Bean and Bacon (and NO Bacon) Soup

Jake wanted me to post the picture of his awesome pizza from the previous night.

After returning from our Sedona Study Day on Saturday (in which we hiked around with all our books in our bookbags SAYING we were looking for a good place to study but never actually getting anything done) we were both really ravenous. We’d eaten brunch before leaving that morning and had decided not to eat lunch in Sedona because we wanted to save money and didn’t pack a lunch because we wanted to save time and get there faster. So I started in on making a soup while Jake heated up some of the pizza we’d made the night previously (picture of the pizza posted here, recipe not posted because we’ve already done that). My goal for the soup was a protein boost. My thoughts turned to the Campbell’s Bean & Bacon soup that my dad would often eat for lunch on Saturdays and that I eventually learned to love. But I am a vegetarian. And Jake is not. So I ended up taking 2 small saucepans and making 2 pots of soup. One vegetarian and one not. I give you both recipes below.

Bean and Bacon Soup
1/2 onion
1 carrot
4 strips bacon, diced
a little extra bacon fat (saved from previous fryings)
3 tablespoons flour
1 can pinto beans, 1/2 cup liquid reserved, the rest drained
3 cups water (or however much you want)
1 beef boullion cube
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Fry diced bacon in a medium saucepan for 3 minutes. Add in onion and carrot. And a little extra bacon fat. Saute till tender.
2. Add in flour and stir, 2 minutes.
3. Add in pinto beans and reserved liquid. Cook 4 minutes.
4. Add in water and beef boullion cube. Cook and stir 5-7 minutes.
5. Add in garlic powder, salt and black pepper to taste.
6. Let the soup simmer till the broth has thickened. Serve immediately with a chunk of french bread (Jake’s recommendation).

Bean and NO-Bacon Soup
1/2 onion
1 carrot
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 can pinto beans, 1/2 cup liquid reserved, the rest drained
vegetable boullion
3 cups water (or however much you want)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add onion and carrot and saute 5-7 minutes or till tender.
2. Add in the flour and stir, 2 minutes.
3. Add in the pinto beans and reserved liquid. Cook 4 minutes.
4. Add in water and vegetable boullion. Cook 5 minutes.
5. Add in garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.
6. Let the soup cook till it has thickened to your desired consistency.

**You could also potentially use the fake soy-based bacon in this soup too, though it was delicious without it.**

Bean and Bacon soup. WITH meat.

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Brussels sprouts are super good for you!

I love this semi-new vegetarian cookbook that I own. I first came across it when I was in college and home for the summer and contemplating turning vegetarian for the first time. It didn’t happen at that time, but this cookbook sparked my interest. It’s called “The Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetables & Vegetarian Cooking” and besides being a cookbook, has a vegetable encyclopedia in the front with just about everything you’d ever want to know about the veggies you’d be using in a vegetarian diet. Every veggie that I’d ever seen in an American grocery store was represented and some that I hadn’t seen. I recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about becoming a vegetarian or anyone who wants to get to know their veggies really REALLY well. Although titled as a vegetarian cookbook, many recipes also have “suggestions” for recipe changes that include meat if you feel so inclined. So meat eaters are not left out of this cookbook, which I like. I’ve already made a few recipes from this and posted them. I cannot remember if there is a link to buy this on my cookbook page or not, so I guess after posting this I’ll go and doublecheck.

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

1 tablespoon butter
2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
salt & black pepper
1 1/2 brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 300 F.
2. Butter a shallow ovenproof dish.
3. Blend together the cream, milk, cheese and seasoning.
4. Place a layer of brussels sprouts in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with a layer of garlic and then pour over a little more than a quarter of the cream mixture.
5. Continue this in layers, ending with the remaining cream mixture.
6. Cover loosely with waxed paper and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Halfway through cooking remove the paper and press the sprouts under the liquid in the dish. Return to the oven to brown.

Jake’s Homecoming Dinner: Pork Loin and Potatoes

This is your lucky day! You get two recipes in one entry! Every time Jake comes home from being gone an extended period of time I let him choose what he wants to eat. You may remember that the last time he asked for shepherd’s pie made with lamb. This time he asked for pork loin in some form. So I went to the Food Network website and found 2 recipes for pork loin that were labeled as “easy” (since I have never cooked pork loin before) and let him choose between the two. I also decided to make a new recipe for mashed potatoes that I had found a few months prior on the Vegetarian Times website. I’d been waiting to have a really good excuse to make mashed potatoes and this seemed like perfect timing. So I bring you, below, both recipes as well as links to their originals, for your own enjoyment.

Coffee and Cola Pork Loin

For the pork loin:
1 cup warm water, plus 1 cup cold water
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons salt
1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) pork loin
1/4 cup ground coffee beans
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons whole peppercorns
3 whole star anise
1 (1/2-inch) piece cinnamon stick broken into small pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

For the sauce:
1/2 pound bacon, diced
2 cups demi-glace or 1 package demi-glace mix dissolved in 1 cup water
1 cup red wine
1 cup pineapple juice, from canned pineapple tidbits
1/2 cup pineapple tidbits
1 cup cola

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

For the pork loin:
2. Combine 1 cup of warm water with the vinegar, sugar and salt in a medium bowl, whisking until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
3. Transfer to a large resealable gallon-sized plastic bag. Add 1 cup of cold water and the pork loin, seal, and refrigerate overnight.

