Lemony Lentils

I purged many of my cookbooks during Covid lock down, but the few that I've kept I'm trying to actually use! Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan is by one of the vegan authors/chefs that I used to follow pretty closely (Dreena Burton) and I'm a big fan of two of her other soups. Katie in my office recently had a lemony soup that piqued my interest in trying her Lemon Chickpea Lentil soup (no link- grab the book). It was good but not great. The lemon flavor did make it more interesting than a standard lentil soup, and since I'm *always* a chick pea fan I had no problem polishing off this pot. That said, I probably won't make it again, as she has other soups that I much prefer (see earlier posts). 

Black Bean Chili with Mushrooms... Meh.

I had high hopes for this chili. I even made a special trip to the spice shop to get the chipotle powder and the mild ground chili. It has dried porcini mushrooms in it! Black beans! All the things that I love... and yet the result was just meh. There was also an excessive amount of chopping- so it didn't feel like a low key chop and pour sort of chili recipe that I like. The resulting chili was oddly watery and the mushroom flavor and texture were both lost in the mix. I finished the pot myself but would not repeat this recipe. Onward! 

Brothy Thai Curry

Another NYT recipe here- and this one also deviates from my norm, and it was a good- though not great- soup. Brothy Thai Curry With Silken Tofu and Herbs combined many of the flavors that I love (coconut, ginger, cilantro, lime, tomato). It called for 3 Tablespoons of curry paste (!) so I was worried it would be too spicy but it was actually fairly mild. I loved the inclusion of silken tofu to bulk it up and also added quartered mushrooms and broccoli florets (not called for in the recipe) to add yet more bulk. I used a pint of regular (fresh) cherry tomatoes vs. a canned variety. I smooshed the tomatoes in the pot a bit to bring about more flavor as they cooked, but I do wonder if this is one of those unique situations in which canned may have actually been more flavorful?  

For lunches at work, I packed up tupperwares of the soup with side dishes of a lime wedge, chopped cilantro and scallion so I could heat up the soup without making my herbs soggy. This was a vibrant and different choice for me and while I didn't love it, I did indeed *like* it. 

Rosemary + Cauliflower Win

This recipe is one of several you should see forthcoming from the NYT recipe pages. Last winter break I paid for a subscription on a whim when I was desperate for the No-Knead Bread recipe. Sure enough, I forgot to cancel and so my annual subscription hit my credit card a year later. I'm committed to getting some real value of this subscription, so expect to see more from the NYT recipe site between now and next December 14! 

I have made many cauliflower soup recipes in my day and this one was true to its name- it is super creamy- likely the richest and creamiest I've made! I'm unsure if I can attribute that to the significant olive oil in the recipe or my beloved Vitamix (that I didn't own when I started this blog... soup-life changing though) but either way, it is good- very good! The rosemary infused olive oil is interesting (and I have leftover for dipping purposes with good bread- yuuuummmmm....) and adds a depth and special element to an otherwise pretty basic soup. 

That said, note to self: Tone down the bullion when you make this one again in the future. It was simply too salty. I may have gone too heavy when I was stirring in the Better than Bullion and/or otherwise when it called for added salt. I'll check that next time, and there *will* be a next time! 

Seven Years Later... and a Vegetarian Chili Win

And to think that seven years ago I was lamenting about having missed 3 years of blogging- whoops! Suffice it to say that just a few things have happened in the past seven years that have taken me off both serious cooking and writing about cooking. Two kids, a Ph.D., Covid, to name a few...

These days, particularly with M & M at home, I've been able to get into a better cadence of cooking and packing lunches. Enter renewed interest in this blog/catalog of my best vegetarian soup recipes. While some of my former posts are a bit cringe-worthy looking back now, the concept of having my soup recipe reviews all together in one place has enduring appeal. Rather than set a specific time-bound goal (50 different soups in one year- what was I thinking?!?!) I aim to get this blog space to a total of 50 soups (inclusive of those that I've already posted about and reviewed). 

Last Halloween my neighbor friends and I had a pre-game trick-or-treat gathering. Andrea and Kevin brought this chili and even though it doesn't have any faux meat in it, I had to triple check that it was indeed vegetarian- it was just so hearty! Bonus, when I asked her for the recipe it led me right to a blog that I've used for curries and other dishes. Andrea and Kevin double the cumin and chili powder and add a bit of Frank's Red Hot too and I concur that these are important additions. 

I'm not sure why I thought it had meat in it initially, but something about the bean and veggie combo is uniquely filling in this dish. Nothing unusual or fancy in this, but well worth it (up the spices though)! I was also inspired to buy my first hardcopy cookbook in ages after this time making this chili. Kate's cookbook doesn't include this dish and the soup section actually is not all that intriguing to me, but it is a gorgeous cookbook with some interesting-looking salads and drinks that I'm excited to try too!