Recipe: Tomato Lentil Soup

It's been cold and miserable on and off, so I've been in a soup-making mood. (Also I'm lazy and slightly busy, and soup doesn't take a lot of babysitting.) My mother suggested this recipe, so this isn't my usual lentil soup, but it was delicious. The biggest key to perfect soup is letting it cook for as long as possible to let the flavors mingle.

Ingredients


2 Tbsp. olive oil (you'll probably need to add more later)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium stalk celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup dried lentils
4 cups water
4 tsp vegetable bullion
1 tsp dried thyme leaves

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic, and sautee about 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Keep an eye on it, if the garlic overcooks it'll get very bitter. Stir in remaining ingredients except tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes at the absolute minimum, 45-60 minutes is best. Add a little more liquid if necessary.

When the lentils and vegetables are tender, add the tomatoes. Simmer uncovered for at least another 15 minutes - 30-45 minutes is best. Remove bay leaf and serve.


Now Playing: The Cure - Lullaby

Recipe: Carrot and Red Pepper Soup

This is my second PCRM recipe adaptation. The original recipe put a few instructions in a curious order, and I thought it lacked complexity of flavor - but it could just be because I think everything's better with a little peppery kick. This soup has a wonderfully fresh, smoky-sweet flavor and goes great with a grain or pasta dish on the side.

Ingredients


1 white or yellow onion, chopped
6 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups vegetable stock
2 red bell peppers
2 cups unsweetened soymilk
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
dash of Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper
paprika, for garnish

In a large saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a boil. Add onion and carrots and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

While the carrots and onion are cooking, cut the bell peppers in half and remove seeds. Place the halved peppers skin side up under the broiler until the skin is well charred - check them roughly every five minutes or so. When the skins are blackened, remove from the broiler. Set aside and let sit, covered, for about 15 minutes. Remove the charred skin - it should peel off easily.

In a large blender or food processor, blend the carrot mixture, soy milk, and bell peppers, adding small portions of each until completely blended. Note: If your food processor is getting full, back off on the soymilk. Return to the pot and stir in remaining soymilk, lemon juice, and vinegar. Season with Tabasco, salt, and pepper, to taste. (I tend to use quite a bit of Tabasco, but I like everything spicy.) Heat slowly until steaming, but do not boil. Serve topped with paprika - don't skip this! I promise it makes it all come together. (Well... I guess you could skip it.... just don't tell me.)

And there you have it. :) A delicious blended soup for all seasons.

Now Playing: Killing Joke - Follow the Leaders

1/5/12

Lunch today: Amy's Indian Dal Curried Lentil soup, and a slice of Rudi's whole wheat toast with Earth Balance vegan butter. Yum~

Staying with my mother at the moment - I lost my house back at the end of October due to roommate issues, and I have things here to sort out anyway (i.e. all of the things from my childhood and adolescence that are lying around cluttering up the place.) My mother is going on a new diet to eliminate chemical additives in food, so with luck I can get her to eat more plant-based meals. If only I could get my sister to eat my cooking I swear she eats McDonald's practically every day.


Well, I plan to be cooking as much as possible, as well as checking out the vegan options at some local restaurants. An old friend of mine from high school gave me some recommendations, so I'm hoping to check it out soon.

Now Playing: Christian Death - The Blue Hour

I know, I know, I've already posted once today. But I've shared the big change already, and what's the point of having a food blog if you don't plan to show your meals to an audience of random strangers?

One of my favorite winter dinners: Amy's vegan Alphabet Soup with crackers. I don't know what kind of crackers. Just something random I found in the pantry. Happy December, everybody.