love that cake.)  This version, however, is seriously delicious ("a keeper," as one of my friends called it last night).

I halved the original recipe and made them into mini-cakes using my Fox English Muffin Rings.  This worked pretty well, although the batter is so runny that a little of it did escape from under the rings and onto the cookie sheet.  If you have any small custard dishes (about 4 inches in diameter), those would probably work better.  You could also use mini-loaf pans or a 9-inch round pan and just monitor it closely for doneness.  You could also make the original recipe by clicking here and making into a regular-sized cake as directed.  I added some pumpkin pie spice to mine and upped the cinnamon as well because I wanted it to taste like true carrot cake.  But that's really between you and your tastebuds.  I'll stay out of it.

If you like carrot cake, though, I hope you'll give this recipe a chance.  You won't be disappointed.

Flourless Mini Carrot Cakes (Adapted from this recipe)
Makes 8 mini cakes (can easily be doubled according to recipe in link above)

4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp. white sugar
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup almond meal/flour (or substitute hazelnut flour)
1 1/4 cups finely shredded carrots

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, then arrange the 8 English Muffin rings on top and coat them all with cooking spray.  Or, prepare 4-inch custard dishes in the same way.

Separate 3 of the eggs, placing the egg whites and yolks in separate bowls.  Add the last (whole) egg to the egg yolks.  Using an electric mixer, beat them together.  Add the 1/2 cup sugar and continue beating.  Add the lemon juice and zest, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and vanilla.  Finally, beat in the almond flour and carrots.

Now rinse off your mixing paddles, and then beat the 3 egg whites and 1 tbsp. sugar together until stiff peaks form (about 2 - 4 minutes).  Gently fold the egg whites into the carrot-almond mixture.  Spoon equal amounts gently into each of the English Muffin Rings or custard dishes. 

Bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes, or just until set.  The tops should be slightly browned and should spring back when you push on them lightly, and a toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean.  Remove from oven and let sit on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, then slide the parchment paper off of the hot tray and onto the counter to cool the rest of the way.  Let cool for a full 45 minutes to an hour before serving.

Top with a light vanilla glaze or sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon to serve.  (Check to make sure that the ingredients you use for that are kosher if you want it to be a Passover dessert, though!)  Keep these in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Simple Vanilla Glaze
2 tbsp. Tofutti Vegan Cream Cheese
1/4 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 - 2 tsp. vanilla
Dash of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together very well until there are no clumps.  Drizzle or spread over the mini-cakes in a thin layer. Sprinkle some cinnamon over the top for a nice visual.

Carrot Ginger Scone Cookies

I'm not sure whether to classify these as cookies or scones, because they are somewhere in between.  But what I can vouch for is the taste (if you are a fan of ginger, that is).  I recently went to a ginger-themed party and, as I often do, defaulted to baking for my contribution.  I loved the idea of the taste of carrot cake with an extra spike of ginger to complement the other spices I regularly use.  These turned out tasting pretty great, although the texture is definitely rather cake-y and not very chewy (at least, not in the way that cookies often are).  I'd actually suggest shaping these into triangles and serving for breakfast as a scone!  I personally liked the ones without raisins better than the ones with them.  I didn't add any nuts to mine, either, although I've included them below as an optional ingredient (some people like nuts in their carrot cake, and if you're one of those people, you'd probably like them in these, too).  So just let your own taste guide you in this one.  And gather all of your ginger-loving friends to help you eat these!

Do you have a favorite ginger recipe that you would have brought to the Ginger Party?  Please leave it below!

Carrot Ginger Scone Cookies

3/4 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg or Egg Replacer (for our vegan friends)
4 tbsp. So Delicious Coconut Milk
1 1/2 cup gluten-free flour blend (your favorite kind)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup finely shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats
optional: 1 cup raisins + 1/2 cup ground walnuts (although I liked these better without them)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar.  Add the egg and vanilla and mix with an electric mixer on high speed until it is creamy.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg.  Add little bit little to the butter-sugar mixture, alternating with a tbsp. at a time of So Delicious Coconut Milk.  If the batter is too dry, add more coconut milk one tablespoon at a time. 