4. Pulse the coffee, brown sugar, peppercorns, star anise and cinnamon stick in a coffee or spice grinder until they become a fine powder. (Or use a mortar and pestle like I did, which is harder, but just as possible).
5. Remove the pork loin from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.
6. Rub with the spice mix, transfer the pork to a baking sheet and set it aside at room temperature.

7. In a large skillet melt the butter with the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork loin and brown for 5 minutes, turning to brown all sides.
8. Transfer the pork to a baking sheet and roast until the temperature reads 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour.
9. Remove the roast from the oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

For the sauce:
10. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the diced bacon until crispy.
11. Remove any excess fat from the pan and add the demi-glace, red wine, cola, pineapple juice and pineapple tidbits.
12. Bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half.
13. Slice the pork loin and serve with the sauce on the side.

Cumin-Cayenne Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

2 lb. potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, diced
5 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup half and half milk
2 Tbs. minced fresh thyme

1. Boil potatoes in enough water to cover 25 minutes, or until soft.
2. Meanwhile, sautè onion, oil, cumin, salt, and cayenne in skillet over low heat 30 minutes, or until browned. 3. Stir in milk and thyme.
4. Drain potatoes, and mash.
5. Whisk onion mixture into potatoes.
6. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Jake seemed to enjoy this a lot.

Erin’s Lentil Soup Experiment

Lentils are delicious!

I found myself at home today for lunch with a limited amount of things in my cupboard. This was due mainly to the fact that I had woke up much later than I anticipated (always remember to set your alarm before getting into bed to read) and hadn’t gone to the store this morning as I had originally planned. However I know that it is very important not to go to the grocery store when you’re hungry as most people who attempt this end up purchasing half the store. I needed to have lunch before I went. So I looked through my cupboards and came up with the following recipe. I was skeptical, but it actually turned out pretty dang amazing, so I was pretty happy with it. Next time I’ll add in celery and maybe a couple red potatoes, however obviously I didn’t have them this time around.

Erin’s Lentil Soup Experiment

4 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons flour
1 small carrot, chopped
3/4 cup lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon dried parsley (2 tablespoons fresh)

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onions and garlic and saute till tender. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add flour and stir to mix.
3. Add in the carrot and cook 3 minutes.
4. Add vegetable broth and lentils. Cook 5-7 minutes.
5. Add Italian seasoning and parsley.
6. Continue cooking on medium heat till the lentils are tender and soup has thickened.

Cauliflower and Mushroom Gougère

This stuff is amazing!

When Jake is away, this girl makes recipes with mushrooms in them! That’s because mushrooms are definitely NOT Jake’s favorite vegetable and he prefers not to eat them. This is a recipe that I made while he was still in Hawaii. The crust in itself is absolutely to die for and I’ll be using it a lot in the future. This is also a great recipe to add meat to if you are not a vegetarian (the book, though vegetarian itself, also suggests ham for anyone who is a meat eater). You can also change up the veggies. I think spinach or broccoli or olives would work well (not together, perhaps, but in some context). Please enjoy the fabulousness that is this recipe. Thank goodness for this great new cookbook.

Cauliflower & Mushroom Gougère

For the crust:
1 1/4 cups water
4 oz. butter
5 oz. flour
4 eggs
4 oz. Cheddar cheese, finely diced
1 teaspoon French mustard
salt & black pepper

For the Filling:
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 oz butter
1 onion, chopped
4 oz. white mushrooms, halved if large
1 small cauliflower, broken into small florets
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 F and butter a large ovenproof dish.
2. Put the water and butter in a large saucepan and heat till the butter is all melted.
3. Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once.
4. Beat well with a wooden spoon until smooth and allow it to cool slightly.
5. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until the mixture is thick and glossy.
6. Stir in the cheese and mustard. Season with the salt and black pepper.
7. Spread the mixture around the sides of the ovenproof dish, leaving a hollow in the center for the filling.
8. To make the filling, heat the oil and butter and saute the onions for 3-4 minutes until softened but not browned.
9. Add the mushrooms. Cook 2-3 minutes until they begin to brown.
10. Add the cauliflower florets and stir-fry for 1 minute.
11. Add the tomatoes, thyme and seasoning. Cook, uncovered, over low heat for 5 minutes.
12. Spoon the mixture into the hollow in the ovenproof dish, adding all the liquid.
13. Bake in the oven 35-40 minutes, or till the outer pastry is well risen and golden brown.

Baked Tofu with Peanut Sauce

Tofu, rice, peanut butter AND green beans?! Life doesn't get any better!

