I Missed My Vitamix on Spring Break

Can I lament for a bit?  I was on a trip with my daughter over spring break to re-visit two Colleges she is considering attending.  One of the Colleges was in Portland so finding plant based/vegan food was not a big issue.  The other was in Spokane and the search became a little more difficult and more "junk" vegan food was consumed than I like in my every day diet.

My main issue is that I just can't find the vegetable, seed, and nut content that I eat on a daily basis. Without my friendly Vitamix I can't consume my daily smoothie which is like drinking an amazing multi vitamin and mineral complex filled with fiber and soul in a quart jar!  Yes, I do drink about a quart of this stuff a day.

I did manage to consume organic apples, oranges, bananas, walnuts, and almonds every day for breakfast.  It's hard, though, to sit down and eat a fresh bunch of raw kale - so much easier to toss it into a smoothie and let it ease on down the pipes that way.

I was sooo happy to be back in my kitchen.  Our first dinner home was brown rice, kale, and tofu.  So simple and so amazing.  The next morning I made the morning drink that sustains us.   That particular smoothie consisted of the following:

water
banana
strawberries
blueberries
orange
parsley
kale
red beet
almonds
chia seeds
flax seeds
Vitamineral green
a plant based protein powder
maca powder

You'd be amazed at how much green stuff you can put in a smoothie.  I usually put in 8 - 12 cups of kale, chard, dandelion, parsley, lettuce, bok choy or whatever green I have in the frig or garden.  If we split the smoothie it means that we are imbibing in 4 - 6 cups of fresh green with each and every smoothie!

I drank this all morning and I was full until 2pm.  The chia, flax and almonds  have a powerful "filling" effect and they are loaded with fiber and omega 3's. Our stomach has something called "stretch responders" and those respond to food that is full of fiber, that bulks up and absorbs liquid as we digest it.  The only food on the planet that has fiber is plant food - nuts, seeds, beans, vegetables, whole grains, and fruit.  EAT MORE PLANT FOOD - regardless of what kind of daily diet you eat: vegan, omnivore,zone, herbivore, paleo.... we've got to eat more plant food.  The average American is only eating a measly 8 - 12 grams of fiber a day.  We need gobs more of that good stuff!  Try a smoothie - it's a fiber filled meal in a cup.

No photo.  I drank it before I photographed it!

Curried Red Lentil Soup

Curried Red Lentil Soup

I returned yesterday from a trip to re-visit 2 Colleges that my daughter is considering. Eating on the road is always a bit of a challenge for me.  I was able to eat lots of organic fruit, walnuts, almonds, some amazing food in Portland, and some decent food in Spokane but nothing beats our home cooked meals here in the kitchen. I tire of eating out fairly rapidly.

 I was craving this simple, delicious, filling lentil soup so after visiting the Farmer's Market this morning I came home and cooked.  There are so many other things I need to be doing - taxes, for one!  But.... I wanted to cook and cook I did.

Here is the list of ingredients I used for this red lentil soup.  It's always a bit different.  Please remember that this can be changed and manipulated for your taste, to use less oil, to add more vegetables, different spice combinations, etc.


2 tbsp coconut oil (you can use much less than this if you are watching oil/fat in your diet)
small handful of mustard seeds/maybe 2 - 4 tbsp?
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
4 carrots, chopped
1 quart home made stock
1 quart of water with a little more water as the lentils cooked
4 cups of red lentils, rinsed until the rinse water runs clear
1 -2 cups of fresh tomato or one can or more of chopped toms
2 tbsp tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
4 - 8 cups or more of chopped greens - kale, spinach, beet greens, dandelion
chopped cilantro for garnish (and taste)

1.  I used a large soup pot on low heat to melt the 2 tbsp of coconut oil.  You can use any oil you like.  I like the flavor of coconut oil and it is a high heat oil so sauteing is safe.

2.  Once the oil was warm I added the mustard seeds. (please see notes at the end of the post for nutritional information on mustard seeds)

3.  While the mustard seeds were cooking gently I chopped the onion.  You could easily use two onions for this recipe, or leeks, or even red onion.  I had one medium sized onion in the drawer so that's what went into the soup!

