Smoky Chipotle Pea Soup

“I feed on good soup, not beautiful language.” — Molière

This Smoky, spicy pea soup from Cookin’ Crunk by Bianca Phillips (page 75) is just perfect for autumn lunches.

Made using peas, barley, chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, lots of veggies, and spices, it definitely warms you up inside with it’s healthy, hearty goodness!

This is a simple dish to make. We doubled the recipe, which made enough soup for lunches for two people for a week and left some over to freeze for future lunches.

Pea Soup Facts (from Wikipedia): Pea soup has been eaten since antiquity; it is mentioned in Aristophanes’ The Birds, and according to one source “The Greeks and Romans were cultivating this legume about 500 to 400 BC. During that era, vendors in the streets of Athens were selling hot pea soup.”

Summer’s Bounty Veggie Soup

“A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting.” — Abraham Maslow

This wonderful, nutrient-dense soup is from Cookin’ Crunk by Bianca Phillips, page 70. I always get excited about cooking with okra because I haven’t done it much in the past. Now that summer is in full swing there is okra available at my local market, so I just had to make this soup, which contained pretty stars of sliced okra that made the soup nice and thick. We forget to get fresh corn (drat!) at the store so we substituted frozen shelled edamame, which worked out just fine. I will definitely be making this one again before summer’s end!

Okra Fact: Okra originated somewhere around Ethiopia, and was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians by the 12th century B.C.

Jalapeño-Lime Watermelon Salad

“When one has tasted watermelon he knows what the angels eat.” ― Mark Twain

We made this sweet n’ spicy delight using the Jalapeño-Lime Watermelon Salad recipe from Cookin’ Crunk, by Bianca Phillips, page 48. I can’t think of anything more refreshing than watermelon on a hot day, and when you add jalapeños, fresh basil, and lime to the mix look out because you won’t be able to get enough! That’s okay though, because all of that fresh fruit is good for you, and watermelon is 91% water anyway and it’s a great source of vitamin C.

Watermelon Facts: The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5,000 years ago in Egypt and is depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphics on walls of their ancient buildings. Watermelons were often placed in the burial tombs of kings to nourish them in the afterlife.

 

Deviled Tofu Bites

“If you like to cook with eggs, you can substitute Ener-G Egg Replacer, bananas, tofu, or many other ingredients. You get the hang of it quickly enough.” ― Ingrid Newkirk, President of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

These tasty little morsels are from Bianca Phillips’ wonderful book Cookin’ Crunk, page 42. This is a wonderful and so-easy-to-make snack or hors d’oeuvre. The “yolks” are made from tofu, Great Northern beans, vegan mayonnaise, mustard, turmeric, pickle relish, red onion, and sprinkled with paprika and chives. The pressed tofu “egg whites” are sprinkled with Indian Black Salt which has a very sulfuric taste, similar to that of eggs. These were scrumptious and we’ll be making them again soon!

Deviled Egg Facts (from Wikipedia): The term “deviled”, in reference to food, was in use in the 18th century, with the first known print reference appearing in 1786^. In the 19th century, it came to be used most often with spicy or zesty food, including eggs prepared with mustard, pepper or other ingredients stuffed in the yolk cavity. In some parts of the Southern and Midwestern United States, the terms “salad eggs” or “dressed eggs” are used, particularly when the dish is served in connection with a church function—presumably to avoid dignifying the word “deviled”, in reference to “The Devil.”

Camping Fare

“Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong.” — George Carlin

Keith and I recently got out of town for a couple of fantastic nights of cabin camping on the coast. We always like to prepare our food in advance before we go camping so it’s easier to relax and enjoy ourselves while we are there. Then we just have to fire up the old camping stove, heat, and eat! 🙂 This was our menu this time around…

Breakfast: Some sweet-tart Cran-Apple Muffins from 1,000 Vegan Recipes page 410, served with fresh fruit, tea and espresso.
Lunch: Smoky Mac and Cheese from The Vegan Slow Cooker, page 115. This is our go-to macaroni and cheese recipe. It is so cheesy and melty you wouldn’t believe it. We added some roasted broccoli & red peppers for good measure.
Dinner: Thick and savory Seitan Beef Stew from Cookin’ Crunk, page 78. This stew is amazing and was just what we needed on those chilly evenings by the fire.
Dessert: Chocolate Banana Walnut Brownies with Holy Chocolate Icing from ExtraVeganZa, page 228. Yum, yum, yum! And for second desserts, some toasted vegan Dandies Marshmallows.

Camping Facts: Camping has been a recreational sport for over 140 years. However, the roots of camping go back hundreds of years. It can be traced back to Native Americans, the first settlers of the United States.