Add the shredded carrots, coconut, and oats and mix in by hand.  For larger cookies, drop by tablespoonful onto the cookie sheets and bake for about 14 - 16 minutes at 350 F, or until set on top and slightly brown on bottom.  For bite-size cookies, drop by teaspoonful and bake for 10 - 12 minutes.

Let sit on hot baking sheet for 2 - 3 minutes when they come out of the oven, then remove to a wire rack to cool.  When completely cooled, store in an airtight container.

If desired, top with a buttercream icing for a mini-carrot cake effect.  But they are delicious by themselves, too!

Ethiopian-inspired Vegetable Chickpea Stew

Do you like spicy food?  I don't mean "hot" spicy here; I mean "full of spice."  If the answer is yes, then this is probably something you'll enjoy - a lot.  This is some seriously spicy stew.

Not that you can't make this "hot" spicy if you want - it's just that it's not necessary.  Even a mild version of this bursts with flavor, the layers lining up one after the other to impress your taste buds.  The spices are some of the main ingredients for the Ethiopian spice blend berbere, used to flavor simmering stews (or wats) that are then served over injera, a traditional spongy flatbread that is used both to hold and to scoop up the stew.  If you're feeling a little adventurous, ditch your utensils for this meal and try using flatbread or even regular bread to scoop this up with your hands - eating this way is a different, and really fun, kind of tactile experience.  

This can be made completely vegan, but non-vegetarians can also use chicken stock and throw in a few diced chicken breasts if they so desire.  You can adjust the seasonings to your own taste, adding a little less of one or a little more of another.  Serve with injera flatbread, over rice, or even on its own as a thick stew.  

Ethiopian-inspired Vegetable Chickpea Stew (Adapted from this Whole Foods recipe)
Makes 4 - 6 servings

1/2 tsp. ground coriander (or 1/2 tsp. whole coriander seeds, toasted lightly and ground)
1/2 tsp. ground cloves (or 1/2 tsp. whole cloves, toasted lightly and ground)
1/4 tsp. fenugreek (optional)
6 cardamom pods (or 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom)
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. salt (plus more to taste later)
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on taste)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste mixed with 1 3/4 cup hot water
1 quart  vegetable or chicken broth
3 medium potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
12 baby carrots or 4 regular carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces
Optional for non-vegetarians: 2 - 3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

Mix the ground spices together in a small bowl and set aside.

If you're in a hurry, don't worry about roasting the chickpeas; just drain them and rinse well before adding to the stew.  If you do want to roast them, preheat the oven to 450 F.  Drain and rinse well and then toss with 1 tbsp. of the olive oil and a dash of salt.  Spread into a baking pan and roast for 16 - 18 minutes, stirring gently every few minutes so they do not burn.  When they are slightly browned, remove from oven and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the other 2 tbsp. olive oil.  Add the diced onions and cook for 2 - 3 minutes; add the fresh garlic and ginger and continue to saute for another 5 - 6 minutes or until the onion is translucent.  Add the spice mixture and stir constantly for about 2 minutes to toast them. Add the tomato paste mixed with water and stir well and bring to a boil.

Now add the chickpeas, vegetable or chicken stock, potatoes, and carrots and stir well.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are soft.  If you want to add chicken, add it now and cook for 7-9  minutes or just until cooked through.  Adjust seasonings (especially salt and pepper) as desired.

Serve with gluten-free injera flatbread or brown rice.  Garnish with fresh parsley. 

Carrot Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Icing

Carrot cake might be my favorite of all cakes.  It's subtly sweet, moist, with a hint of spice, and you can even trick yourself into thinking it's halfway good for you because it has a vegetable in it.  Carrots are good for you - they are high in vitamin A (off the charts, actually) and antioxidants.  And they promote good vision.  They're healthy; we should get them into our diets any way we can....right?  Right. 