4.  Fresh minced ginger is so much better than powdered or leaving it out.  Fresh ginger is really good for you - a natural anti-inflammatory.  You can keep it in a baggy in your frig and use it in smoothies, stir fry, Indian inspired cuisine, salad dressings, etc.

5.   I don't always use minced garlic in this soup because I am too lazy to chop it.  However, it makes a difference to the flavor palette and I think it's really worth chopping.  Now If I can only remember this when I am trying to rush and cook - not advised, by the way, this rushing and cooking... something always goes wrong.  It's probably better to do the "be here now" thing when cooking.  

6.  While everything was sauteing I added the spices.  Spicing something like this is a really personal issue.  I used a spice combination that my friend, Laurie, gave me for Christmas.  It contains cumin, cardamom, coriander, tumeric, dry mustard, and cayenne.  I used 1 1/2 tsp.  You could easily use garam masala spice mix or just a bit of cumin, coriander, and tumeric.

7.  I did add some tumeric from my Indian spice drawer which is right next to my cooking surface.  I like tumeric.  It is a great anti-inflammatory and makes the color of the soup really beautiful.  I probably used 1 tsp.

8.  I used a quart of homemade stock and about a quart of water and added these to the saute.  Watch for splattering.  

By the way, it is so easy to make homemade stock.  Put a gallon zip lock bag in your freezer and simply put the ends of vegetables you don't use in that bag - pieces of onion, celery, carrot, etc. Collect bits and pieces until the bag is full and then add it to a big stock pot of water, adding parsley, salt, pepper, more onion... whatever suits your fancy.  When I make stock I add mushrooms to the stock pot because I can't stand eating mushrooms (they feel funny in my mouth) but they are amazingly healthy for us and should be consumed regularly.  After I cook the stock over low heat for hours and hours I strain it and then put it in quart sized baggies in the freezer.  They stack beautifully and are very easy to thaw.  The strained veg goes out onto the compost to help grow the year round veg garden. I know, I know, I am using plastic bags.  I tried quart jars and they burst in the freezer.  

9.  I used 4 cups of lentils for this soup.  We like this soup thick.  If you like a thinner soup, use a few less lentils and more water as the lentils cook.

10. Aren't these floating tomatoes cute?!

 I threw in about 16 - 20 smaller tomatoes from a batch I froze this last summer.  You can use fresh chopped tomatoes when they are in season, frozen tomatoes, canned tomatoes.  I think tomatoes add a lot to this soup.  

I also used about 2 tbsp of tomato paste.

11.  Bring this all to a boil and then cook on low simmer for 20 minutes or so. The red lentils cook really quickly.  Red lentils don't need to be soaked prior to cooking and they are fast so this is a meal that can be thrown together for dinner.

After the lentils have cooked down, add the chopped greens.  I used about 4 - 6 cups of chopped kale from the garden and about 2 - 3 cups of chopped beet greens.

Cook another 10 minutes or so.

I like to serve this soup over brown rice with chopped cilantro on the top.  This huge pot of soup will provide us with many meals over the next 4 days or so.  It also freezes well and re-heats beautifully.  

Mustard Seeds:

Mustard seeds are in the Brassica family so they contain plentiful amounts of phytonutrients called glucosinolates.  The seeds also contain myrosinase enzymes that can break apart the glucosinolates into other phytonutrients called isothiocyanates.  The isothiocyanates in mustard seeds and other Brassicas have been repeatedly studied for their anti-cancer effects. Isothiocyanates have been shown to inhibit growth of existing cancer cells and prevent growth of cancer cells, especially linked to gastrointestinal and colorectal cancers. 

Mustard seeds are full of selenium, magnesium, manganese and omega 3 fatty acids.  The selenium and magnesium component have a high anti-inflammatory effect in the body.

Cacao Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie/It's like a milk shake, but much better for you!

Cacao Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

(it's like a milk shake but much better for you!)

I had an edgy and stressful week. I'm not sure what happened but I was not on my A game when it came to ease this past week.

