Carrot Curry Soup

Here is another super simple soup.

1 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic minced (or 1 fresh clove garlic)
1 square curry or 1 Tbsp curry powder
4 cups vegetable broth
2 lbs carrots, pealed and sliced
1/2 cup half and half, or canned milk
In a skillet  heat oil and add onion, and garlic, and cook until onions are translucent and slightly brown.  Put onion mixture, curry, broth, and carrots into a crock pot.  Cook on low for 6+ hours or on high for 4 hrs.  With a slotted spoon, scoop the carrots and onions into a blender.  Add half and half, or milk. Blend, adding enough of the remaining broth that the mixture blends thoroughly and is the desired consistency.

Serve with your favorite bread

For a middle-eastern variation, use coconut milk instead of half and half.   Serve with naan or focaccia bread

For a low-fat vegan variation, omit the olive oil (instead spray skillet with your favorite cooking spray) and the half and half.  Serve with a vegan whole wheat bread.

I can imagine, if I were entertaining, making both the fresh pea soup, and this soup, offering a variety of artisan bread, and using the colors to make quite a pretty table.

Fresh Pea Soup

This recipe was so fast and I liked it a lot. It has a fresher flavor than split pea soup. It is from the Cook's Encyclopedia (with modifications). This recipe only makes enough for 2 people if you are eating it as a main dish.

Cook
1/2 cup chopped onions or shallots
in
2 Tbsp of butter
 in a saucepan until lightly browned.
Add
2 cups water or veggie broth (I used veggie broth)
3 cups fresh peas (frozen are fine)
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Simmer about 12 minutes
Blend in a food processor until smooth
While hot, ladle into bowls and top with either drizzled cream, a dollop of sour cream or a few dots of cream cheese.

Serve with your favorite side bread

For a low-fat vegan variation, omit butter (use a little cooking spray in the skillet instead) and drizzle with low-fat almond milk instead of cream, sourcream or cream cheese.

So easy, so yummy.

Cookbooks

Here is a note about cookbooks.  I got Betty Crocker Vegetarian Cooking when I first decided to do a vegetarian summer.  I chose it because I wanted mainstream recipes that weren't too spicy.  It has some recipes I like, but a lot of them are just their other recipes, but they have substituted TVP (textured vegetable protein, i.e.) in place of the meat.  I don't want to use fake meat... like...ever. 




Recently I picked up a vegetarian cook book at a thrift store.  It is called The Cook's Encyclopedia of Vegetarian Cooking by Lina Fraser.  I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but I plan to this week.  It looks promising, and none of the recipes call for imitation meat substitute.