Spiced Chickpea and Tomato Soup

So I don't have a picture. Tomato soup looks the same no matter how you photograph it - unless you are food photographer and stylist, then you have all the right lighting and know-how.

As you know we are moving in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to use up everything I have in my pantry and fridge so nothing goes to waste. I can bring some pantry good with me, but not everything.

So I had everything already to make this soup. It was good. I didn't love it, but my husband did. Not your traditional tomato soup. It is kinda cool though that a tomato soup can be nontraditional (as in no cream or basil). That Martha sure can shake things up.

I used fresh tomatoes that I had frozen from last summer (wanted to use them up), instead of the canned. And used vegetable stock instead of the chicken stock it calls for in the recipe. Voila - vegan.

http://www.marthastewart.com/353560/spiced-chickpea-and-tomato-soup

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos

I'm not trying to steal Shannon's thunder here - really I'm not. But she made these for me just after I had my baby and I LOVED them. Now I make them quite frequently. They freeze really well and heat up easily for a low-effort dinner. The filling is not exactly a cinch to make, but this recipe makes a ton, and its nice to have all those extras to freeze for later. They are from the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites Cookbook.

Try them here.

Orange Glazed Tempeh

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Yes, yes, it is yet another tempeh recipe from Color Me Vegan.  It was really good!  Definitely better than the other one I posted (although that one was still good).  The flavor was very good and very easy to prepare.  I did not steam the tempeh this time and I think I had dinner on the table in less than 45 minutes.

I tried some searches to get the recipe and post it, but couldn't find it.  If you want me to post this recipe, let me know.  I renewed the book AGAIN!

Linguine with purple cabbage and pine nutes

This is another one from Color Me Vegan.  Mark has this thing with purple cabbage.  He loves it.  This one was pretty good.  I liked it, but have to say, it is a little too sweet after it cooks. Still pretty good and I think we will make it again!

Tempeh with Cherry Balsalmic Reduction Sauce

Whoa, blogger has a new interface I guess... So, this was a fancy one. I checked out Color Me Vegan from the library. I love it! It has been a long time that a cookbook has interested me like this. One of the recipes that spoke to me was this one. When we would eat meat at hope, those chicken dishes were always so easy: saute a little chicken, make a little sauce, serve with a veggie and rice...dinner is served! This is kind of like that, but uses tempeh instead of chicken. First thing, the recipe states to steam the tempeh. Well, I had some time so I went ahead and did it. I guess it made a difference. The author says it gets rid of some of the bitterness of tempeh. I guess it did. She also recommends freezing tofu so take it with a grain of salt. Once the steaming was done, the meal came together quickly. It was pretty good. I could see making it again if I still have the book!

Quinoa, Avocado and Sweet PotatoTimbale

I have been hanging onto this recipe for a while. The picture made it look so yummy and I had been eager to try it. Honestly I was a little intimidated because I thought it looked really labor intensive. It really wasn't as difficult as it appeared. Nick and I each had two timbale and we felt satisfied. As in hara hachi bu (the Japanese philosophy of eating until you are 80% full).  These were good and really I don't have any serious complaints, but the recipe didn't send me over the moon. I'm not sure I'd make this again, but I still liked it.

In the event you'd like to try it, I do have a couple of notes:

1) This recipe has 4 basic parts. Each part can be done in advance, then assembled when its time to eat.

2) I would use the full jalapeno instead of half to prepare the Quinoa.

3) I roasted the tomatillas along with the sweet potatoes - just got it done faster and everything was fine.

4) I didn't have avocado when I made this (I forgot to pick one up), but I think it would be really scrumptious had I used it.

5) No need to use a mold to create the nice neat little stack. You could very well just pile it on the plate - it all will fall apart once you dig in anyhow. But on the other hand, the presentation is nice when you go the extra mile. I have to admit I actually felt a little special when I made it look really pretty - like I was eating something that would be served in a fancy restaurant. I used a large biscuit cutter as a mold.

This recipe is from a new chef I hadn't used before Tal Ronnen. His cookbook is called The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes to Change the way you eat. Find the recipe here.

Polenta with Tomato-Braised Beans

We liked this. I wouldn't say its in my top 10 of most used or favorite recipes, but it can be easy to prepare if you use prepared polenta from the produce section instead of dry polenta. Using the dried polenta can be high maintenance if you ask me - you just have to keep an eye on it, stirring alot and it can still get lumpy.  Polenta, if you don't know is a fancy term cornmeal.  You don't need to buy the pricier package that says Polenta on the label - I just use plain old House Autry Cornmeal.  You can however use prepared polenta you get from the produce section of the store - fry it or mash it and serve the beans over the top, and this meal will be just as good.

But its another way to get white beans into your diet - they have lots of calcium.

Try it here.