Everyone in Boston seems to have a copy of Flour these days, the new cookbook by pastry chef Joanne Chang, who owns several bakeries by the same name in Boston.  It's a gorgeous book, full of inviting recipes and pictures.  But the part that stood out to me the most was at the very beginning, when she writes about her path to becoming a pastry chef.  Secretly, I've always wanted to be a pastry chef and have spent more hours than I'd care to admit researching various culinary arts programs.  But I guess I've always thought of that as being unattainable because, who can afford that?

But that's what's so great about Joanne Chang's story.  She went to Harvard and got a degree in something extremely practical, worked for a few years in that field, and then - decided she'd rather bake.  She was able to find herself an apprenticeship of sorts in a bakery and worked her way up the ranks, learning from some of the best pastry chefs on the East coast.  And now - she has her own amazing bakery and her own amazing cookbook. 

Maybe I need to start writing some letters....  But in the  meantime, here is my gluten-free adaptation of her fabulous recipe for carrot cake.  There was too much batter for only 12 cupcakes, so I used the leftover to make a huge pancake, which was almost tastier than the cupcakes themselves - almost.  These were received by a non-gluten-free test audience with exclamations ranging from "Dynamite" to "Num!" (that one was from the one year-old I babysit).  Suffice to say - these are incredibly delicious.  Make them.

Carrot Cupcakes (Adapted from "Flour" by Joanne Chang)
Makes 12 cupcakes plus

2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tbsp. So Delicious Coconut  Milk + 1/2 tsp. lemon juice (to make dairy-free buttermilk)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tbsp. Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free Flour Mix
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Place paper cupcake liners into a 12-muffin pan.

In a small bowl, combine the So Delicious Coconut Milk and lemon juice.  Let sit for at least 5 minutes.  Voila!  Dairy-free buttermilk. (Note: Don't worry if it gets kind of chunky; mine did too, and it was fine!)

Combine the eggs, granulated and brown sugar.  Beat with an electric hand mixer for about 8 minutes, or until the mixture has gotten thick and the color is light.  In a separate bowl, combine the oil, vanilla, and dairy-free buttermilk and whisk together.  Add slowly to the egg-sugar mixture and continue to beat until well-mixed.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.  Beat into the wet ingredients little by little, mixing well.  When all of the flour is mixed in, add the shredded carrots and raisins and mix with a spoon or rubber spatula.  The batter will be pretty thin - thinner than other cake batter you have worked with.  Don't worry.

Pour/spoon batter into each cupcake liner, filling about 4/5ths way to the top.  Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, or until ever-so-slightly browned on top, or about 28 - 35 minutes depending on your oven.  Remove from oven and let sit in the muffin pan for 3 more minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.  Cool completely, then ice with coconut cream frosting (see recipe below).  If desired, sprinkle with a few pieces of shredded carrot or shredded coconut for garnish.  Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze and defrost as-needed.

**For carrot cake:  Prepare batter as described above, but pour into a bundt pan and bake for about an hour at 350 F or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Use frosting recipe below.


Coconut Cream Cheese Icing (to be made about 2 hours before using)

1/2 cup Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp. Earth Balance Buttery Spread, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (possibly more depending on how thick you want the icing to be)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup coconut 


Cream together the Tofutti, Earth Balance, and vanilla using an electric hand mixer.  Add the powdered sugar, a little at a time, until the icing is thick.  If you want the coconut to disappear a bit more into the icing, beat it in using the electric mixer.  If you'd like it to stay in bigger pieces, stir it in with a spoon. 

Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours before using.

Spaghetti Squash with Vegan "Meat" Sauce

Spaghetti squash is kind of the best of both worlds.  You get the illusion of pasta with only 1/4 the calories, not to mention the extra vitamins and minerals.  While it takes a little longer to make than regular pasta, it's incredibly easy to prepare; all you have to do is cut it in half and stick it in the oven, and then - magically - the long, stringy pieces practically fall onto your plate in a twirled pile when it comes out of the oven about 40 minutes later.

