Everybody's Favorite Vegan Sweet Potato* Bisque

Happy (?) 2026! What a year! I live in Minneapolis. It's been real! And surreal. Tragic and terrifying, humbling and affirming. And now it's March and the snow has mostly melted and we are in the midst of a shift. 

Today is one of my favorite days: Ethics Day at the University of Minnesota. Which means I watch an all-day online CLE on research ethics. It's true: I neither work in research nor practice law at present. But I am a lifelong learner and I love CLEs. This one is 100% online, so I can also chop vegetables and make soup while I learn, which is pretty dreamy, at least a couple days a year. (I also enjoy have a cooking/learning day during the Binger Center for New Americans Fall Immigration Forum.) 

This morning, I made two soups. The first was my adaptation of Melissa Clark's Red Lentil Stew. I last made it in December, when my sister visited. She texted me a few weeks later, asking for the recipe. It was pretty handy to have a cakeandedith.com link to text right back to her. That's proven to be of the main functions of this website at this point: it's a library for myself, a readily-available resource for people I know who want the recipe for something I've shared with them, that they enjoyed. Which brings me to the second soup, recipe below: Vegan Sweet Potato Bisque. 

[* Did I say sweet potato? It could be sweet potato, for sure! But it could be carrots - and was, in its original broadcast in Vegan with a Vengeance, one of the best cookbooks of all time, even for non-vegans! (Carrot Bisque, p. 56) - or winter squash or parsnips or a 3-pound mix of whatever sweet, creamy vegetables you've got!]

I have made this recipe for friends recovering from surgery, dinner guests Whole-30-ing (skip the maple syrup, add half an apple with the carrots, or two dates for the last five minutes), and teacher appreciation meals. Folks often want the recipe. I usually type it up and email it. But it's a staple in our home, and it really hits the spot, particularly when the seasons are changing, and you're bracing yourself for winter, or relaxing into its final weeks. Clearly, it was the result of nothing short of neglect that it wasn't added to the Cake and Edith archives before now! Remedied just in time: I've got three quarts in my freezer now, and I think they'll keep me warm until May takes over the task.

Vegan Sweet Potato Bisque
Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance
Yield: 8 generous bowls

3 lbs sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squash, etc., peeled and diced into 1/2" pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (optional)
1 tablespoon of your favorite curry powder
3-4 cups water + vegetable bouillon (or 3-4 cups vegetable broth)
1 (13-oz) can coconut milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Juice from 1 lime
Garnish: cilantro, mint, or scallions

In a large stock pot over medium heat, warm up the oil and then add onions, sweet potatoes (carrots, whatever), and salt. Stir so that veggies are coated in oil and salt, then cover the pot. Cook for 10 minutes, so that the steam and salt help veggies to release some of their moisture and sweetness, opening to stir every 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger (if using), and curry. Stir and sauté for a minute more. Add the water and bouillon, or broth, and increase heat to bring to boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes, until vegetables are super soft and breaking up a bit.

Stir in the coconut milk and allow the soup to come back to boil, simmer for a couple minutes. Turn the heat off. Using an immersion blender, or - carefully! - in batches using a regular blender, blend the soup until it's super smooth and creamy. Stir in the maple syrup and lime juice. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings: add more salt, lime, or maple syrup, to get the combo you like best. Serve hot and garnish with cilantro, mint, and/or scallions.

As the seasons shift: Maple Sugar Plum Cake

Hello and hello! The weather seems to have officially turned, we'll turn our clocks backwards tonight, and I'm finally, officially, enthusiastically ready to turn on my oven.



I am not sure if plums are still available this year. I saw them at the market in Toronto, where I got to enjoy a minibreak last weekend, but at our go-to grocery stores in Minneapolis, they've been replaced with pears and pumpkins in the last few weeks. But this is such a great recipe! I want to share it, and if I wait until next August when plums are back in season, I'll forget. So... if plums are no longer purpling your shop's produce department, bookmark this post for next year. I made it twice in two weeks in August because once wasn't enough.




And, yes, maple sugar is pricey. I think it's worth the splurge if you can swing it. It adds depth and a malty-fallness to this recipe, and perfectly compliments the tart plums as they slow-cook into jammy puddles that punctuate each bite. I bought maple sugar in bulk at the Wedge Co-op on Franklin and Lyndale in Minneapolis. I think you could find it in most big grocery stores or even medium specialty stores; and of course it's readily available online.

Wishing you just enough comfort to keep you grateful, as the days shorten and we trend indoors.




Maple Sugar Plum Cake
Adapted from Once Upon a Chef (omitted egg, added maple sugar, adjusted spices a bit - I think this would be a delicious vegan cake if you used oil in place of butter and a nondairy milk)

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (½ cup) butter, softened (or 1/2 cup neutral oil, if you want this vegan)
3/4 cup maple sugar (note: if you are using an egg instead of applesauce, use 1 cup maple sugar)
1/4 cup applesauce (or 1 egg - see maple sugar note)
½ cup milk of choice
2 tablespoons regular sugar (or demerara or turbinado)
About a pound of plums: either 6 small plums, pitted and halved; or 3 large plums, pitted and quartered

Grease an 8-inch square pan with butter or shortening. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter and maple sugar on low speed at first, then on medium speed until the mixture is pale and fluffy (about 2 minutes).