On Thursday I drove all the way out to Aptos in the traffic to watch my daughter run in a track meet.  When I arrived I found out the team wasn't actually competing.  After a brief talk with her coach, who was just downright frustrated and mean to me, I felt like crap.  I drove all the way home through traffic and by the time I got here,  all I wanted was something chocolaty and delicious!

I learned how to make a version of this smoothie in a class I took from a woman named Becky Mahony who is a food educator.  It is delicious and actually pretty darn good for you.  I don't drink this as a morning meal drink but every now and then I pull this out as a nighttime snack or an afternoon pick me up.

2 cups of vanilla soy milk (this could be regular soy milk, almond milk, etc)
1 -2 frozen ripe bananas
2  tbsp ground flax seed
2 tbsp peanut butter (this could be cashew butter, almond butter, etc)
2 tbsp raw unsweetened cacao powder (more on cacao below)
1 -2 squirts of agave
handful of frozen strawberries
2 - 3 handfuls of spinach

Put this all in your blender/vitamix and blend until smooth.  There is enough for two generous servings or several small servings.  

We enjoyed this and I got my "chocolate" fix without dairy, lots of processed sugar or calories.  I felt super full and satiated and much happier.


Cacao is said to be, in its raw form, a super food.  It is very high in antioxidant flavanoids, sulfur and magnesium.  The essential fatty acids found in chocolate may help the body to raise good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol.  There seems to be a link to high levels of antioxidants and the reduction of free radicals in the body. As with all nutritional claims, one needs to stay on top of new information and make wise decisions based in research.

Tofu "Ricotta" Lasagne

Tofu "Ricotta" Lasagne

I have been completely uninspired in the kitchen lately.  I think it has something to do with my taxes being due very soon and the stress of finishing them, sending them off, paying some outrageous amount to the State and Feds, and then wondering for the next 7 years whether I'll get audited!  That would stifle any good foodies creativity, don't you think?

I decided to make a big vegan lasagne for the week and hoped it would take care of most of our dinner needs for at least a few nights.  I opened my favorite all time/all around vegan cookbook, "Veganomicon, the Ultimate Vegan Cookbook" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero to search for the tofu "ricotta" recipe.    Here is what I did, following their culinary advice:

Tofu Ricotta

from "Veganomicon" page 206

Makes 3 1/2 cups

1 pound of extra firm tofu

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch of freshly ground black pepper

handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped finely

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1.  In a large bowl (I like using my big red bowl!  Remember my passion for bowls.  This is one of my all time favorites), mush the tofu up with your hands until it's crumbly.

2.  Add the lemon juice  (Thanks for the great Meyer lemons, Brenda!  Yummy)

3.  Add the garlic, salt, pepper and basil.  I used parsley because it is not basil season and my garden is not currently growing basil.  In the end, basil is much better!  Use it if you can get your hands on it.  I would add more garlic to the mix next time - maybe 2 - 3 cloves instead of 1.

4.  Mush with your hands again until it is very mushy and reaches the consistency of ricotta cheese.

5.  Add the olive oil and stir with a fork or large spoon.  Add the nutritional yeast and mix well.  (For those of you not familiar with nutritional yeast, it is what we vegan types use for a wonderful cheesy flavor.  The added benefit is that it is full of B-12 and that is a vitamin lacking in the vegan diet since it is primarily found in animal products)

6.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  It stores well for a few days and can be used in lasagne, stuffed shells, enchiladas, and for pizza topping. You can also freeze tofu ricotta for later use.


I think my tofu ricotta was a bit bland.  Basil would have made a great difference.  I also think that I will use a bit more salt and some dried Italian spices in the next batch. And more garlic!

I used the tofu ricotta as the "cheese" base in our vegetable lasagne.

We have learned to use whole wheat noodles in place of white noodles and I have to say that it really doesn't taste all that different and isn't hard to get used to.  Nutritionally it's a bit better.  Brown is just better than white when it comes to most noodles or bread.

I cooked the noodles 4 at a time in salted water with a bit of olive oil.  I laid down about 4 tablespoons of red sauce - I used a combination of organic marinara from a jar and a bag of my basic red tomato sauce from last summer.  (I make tons of roasted tomato, basil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar sauce and freeze it in quart baggies so we can use it all winter and spring)

I laid the noodles down to cover the bottom of the pan and then spread a generous portion of the tofu ricotta.

