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.

Cauliflower-Cheese Soup

This was a very fast, simple and hearty soup recipe from the Betty Crocker Vegetarian cookbook

In a sauce pan melt
1 Tbsp butter
Add
1/2 cup chopped onion
cook until translucent
Add
1 Tbsp flour
1tsp salt

In a separate bowl mix
3 cups plain soy milk
2 tsp corn starch

Add to the onion mixture and stir.
Add
3 cups cauliflower florets (or 3 cups broccoli florets, or a combo of both.)
Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft.  (Be careful that it doesn't boil over.  Burned soy milk is a dickens to get of a stove top ;})
Add
1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (6 oz)
Stir and heat until the cheese melts.  Serve with your favorite dinner bread and some peas.  (I mixed my peas into the soup at the table and it was delicious.)

The whole time start to finish is 30 minutes.