Oh man… this was SO good!  I had to exercise great restraint to keep from eating the whole pot and then licking it clean.  I’ve made this coconut curry before, but I thought I could thin it out a bit with some extra veggie stock to make it into a soup.  I think it’s actually better as a soup than it is a curry dish.  Anyway, the basic recipe is Carrie’s, but I did make a few changes so I will post it here.

Coconut Curry Soup

1 package Asian noodles (I used udon)

1 package extra firm tofu, patted dry and cut into bite sized cubes

2 TB canola oil, plus an extra drizzle to fry the tofu

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 summer squash, chopped

2 cups green cabbage, chopped

1 cup green beans, frozen

1 cup peas, frozen

1 cup broccoli florets, frozen

1 1/2 tsp Thai Red Curry Paste

1 can light coconut milk

2 cups veggie stock

2 TB brown sugar (firmly packed)

2 tsp turmeric

2 TB soy sauce

Juice of 2 limes (the more, the better I think- feel free to add more if you like)

Cook the noodles per package directions.  In a large skillet (preferably non-stick) over medium high heat, drizzle a tiny bit of canola oil and pan fry the tofu cubes on all sides.  In a (separate) large soup pot, saute the onion in the canola oil over medium high heat.  After a few minutes, add the zucchini, squash, and cabbage to the soup pot and cook for about 5 minutes.  You want the vegetables to get a little bit of color to them, so don’t worry too much about stirring them constantly.  The idea is that the vegetables are sort of stir fried before the broth makes the dish into a soup.  Anyway, so after a few minutes, add the garlic and the curry paste and cook until the curry paste becomes fragrant.  You will have to mash it up with a spoon as it’s cooking to get rid of the big clumps.  Add the coconut milk, veg stock, brown sugar (be sure that it is firmly packed when you measure it), turmeric and soy sauce.  Stir and bring it up to a boil.  Add the broccoli, green beans and peas.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the cooked noodles and lime juice.  Taste for seasoning and add salt, if needed, or more lime juice.  Garnish with chopped cilantro or basil and some chopped peanuts.

So, so, so delicious!  The perfect blend of sweet, spice and tang.

For dinner the other night, I made another batch of my Three Bean Soup. This is so easy to make and so tasty. I was running short of time, so I decided to use my little chopper (it’s like a mini food processor) to chop up all the veggies. That was a big time saver and I think I will do that from now on.

On the side, we had some of vegandad’s focaccia. I’ve actually made this once before, but never blogged about it because it didn’t turn out quite right. I was not very precise when measuring the flour, which made the bread turn out a little on the brick-ish side. It was still very good, but I realized right away that I need to be more careful when measuring for baked goods.

This batch turned out much better. So fluffy and yummy… I did substitute dried basil for the sage and it was delicious! Since my mixer does the kneading for me, I will definitely be making this all the time. It is awesome on it’s own, but it would be great for veggie sammies or paninis.

I came up with the idea for this soup when my mom asked me what uses there are for kale, aside from cooking it up and eating it as is.  She asked if it could be put in salads and, at the time, I didn’t know, but I can now assure you that yes, it is good in salads.  I sprinkle some in and mix it in with the lettuce and you can’t even tell that it’s there.

Lentil, Kale & White Bean Soup

1 onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 kale leaves, stems removed and chopped

1 quart veg stock

1/2 cup lentils (I used brown)

1 can white beans (I actually used pinto, as I was out of cannellini)

1 T red wine vinegar

S&P to taste

In a large soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic.  Cook for about 5 minutes, until they begin to get tender.  Add the vegetable stock, bring to a boil, and add the lentils.  Reduce the heat back to medium and cook for about 10 minutes.  Add the kale and continue cooking for about 30 minutes, until the lentils and kale are fully cooked.  Add in the can of beans (any kind will work) and let the beans heat through.  Remove from the heat and add the vinegar, S&P.  This was SO good and made just the perfect amount.  It was enough for three pretty large servings, or four smaller ones.  I love it when we don’t have tons of leftover soup to eat for days and days.

I actually make these panini sandwhiches all the time.  They are probably one of my favorite sandwiches.  I know that my photography skills could use a little work, but trust me when I say that my lame photo doesn’t do it justice.