I added handfuls of fresh organic spinach and chopped broccoli.  Layer the raw vegetables on top of the tofu ricotta - they will cook while the lasagne is cooking.  I ladled lots of sauce on top of the vegetables and then laid down a new layer of noodles.

The second layer was tofu ricotta, more spinach, and roasted red and yellow peppers (again, from last summer - easy peasy, folks... just roast up a bunch of peppers from the Farmer's market every week and then freeze them in gallon bags and you have them all year round!  I think I bought these peppers for $2 a pound at our local FM)  I dumped even more sauce on top of that!

After adding the last layer of whole wheat noodles, I poured the remaining sauce on top and covered with ground cashews. (so don't even bother asking me where I get my protein... come on folks this thing is full of protein - cashews, whole wheat noodles, spinach, tofu!)

I baked it at 350 degrees for about 30 - 45 minutes until it was bubbling.

Truthfully, I thought this lasagne was a bit bland and needed something a bit more savory. The husband, however, loved it. I think I might use some sun dried tomatoes next time or some black olives or even a mixture of the tofu ricotta and the cashew ricotta (from the same page in the same cookbook!)  However, we have eaten it and eaten it for 4 days now.  Tonight we finished it off.

I roasted some organic asparagus brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt in the oven at 400 degrees .  Are you as happy as me about asparagus season?????!!!!  Heaven.  I plan to eat it every day until the season is over.

Enjoy!

Valentine's Week Yoga Cookies

Four Cookie Recipes to Celebrate Valentine's

Yoga Week!

Long Lost Quinoa Cookies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Mexican Wedding Cakes

Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies

I've been absent from the world of blogging for the past month.  My apologies!  I'm back.

During Valentine's week I decided to make each of my yoga classes a vegan cookie treat.  On Monday we had Long Lost Quinoa cookies which are a delicious gluten free almond, quinoa flake, jam thumbprint cookie.  On Tuesday and Wednesday we had chocolate peanut butter bars (and as far as I can tell, these are gluten free too).  On Friday we had Mexican wedding cakes because my daughter requested this cookie during the cookie fest week.  On Saturday we had Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies.  

Even though I bake vegan desserts I have to confess that they are full of fat and sugar.  I used an entire large tub of Earth Balance during this week long extravaganza baking event, lots of white and brown sugar, several bags of vegan chocolate chips, a huge container of peanut butter, and other goodies that we might not eat every day or our lives.  It's a "treat" - a sweet yummy treat to be eaten in moderation.  This is why I bake for others... I am not moderate and a plate of cookies is my worst enemy in the kitchen.  I was so glad to be able to bake and share.

My students seemed to like each and every cookie I baked and I am so pleased that I could show my love and gratitude by feeding them a sweet treat.  The funniest thing I heard the following week, and more than once, was "What, no cookies this week?"  Some of you were kind enough to tell me I should open a bakery.  Many of you told me which cookie was your favorite.

I think making cookies is pretty easy.  For me, the hard part comes in telling whether they are truly done or not and I sometimes find myself cooking cookies just a wee bit too long.  It's like Goldilocks finding the "just right" bowl of porridge - every second under or over seems to count.  I am going to keep working on it so that the baking part of cookies becomes easier... and I have no interest in opening a bakery.  I'm happy to just cook cookies for fun and enjoyment!

Here are the recipes I promised each and every one of you.  Enjoy!

Long Lost Quinoa Cookies

1 cup quinoa flakes

1 1/4 cup raw almonds

1/2 cup rice flour

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon almond extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

jam for the thumbprint portion

1.  Heat oven to 300 degrees

2.  Toast quinoa flakes in the oven for 6 - 10 minutes, removing from the oven every 2 minutes to stir .  You will know when they are done because they smell fragrant and turn a slight shade darker.  Don't leave them unattended or they will burn!

