Snow Day Soup

 

 

 

This first snow storm of this year came just after Christmas.  There are two big windows in my kitchen which overlook the back yard and I stood for a long time, marvelling at both the beauty of the falling snow and at my complete and utter laziness.  I had not put away any of the patio furniture or covered the sandboxes or even (it's true) emptied the little plastic play pool from this summer.  As I watched the snow blanket my eyesore of a back yard I smirked a little knowing that my slackitude would at least be hidden from view for a few days. 

 

There is something about a snowfall and still being in my pajamas at two in the afternoon which makes my thoughts turn to soup.  How beautiful is it that I can put everything in a pot, heat it up, and be stuffing my face in under 15 minutes?    This soup was warm and cozy and just the thing to fill me up before I got all snuggly on the couch and fell asleep to "Love, Actually."   

 

 

 

1 can black-eyed peas, UNdrained
1 can creamed corn
1 cup vegetable stock
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes (I get this in bulk at Whole Foods)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon (more or less to taste) diced hot peppers
 ¾ cup heavy cream
½ cup cooked rice
Salt and pepper to taste
 
1.  Add all ingredients up through the peppers to a pot and bring to a slow simmer over medium-low heat.
2.  When it starts to simmer, add cream and rice until heated through.
3.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
 

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Creamy Coconut-Curry Sauce

There aren't many restaurants in my neck of the woods where one can get a satisfying vegan meal (you know, one with actual protein in it). Sometimes when I go out with friends, I'm reduced to eating french fries (which doesn't do me any favors). My regular lunch date, Kate, has been extremely patient with me as I've begun to eat a vegan diet. I'm like Sally from "When Harry Met Sally," with everything prepared specially or "on the side." The other day, we ate at a chain restaurant called "Stir Crazy." It was a great meal, due in large part to a patient server and a very vegan-friendly menu. I had the coconut-curry vegetable dish and became obsessed with recreating it at home. Kate, who had also tried it, said she was going to stop taking my calls until I figured it out; I kept calling to ask if she tasted this or that in the sauce.

I've never cooked with curry in my life. In fact, before I tried this my jar of curry had never been cracked open (I bought it over a year and a half ago). I am so pleased with the results, though, because this tasted better than the inspiration in my opinion.

Creamy Coconut-Curry with Dry Fried Tofu

1 can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon spicy curry powder (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ tablespoon fresh, minced ginger
½ tablespoon minced hot peppers (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon good-quality ketchup
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon tumeric
½ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
Stir-fry fixings (I used dry-fried tofu*, red bell pepper, mushrooms, onions, broccoli, coarsley-chopped peanuts, garlic and ginger)
Prepared vegan Japanese noodles (I used soba; I wanted to use udon like the dish I tried to recreate did, but the ones I purchased had egg whites in them. The soba noodles were good, but next time I'm making homemade udon noodles with this recipe!)



1. Pour half of coconut milk into a cup and stir in cornstarch; stir briskly until smooth and set aside.
2. Pour the rest of the coconut milk and all remaining ingredients into a pot over medium heat. Whisk constantly to keep milk from scorching.
3. When it begins to bubble, add milk-cornstarch mixture and whisk well. Stir sauce until it's hot, bubbly and creamy.
4. Prepare stir-fry fixings and noodles. Add well-drained noodles to stir-fry. Add curry sauce and toss everything to coat well. Top with some more minced hot peppers if desired.

*To dry-fry tofu: cut well-pressed, extra-firm tofu into cubes. In a DRY, hot skillet, brown the tofu on both sides, gently pressing out any remaining water as you do so.

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Lazy Lazy Hot-as-Hades Quesadillas

I’m not a summer person. Actually, that’s an understatement. Summer is to me as high noon is to Nosferatu. Once the mercury inches above 80°, I turn into a whining, pasty, squinting complainer. We’re in the middle of a heat wave right now, with the heat index above 100°. I want to hide in the dark with a fan on my face. What I don’t want to do is cook.

So here’s my concession to the heat. It took about 10 minutes from start to finish and I spiced it up nicely (that’s the kind of heat I like). The “Buffalo wings” I used, especially made this way, are pretty darn indiscernible from the real thing.

The pictures aren’t great because, like I said, it’s hoooooooooooooooooooot, and I’m feeling lazy lazy.

Quesadillas


For the quesdadillas:

1 package Smart Wings, Buffalo style
1 red bell pepper, sliced and diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon jalapeño pepper, diced (optional. I say go for it!)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Any hotsy-totsy stuff you like (cayenne pepper, Tabasco, Frank's Red Hot, etc.), to taste
Daiya Vegan "Cheese" (I used Mozzerella and Cheddar)
1 package flour tortillas, burrito size
Tofutti "sour cream"
Picante salsa of your choice
Lazy Guacamole (recipe follows)

1. Add a tablespoon of oil to a skillet and heat it on medium-high. When oil is ready, add peppers, onion and cumin and sauté until glistening. Remove from skillet and set aside.
2. While the peppers and onions are cooking, grate Smart Wings in a food processor until shredded (see picture). Toss the shredded Smart Wings into skillet (add a little oil if needed) and allow it to heat through and start to carmelize a bit (this is a good time to sample it and add some spicy to taste). Remove from skillet and set aside.
3. Assemble your quesadillas. Place one tortilla either in bottom of a quesadilla maker or in the same skillet you've been using. I always brush the outside of the tortillas with a little bit of oil so they get some nice browned parts. Top tortilla with some peppers and onions, some shredded wings, and cheese. Pop another tortilla on top of that and heat the whole thing until it's all melty and gooey like God intended, flipping once to brown both sides. You'll make 4 or more quesadillas, depending on how much you put in each.
4. Serve topped with salsa, sour cream, and some form of guacamole (like my lazy version below)

Lazy Guacamole


1. Get the ingredients in my picture and put them all in a bowl.
2. Mix them up, adding more or less of everything to taste. There you go. Told you it was lazy!

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