Add half the flour mixture and mix on low until streaks are gone. Add half the milk. Repeat with remaining flour and mix are incorporated with no floury streaks or milk puddles.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Place each of your twelve plum segments on top of the batter, skin-side up. Press them into the cake gently, then sprinkle the whole top of the cake with the sugar. (I used cinnamon sugar one of the two times - it did not appreciably enhance the cake, but worked just fine if you happen to have it).

Bake for about an hour. Check for doneness with the tip of a knife - you don't want uncooked batter, but you do want sticky plum jam. Cook 5-10 more minutes, if needed. Once baked, allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before diving in.

Easy Brunch Idea: Spicy Chorizo Black Bean Scramble (with vegetarian option)

Well, hello December and hello you. How are you? Are you staying warm? Getting enough affection? Found a reliable go-to for chapped lips and hands yet? Read a great book recently? I welcome any and all recommendations.

In my circle, which I think of as relatively small, many people I care about are dealing with some blows of late. Lots of layoffs and general job insecurity; surgeries, scares, mobility restrictions; unwanted change / unwanted sameness; the epic sine-wave of grief whose peaks feel pointier this time of year. Both short-term and long-game worries about politics and climate, the economy and individual rights. So much! Plus the usual holiday angst, which we feel terrible about because it's supposed to be all joy and generosity and candy canes and promise, and when it's not shame shines through - maybe to remind us of our inevitable need for grace?

All that to say, I'm glad you're here and I'm glad - years overdue - that I'm finally sharing this recipe! I hope you're managing okay - maybe even thriving? And I hope you like this recipe. If you're having guests over the holidays, or were thinking about hosting a brunch but found yourself stumped by what to make, this one's good to have up your sleeve. My mom and I first tried it about a decade ago for Christmas morning brunch - a risky day to try something new but I'm so grateful we did. I've made it many times since, because it's simple, quick, and presents like a restaurant brunch entree. Because we are mostly vegetarian, I make it 100% of the time with Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo and it does not disappoint. This scramble is lovely with a side of roasted sweet potatoes and a citrus-punched, make-ahead salad or slaw. xoxo E-N

Spicy Chorizo and Black Bean Scramble
Adapted from Sunset Magazine
Yield: 6 servings

12 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo (or TJ's Soy Chorizo for excellent vegetarian option), casings removed
Avocado or other neutral olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 red or yelllow (or both!) bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
2 small or 1 medium tomatillo, chopped (optional, but very nice)
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
Two big handfuls of baby spinach
8 large eggs
Cilantro leaves and tender stems, torn (however much you'd like; I use about a cup)
1/2 cup (or more) crumbled queso fresco or cotija

To serve: Tortillas, guacamole, salsa, hot sauce, limes for squeezing

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add chorizo and break up chunks with a spoon. Keep cooking, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 5-8 minutes. Lower heat if the chorizo burns at all, and add a tablespoon of water if it sticks. (All chorizo is different!) Once it's cooked, spoon chorizo into a bowl and set aside.

Return pan to burner, lower heat to medium. There should be some oil left in the pan from the chorizo; add onion, pepper, and tomatillo, along with 1/2 teaspoon salt. (If the pan's dry, add a bit more oil first, then the veggies and salt.) Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add baby spinach, the chorizo, and black beans, and stir until spinach is wilted. Crack eggs so that they are evenly spaced throughout the pan. Sprinkle with another 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Let them set for a few seconds, then use a spatula to softly scramble, folding the eggs gently into the chorizo-bean mixture. Remove from heat.

Top with cilantro and cheese and serve with tortillas, guacamole, salsa, hot sauce, and lime wedges for squeezing.

Election Day Billies: Poetry, Potatoes, and Spotlighting the Public Servant

You've got a lot on your plate today! Here are some Billies to meet you where you're at:

1. Holding Vigil by Alison Luterman. A tender reminder of why we need artists and metaphors and love, especially during times of uncertainty.

2. In 2012, on the night Barack Obama was re-elected President - a night which seemed so stressful then but now, ha! - an OG food blogger contemporary - one far more prolific and wide-reaching than myself, with impressive photography skills, a bit more bravery in the kitchen, and a lacerating wit - shared a recipe for what is essentially a Mutant Ninja Potato Pancake, which he calls a Rostï in his post: What to Eat on Election Night. I think I might eat it on Election Night twelve years on. It's about as comforting as comfort food gets. And who couldn't do with a heaping pile of salty comfort tonight?

3. I have spent the majority of my working life in public service. On occasion, I wish all citizens were required to spend a year or five invested in the endeavor of making public institutions run smoothly and equitably. It can be grueling and sad and thankless. It can be rewarding and exciting and mind-opening. No matter what, it's complicated, because humans and societies and progress and growth and diversity and equity and food production and justice and healthcare and education and urban planning and water management and space exploration... are complicated. Author Michael Lewis collaborated with a bunch of other writers to interview federal government employees and elucidate the essential services they provide. Find out more about these stories at Who is Government? Start with this 20-min video version about an antitrust Rookie with the DOJ... I think the youth are going to save us.