3. Remove quinoa flakes from the oven and transfer to a plate to cool.

4.  Spread the almonds in a think layer on the baking sheet.  Toast and cool the almonds using the same procedure as the quinoa flakes.  Watch your almonds - it is an expensive bummer to burn them! Take them out to cool on a plate.

5.  Turn the oven up to 350.

6.  Whisk the maple syrup, oil, almond extract and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.

7.  When the quinoa flakes and almonds are cool, grind them in a food processor until meal-like.

8.  Whisk the flour with the quinoa flake and almond meal mixture in a large bowl.

9.  Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until well combined.

10.  Portion the dough into tablespoon sized balls on the baking sheet.  Create an indent with your finger and fill with your favorite jam (about 1/8 - 1/2 teaspoon)

11.  Bake for 10 - 13 minutes.  Cookies should be slightly browned on the underside but not too brown on top.  When you check them, smell them... it is clear if they are burning.

12.  Transfer with a spatula immediately to a cooling rack.  Be careful, they sometimes fall apart.

Some Notes:

-----  You can buy quinoa flakes in the oatmeal/cereal section of most health food stores

----- Don't be surprised if the dough feels very wet when you form the cookies

----- My favorite jam is from my friend, Laurie, who makes her own and sells it.  Here's the link:

http://laurieslittlekitchen.blogspot.com/p/lauries-little-store.html

----- Really watch your toasting of quinoa and almonds.  I have also used my iron frying pan on the stove top to do the toasting.  It is more visual and I tend to stay on top of it and not become distracted and forget that I am toasting something that will burn!

----- You can use whatever flour you like, but for gluten free cooking you want to be very careful in your flour choice

----- This recipe is from my friend and student, Kristin.  Her baking website is:

http://kricketcakes.com/

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

This recipe comes directly from:

The Joy Of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

2 cups crispy rice cereal, crushed

1 1/2 cups natural peanut butter

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons non-dairy butter like Earth Balance

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips

1.  Generously "butter" a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

2.  Put cereal in a large heavy duty plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin.

4.  Press the mixture into a prepared baking pan.

5.  In a small saucepan (or double boiler) melt together the chocolate chips and remaining 2 tablespoons margarine, stirring constantly.  Remove from the heat.

6.  Spread the chocolate mixture over the top of the peanut butter mixture.  Set aside for 1 - 2 hours to set.

Some notes:

----- I used Earth Balance as my vegan"butter"

----- I used brown rice crispy cereal (as if that would somehow redeem this amazingly sweet dense treat into something healthy!)

----- I had to melt more chocolate for complete coverage

----- This was an amazing "no bake" cookie bar experience.  I thought they were really sweet and when I make them again I might use a bit less confectioner's sugar.  These cookies were my second favorite of the week.  They kept well for a few days, too.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

This recipe comes directly from:
The Joy Of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

I have no photo to accompany this recipe.  Remember those delicious nutty dough balls covered in white powdered sugar?  These are them.

1 cup vegan margarine
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
2 cups raw pecans, finely chopped
2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

1.  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

2.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or use non-stick baking sheets.

3.  With an electric hand mixer, cream the vegan margarine, granulated sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.  1 - 2 minutes.  Add the flour, and mix until thoroughly combined.  Add the chopped nuts and mix until well blended, about 30 seconds.

4.  Measure out generously rounded teaspoons of dough and roll them into balls.  Place the balls about one inch apart on the baking sheets.  Bake until they just begin to turn golden, about 30 minutes.  To test for doneness, remove one cookie from the sheet and cut in half.  There should be no doughy strip in the center.

5.  Roll the cookies in confectioner's sugar while still warm.  

Some notes:

----- I think I cooked these a bit long.  When you cut one open you will see that the center is slightly different than the edge.  Don't overcook after that.

----- I used my big stand mixer and it was fine.  I did cream the margarine, sugar, and vanilla for a bit but was careful not to overdo the flour or nut addition.

----- I say use pecans if you can afford it.  Walnuts will suffice but pecans have a richness that these little "cakes' adore.

Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies


This recipe comes directly from:
The Joy Of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

THESE ARE MY NEW FAVORITE COOKIE OF ALL TIME!!!

I love chocolate and I love mint so what can I say?