Mediterranean Style Panini Sandwiches

(makes 4 sandwiches)

1 cup roasted red peppers, patted dry and sliced

A big handful of fresh basil leaves

6 green olives & 8 kalamata olives, finely chopped

1 large tomato, sliced

1 cup artichoke hearts, sliced

Sandwich rolls

Slice open the sandwich rolls and smear each side with a generous amount of mayo (or vegan mayo– I’m still using up my tub o’ Best Foods).  If you aren’t into mayo, a little drizzle of olive oil will do the trick too.  Pile on the sandwich fillings, but put the tomato in the middle so that your bread doesn’t get soggy.  Either use a panini press or a skillet to brown them up on both sides.  SO, so, so good.  I could eat these all day every day.

Matt has been asking for a bean soup and I didn’t get around to making it last week,so I decided to make it last night for dinner. I didn’t follow any recipe– just made it up as I went along according to taste and what I thought it needed:

Three Bean Soup

2 TB olive oil

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 jalapeños, minced

1 cup corn kernels, fresh, frozen or canned

6 cups veg stock

1 can cannellini beans

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

2 TB chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, bell peppers, jalapeños, and garlic and cook for a few minutes until they start to get tender. Add the stock and spices and cook for about an hour. When the stock has reduced a bit, add the beans and cook another 30 minutes until the soup begins to thicken a bit. At the last minute, add the corn and taste for seasoning. Add S&P if needed.

Ours was garnished with some diced avocado lightly dressed with some lime juice, S&P, and cilantro. On the side, we had a big piece of vegan cornbread from The Joy of Vegan Baking. No picture of the cornbread, sorry. It was really good and I ate mine before I thought to take a photo of it. Matt loved the both the soup and the cornbread, and I will definitely be adding this to our list of regulars.

One note: some may be concerned about the heat level of this dish, considering that it has jalapeños and cayenne in it. It was probably almost a medium by my standards. If you are worried about that, leave out the jalapeños and/or the cayenne, but it wasn’t that spicy as is.

After being in a rut the last few weeks, my culinary creativity has finally come home. I’ve missed you, buddy.

Last night’s meal was semi-inspired by last week’s episode of Top Chef. One of the top recipes was a squash soup and I remember thinking how good that sounded, and how long it’s been since I’ve made it. So, here it is, my recipe for Butternut Squash and Apple Soup.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1 medium apple, peeled and chopped

juice of 1/2 a lemon (maybe 1 TB or so)

1 TB honey * (see note below)

1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

pinch cayenne

1 small-ish butternut squash (maybe 2-3 pounds)

4 cups veg stock

In a large stock pot over medium heat, saute the onion, garlic and carrots in about a TB of olive oil. After about 5 minutes, add the apple and cook another 5 minutes. Add the honey, lemon juice, nutmeg and butternut squash and cook for another 2 minutes before adding the stock. When you add the stock, cover the pot and let the soup simmer for about an hour, or until all of the veggies are tender. When cooked, puree the soup using an immersion blender, food processor or blender. Once blended, check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if needed. I garnished our soup bowls with a small handful of roasted pumpkin seeds. This was so good that I had to stop myself from licking the bowl clean. We will definitely be having this again soon!

* Note: I know that some vegans don’t consider honey to be vegan and I have no particular fondness for it. The reason I use it here is because I have some that I bought probably a year ago that I need to use up. Feel free to substitute any other natural sweetener– pure maple syrup would be a good option.

To go with our soup and to use up some phyllo dough and caramelized onions in my fridge, I decided to make some Caramelized Onion, Apple and Walnut Tartlets. To make these, I piled up 3 layers of phyllo dough (brushing each layer with olive oil to “glue” them together) and cut them into quarters lengthwise. At the top of each phyllo strip, I placed a small dollop of leftover cashew cheese, a bit of caramelized onions, some spicy apples, and some crushed roasted walnuts. Fold into triangles by folding the phyllo in the exact same way that a flag is folded. Seal the edge with a dab of olive oil, and brush the entire triangle with more olive oil. I sprinkled the tops with a cinnamon-sugar mixture and some more crushed walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, until the triangles are golden brown. These were outta sight! I was really trying to duplicate a gorgonzola, walnut, caramelized onion concoction and I think I came pretty close with these.