But I can't take credit for the idea to make spaghetti squash this week.  A friend of mine was practically glowing with her recent first experience with it, and, inspired, I picked one up during my next visit to Trader Joe's.  It was definitely worth it.  Not only did it literally feed me for six meals, it was delicious, light, and remarkably like pasta (with a slightly different, but good, texture - and really wasn't terribly far off from some of the gluten-free pastas I've tried).  For the sauce in this recipe, I wanted to make something that was chock full of vegetables, so I basically pureed/grated what I had in my fridge and mixed it with some marinara sauce (the grated mushrooms give this sauce its "meaty" texture). 

Feel free to improvise - I definitely did, and it turned out deliciously.

Spaghetti Squash with Vegan "Meat" Sauce

1 spaghetti squash, sliced in half

1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce (I used Trader Joe's Tomato Basil Marinara)

1 cup baby carrots

1 cup mushrooms (I used baby portabellas)

1 roasted red pepper

Handful of fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 - 2 tsp. minced garlic

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, and oregano to taste

Dash of cayenne pepper

Daiya Vegan Cheese (or your favorite non-dairy cheese) to top

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Place the spaghetti squash in a pan lined with parchment or wax paper (to avoid sticking) with the rind up, and bake for 35 - 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the rind goes in easily.  Remove from oven, and set aside to cool (now with the rind side down).

In a food processor, place the carrots, mushrooms, roasted red pepper, and basil leaves and process until they have the consistency of being finely grated.  Place in a saucepan over medium-low heat with 1 - 2 tsp. minced garlic and saute for 3 - 5 minutes, stirring often.  You want to sweat the vegetables, not burn them! Add about 3/4 of the jar of marinara sauce to start with and stir well.  If you want a thinner sauce, add more; if you want a chunkier sauce, leave it the way it is.  Add the seasonings to your own taste and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Scoop out the "noodles" from the spaghetti squash and top with the sauce and Daiya Vegan Cheese, if desired.

Fresh Summer Vegetable Marinara Sauce

Talk about a fresh dish for a warm summer evening.   You will feel healthy after eating this sauce - trust me.  All of the ingredients for this sauce came straight from the farmer's market and their colors - and flavors - burst out of the sauce.  I recently discovered my food processor buried in the basement, kept in storage during my year away in Swaziland, and - feeling inspired - I used it to grate all of the vegetables that went into this sauce, making it more uniformly delicious with every bite.  I also used only minimal spices so as not to overwhelm the natural freshness and flavors of the veggies.  This became a rather dry sauce, as I let most of the liquid boil off of it, and it ended up with the consistency of a very thick pesto more than anything else (which I enjoyed).  Keep it covered if you want it to be soupier.  But have faith.  Let it do its thing.   Let it simmer away and voila - a beautiful sauce will emerge, one that is slightly sweet from the carrots, a bit tart from the tomatoes, and all around delicious.  

Fresh Summer Vegetable Marinara Sauce

1/2 white onion

1 large carrot

3 cloves garlic, minced

5 juicy and ripe tomatoes

4 stalks bitter greens (kale, turnip greens, spinach, etc.)

1/2 red bell pepper

1 tbsp. olive oil (or less if you can get away with it)

Handful of fresh basil, chopped, or 1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1 - 2 splashes of gluten-free balsamic vinegar to taste (I used Trader Joe's brand)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Prepare your favorite pasta as directed (I used Tinkyada Whole Grain Spaghetti Noodles).

Cut the carrots and onion into large chunks and feed into the food processor to grate (or, if you don't have one, grate them by hand).  Grate the bell pepper and set aside.  Heat the olive oil in your pan and add the carrots and onion; stir to coat well.  Cook over medium heat for about 5 - 7 minutes.  After about 2 minutes, add the minced garlic and stir.

Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into large chunks and place directly into the food processor.  Blitz them a few times until you have a chunky sauce, and add this to the carrot and onion mixture.  Rinsing out your food processor between batches, chop the bitter greens the same way. 

If you are using fresh basil, chop it into rough pieces and add them to the pot, along with the oregano, salt, and pepper.  Add one splash of balsamic vinegar to taste, and taste it again after about 2 minutes.  Add some more if you feel it needs it. 

Continue to cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, for about 5 - 7 more minutes, or until you are happy with the taste and/or your pasta is done.  