1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer (equivalent of one egg)

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup vegan margarine

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup vegan chocolate chips

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or use non-stick baking sheets.

2.  Whip together the egg replacer and water until it's thick and creamy. Set aside.

3.  Cream the margarine and sugars together by hand or with an electric mixer at high speed.  Beat in the egg replacer mixture and the vanilla and peppermint extracts.

4.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.  Add this to the margarine mixture.  Add the chocolate chips.  Stir/mix well until combined but do not over mix/stir.  

Some notes:

----- Ener-G egg replacer is a product in a box that you can buy from most health food stores.   It is a binding product made of things like potato starch and tapioca.

----- I have made these cookies 3 times now.  Be really careful with how long you bake them.  They will be pretty soft on the top when you take them out.  They are pretty gooey while hot but will stiffen up a bit as they cool.  If you cook too long you get really hard crunchy cookies.  I think this particular cookie is best a bit soft.

----- I used high quality organic baking cocoa.  I think it's worth it.

----- I might try using a bit more peppermint extract.  I like the mint and it is not at all overpowering by using only 1/2 teaspoon.

-

"Cream" of Stinging Nettle Soup

I happened upon a booth selling stinging nettles at the Farmer's Market last weekend.  The memory of eating stinging nettle soup in the Himalaya's popped right into my mind and I was intrigued. I decided to buy the huge plastic bag of nettles (price was only $3 for the bag!) and see what I could do.

Please forgive my lack of camera skills and photography for this particular blog post.  I did not take photos as I made the soup and I failed to take any photos of the stinging nettles themselves!  If you'd like to see a photo of stinging nettles, please go to:
http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/DSC02005.JPG

I perused various online recipes looking for vegan uses of nettles.  Most of the recipes were soup or pesto.  I decided to follow and play with a pressure cooker version of "cream" of nettle soup.

*Note - you must immerse rinsed nettles in hot water for at least 10 seconds if you are going to use them like spinach in any kind of lasagna, stir fry, tofu scramble, etc.  This will remove the little stingers which apparently hurt like hell.

Ingredients:


1 or more tablespoons oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 medium russet potatoes, washed and chopped with skin
8 cups water or vegetable broth
6 - 8 or more cups of nettles
salt and pepper to taste


1.  Using gloves or tongs, wash the nettles in a colander, rinsing and rinsing

2.  Heat oil in the pressure cooker and add onion.  Saute on very low heat until onion is beginning to caramelize.

3.  Add chopped carrot and celery and saute for a few more minutes.

4.  Add chopped potato and liquid (water or broth).  Place nettles on top.  Put lid on pressure cooker and bring up to high heat for 5 minutes.  Place pressure cooker (this supposes that your pressure cooker is not an electric, but stove top cooker) in sink and run cold water over it to bring pressure down.

5.  Wait for contents to cool and then blend, adding more salt and pepper if you like.

6.  I added about 1/2 cup of almond milk, as well.

Note:  You do not need to cook this soup in a pressure cooker.  You can use a normal stove top method, but it will take slightly longer. 

We enjoyed this soup.  The nettles cook down very much like spinach but the taste is more earthy.  This particular soup uses the potato as the thickener and becomes very creamy due to the potato being cooked and blended.  I thought the soup was more of a potato soup with deep green taste and color. It was yummy the first night but I liked it even more on the second day.

I did a little online research regarding stinging nettles.  Like most "greens" nettles are very low in calories and fat, rich in fiber, and have a high protein count per cup (2.4g protein per cup).  Nettles are high in iron, calcium, Vitamin A and a great source of Vitamin K which is required for blood clotting.

Nettles have a long history of use as a diuretic, joint pain treatment, helping to promote healthy adrenal glands and kidneys, speed wound healing and are used for many pre-menstrual and menopausal symptoms.

Nettles typically appear in spring and grow all summer long. 

Euell Gibbons, an authority on wild foods and foraging, wrote an "ode" to stinging nettle: "And yet, this detested weed is one of the finest and most nutritious foods in the whole plant kingdom.  Unlike many health foods, nettle greens are really good, as well as being good for you."