When I found this on the Vegetarian Times website here, I was immediately intrigued because I don’t know that many recipes using peanut butter. For many years when my mother made lunches for me for school it was a rotation between tuna fish sandwiches, honey-butter sandwiches and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Eventually I got sick of peanut butter and vowed never to eat it again. I only started eating peanut butter again when I went to live in China the first year because it was something familiar in a world that was often peppered with the UNfamiliar. Although I still prefer not to eat peanut butter on a regular or obsessive basis, the occasional return of the peanut-y paste into my life is not altogether unwelcome. So Adam Love, my official Midwestern taste tester, came to chat in my kitchen and help me try the new recipe. He even washed a couple of dishes afterwards…thank you for that, Adam Love, though you know you didn’t have to do that. Anyway, the original recipe for Baked Tofu with Peanut Sauce calls for okra, but I’ve never eaten okra before and it is one of those veggies that I’m not really in a hurry to try….try as I might I can’t make up my mind how I feel about it and I kind of feel as if I would really hate it. The recipe suggests substituting green beans for the okra so I tried that instead and it was really lovely. Any excuse to eat green beans is a good one in my opinion.

Baked Tofu with Peanut Sauce

2 12-oz. pkgs. extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup diced canned tomatoes, drained
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp. chile-garlic sauce, such as Huy Fong
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup frozen green beans

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Coat 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray, and place tofu slices on bottom.
3. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat.
4. Sauté onion in oil 5 to 7 minutes, or until translucent.
5. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, chile-garlic sauce, and thyme, and sauté 1 to 2 minutes, or until tomato paste begins to darken.
6. Stir in peanut butter, green beans, and 1 cup water, and bring to a simmer.
7. Pour peanut sauce over sliced tofu, cover with foil, and bake 5 to 7 minutes.
8. Remove foil, and bake 5 minutes more, or until heated through.

A couple notes…when I make this again I will definitely be adding in a whole cup of peanut butter as I think the peanut taste could’ve been stronger. I’ll also add in more of the garlic chili sauce next time around as this time it didn’t even seem as if there was any in there…it was not really hot at all. And if you’re a carnivore, or have a carnivore in the family, Adam and I decided that this would be absolutely perfect with chicken substituted for the tofu. I know when I make it for Jake (who is not a tofu fan) I plan to have a pan of chicken and one of tofu and split the sauce between the two and bake them both. Anyway, Happy Eating!

Pumpkin, Vanilla & Wild Garlic Soup

A delicious soup for the afternoon

Found this recipe in the Irish Pub Cookbook. My first thought was: “No way this can actually be good.” So of course I had to try it. Invited my rad friend Michael over for lunch and coffee today so I had an excuse to make this. I did change a few things about this recipe. I used vegetable broth rather than the chicken broth the recipe called for since I’m a vegetarian. I also mashed the soup with a potato masher rather than put it in a blender, as I usually do. I also substituted vanilla extract for the actual vanilla beans the recipe called for which are obviously more expensive than I can afford right now. For the un-Erined version you’ll have to purchase the cookbook itself; there’s a link on the cookbooks page if you’re interested in doing that.

Pumpkin, Vanilla, and Wild Garlic Soup

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
6 tablespoons unsalted Kerrygold Irish butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 onions, chopped
2 lbs. pumpkin, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 cups vegetable broth (it was originally chicken broth but I vegetarianized the recipe)
2 cups half-and-half
sea salt and black pepper to taste

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
2. Add the garlic and onions and cook 3-5 minutes or till soft but not browned.
3. Add the pumpkin, vegetable stock and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
4. Cook, covered, 20-25 minutes or till the pumpkin is tender.
5. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
6. Use a potato masher to mash the chunkiness of the soup to a smoother consistency.
7. Whisk in the half-and-half and season with salt and pepper.
8. Stir in the last teaspoon of vanilla extract and simmer till heated through.
12. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and eat. You could also swirl a tablespoon of crème fraîche into each one.

Potato-Cheddar Chowder: The LAST recipe of 2010!

Potato-Cheddar Chowder & my awesome moose napkin ring

Since tonight is the New Year, I decided I needed to make one more recipe in 2010. So I did an ingredient search on the Vegetarian Times website and found this recipe. Although I really love making potato soup, I’ve never used cheese in it for some reason. Flagstaff is snowy and super cold (supposed to get down to -9 F tonight) so soup makes logical sense. The addition of sage in this soup made me curious as I’ve also never tried sage in my potato soup before. The end result was quite lovely and a perfect New Years dinner.

Potato-Cheddar Chowder

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
4 cups water
3 cups peeled and diced Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
6 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese

1. In large saucepan, melt 2 Tbs. butter over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring often, until softened, 7 minutes.
2. In a large pot, boil the potatoes in water seasoned with salt till tender.
3. Meanwhile, in small saucepan, melt remaining 2 Tbs. butter over medium heat. ]
4. Stir in flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
5. Whisk 1 cup of hot potato broth, a little at a time, into sauce.
6. Simmer another minute, and remove from heat.
7. Transfer cooked potatoes to a medium bowl and mash with a potato masher.
8. Once potatoes are mashed, stir back into broth along with sauce, milk, sage and black pepper to taste.
9. Bring soup just to a boil, stirring, then remove from heat.
10. Stir in cheese, a little at a time, until melted.
11. Taste soup, adjusting seasonings if necessary. Serve hot.