Serve over your favorite pasta and top with Vegan Parmesan Cheese or Daiya Vegan Cheese, if desired.  

Suggestions for using leftovers:   

-Place a corn tortilla on a nonstick pan and spread half with the marinara sauce and half with Daiya Vegan Cheese.  Cook until cheese is melted, then fold and enjoy!

-Mix with shredded turkey or chicken and eat over a bed of lettuce as a salad or in a sandwich.

Namaste Carrot Spice Cake with "Buttercream" Icing

All I can say is, this is worth the $5.99 you'll spend for the mix. Worth every penny. This could not be easier to make - all you need are the normal cake mix side ingredients: eggs, oil, and water. And if you want to turn it into a carrot cake, all you have to do is shred or process a cup (or more) of carrots and toss them into the mix. You could do the same with shredded zucchini. I bet this would taste great with shredded or diced apples, too. If you like raisin, nuts, or coconut, throw some of those in. It's a very versatile cake mix, and I swear, everything I've tried from Namaste has come out absolutely perfect and has been a crowd-pleaser. I made this cake for my book club this weekend, and everyone loved it! You really can't tell that it's gluten- and dairy-free, and no one else will either, if you don't tell them. I'm putting the (very loose) recipe for the icing that I made below, and if you're a coconut fan, consider sprinkling some over the icing when you make it, perhaps along with just a little bit of cinnamon. But just buy this mix. Do it, now. You won't regret it.


"Butter""cream" Icing

1 8-oz. package Tofutti "Better than Cream Cheese"
1 1/2 tbsp. Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1 - 2 cups powdered sugar (depending on your taste and desired consistency)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 - 3 tbsp. vanilla soy milk (or other vanilla non-dairy milk)
2 - 3 tbsp. tapioca starch or potato starch

Mix the Tofutti "cream cheese" and Earth Balance together first well, eliminating all the lumps. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, and then add the vanilla and soy milk to your own taste. Then add the tapioca starch (it doesn't clump too much, but you might want to sift it for consistency's sake) and mix very well together until you have a nice, smooth, and creamy mixture. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to let it thicken before spreading it on the cake. Sprinkle coconut over the top of the cake, if desired.

Creamy Carrot Cilantro Soup

While my grandma is rehabbing her recently broken leg, she is stuck away from home for a few weeks, and thus away from decent food, much less delicious food. And since she also has strict diet restrictions, she can't even eat all of the unappetizing food that they put in front of her. I remembered that she liked this soup when I made it for once her last year, and aside from being an incredibly healthy meal choice, it is also perfect for this time of year, as the weather starts to turn chilly and a hot bowl of soup sounds especially cozy. And besides, it doesn't get much more comforting than soup when you're sick.

Creamy Carrot Cilantro Soup

1 lb. carrots (baby carrots are fine, too)
1 -2 tbsp. sunflower oil/olive oil
1 tbsp. Earth Balance "Buttery Spread"
1 onion, chopped
1 celery rib, diced finely
2 small Yukon potatoes, or 4 red potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3 - 5 tsp. ground coriander (to taste)
1 - 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 cup soy milk
salt and freshly ground black or white pepper

Trim and peel the carrots and cut into chunks. Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onion over gentle heat for 3 - 4 minutes, until slightly softened. Dice the celery and chop the potatoes. Add them to the onion in the pan, cook for a few minutes, then add the carrots. Cook over gentle heat for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring, and then cover.

Reduce the heat even further and sweat the vegetables for about 8 - 10 minutes. Shake the pan, or stir occasionally, so the vegetables do not stick to the bottom. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Half-cover the pan and simmer for another 10 - 12 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes are tender. Melt the Earth Balance "Buttery Spread" in a small saucepan and saute 3 tsp. ground coriander for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat, add the chopped cilantro, and saute for about another minute. Set aside until required. Process the soup in a food processor or blender and pour into a clean saucepan. Stir in the soy milk and the cilantro mixture. Season to taste, adding more coriander, salt, and pepper as desired, and heat gently just until hot (but not boiling).