Red Bead Curry Soup

last week i made our favorite soup during the day on monday or tuesday. we weren't home for dinner so i just put it in the fridge. i kept thinking we were going to eat it for dinner, but instead we both had a bowl for lunch almost everyday. it was 100x better than what either of us normally scrape up, and basically it's like eating a bowl of vegetables. so i decided to try to make soup once a week that we could eat for lunch. homemade soup can be so freaking healthy.

this recipe is from bob's red mill -- whole grains and beans soup mix bag. you can click on the picture below to read the recipe, because you could probably make it with dry beans and rice too. i modified it to be vegetarian (actually vegan) by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and putting in roasted corn and sweet potatoes instead of chicken. I just put in 1 sweet potato but on round two i would use 2 -3 because it was a perfect pairing. i also added a final step of blending about 1 cup of soup and putting it back in to make it seem creamier and more curry-y.

soup is so great when it's nasty outside. it makes me feel like a million $$.

Homemade Oreo Ice Cream

i inherited an ice cream maker from my sister when she moved across country. i used it more in month than she had in 5 years, but i think i'm slowing down a bit now. now that i know what goes in them. like, eggs and cream. and oreos. delicious yum yum recipe here. i also made some nutella gelato and it was really amazing. i highly recommend.

Ratatouille

i copied this recipe exactly from right here. oh man it was delicious. ryan put it in his top 5 favorite meals. can you believe that? a pile of vegetables in his top 5 favorite meals? i've already made it twice and probably will again soon.
don't forget the goat cheese.

Roasted Tomato Soup

my parents planted a killer garden this year and we reaped a lot of benefits (tomatoes) from that. they usually came all at once, and soup was one of my favorite uses of them.
i couldn't find a recipe that i really like, so i used a few and adjusted to my tastes. i mainly used this recipe, but also roasted red peppers and some super spicy red peppers too. i didn't use any additional ingredients besides the peppers, tomatoes, onion, and garlic. it turned out delicious and had quite a kick.

Peanut Butter Coconut Tofu

whenever i come across a good tofu recipe i usually make it. i am always trying to get better at making tofu, it is so healthy i know i should probably eat it everyday for optimal health. recipe here
it was really delicious, pretty sweet tasting. the ginger was really the kicker. it made me determined to always have ginger on hand. a few days later i used what was leftover and made a stir fry. this is pretty typical to what i cook 2-3 times a week.

Maple Pecan Granola

once i accidentally paid $10 for granola, and it lasted less than a week. it was so delicious but i knew i could never buy it again. so i have been making a similar version and it's really fantastic. i make it once a week or i regret it big time when i force down honey nut cheerios. yuck. in my perfect world, every meal of the day is homemade. recipe here.

Carmelized Pears

you know how at the farmer's market they sell things in bushels sometimes so sometimes you get home and realize you were ripped off and sometimes you get home and you have 15 pears? well if the latter ever happens to you, you should also make yourself some carmelized pears. i didn't have have time to take a picture of them before they were consumed. you should put them over vanilla ice cream.

Peach Shortbread

super easy, and super delicious. blink your eye and they're gone and your husband is mad he only got two bars. whoops.

Tofu Quiche with Broccoli

i tend to avoid trick vegetarian food. like oh you thought you were eating a hot dog! try again. well, actually that's pretty obvious because tofu dogs are the worst. but i made this quiche that uses tofu instead of eggs and it was pretty good. i didn't tell ryan until his second helping that it was made with tofu. he didn't even care.

Vanilla Peach Pie

i could not get enough peaches this year. they literally could not get in my belly fast enough. except for once when i had like 6 or 7 peaches and they were all on the verge of mushy. pie time. vanilla peach pie recipe from here but i added some raspberries too.

Vegan Corn Chowder

this was my first recipe from veganomicon. it seems like a really great cookbook and i plan on using it more often. i like the idea of cooking vegan food because so many vegetarian recipes lay on the cheese. but, i love cheese.

Frozen Peaches

this isn't really a meal. but i love peaches and this year i am trying to get my fresh farmers market peaches to last until christmas. here are instructions on how to freeze. basically peel and slice the peaches and freeze in simple syrup. my grandmother used to freeze these every year and i could eat those sweet icy specimens for breakfast lunch and dinner. they looked kind of like raw chicken here. i promise it's not.

Corn Pudding Stuffed Tomatoes

they were better than i thought. quite sweet.

BBQ Vegetable Fajitas

ryan brags a lot about how i am not an "obnoxious vegetarian" and how most people probably do not even know that i am vegetarian. mostly i think it is not a big deal, and i wouldn't want anyone to think it is some huge lifestyle shift, because it is not. it's amazing how many people show interest in being vegetarian or at least consuming less meat when you have rational conversations or explain the benefits. although most people have seen food inc so they already know.

anyway, when i am having people over i want to be true to myself and also secretly show people how awesome and delicious a vegetarian diet can be. it's probably easier/cheaper a party meat trays or elephant turd sandwiches or something, it's just not me. so at a bridal shower i hosted i BBQ'd some delicious fresh veggies on skewers, and paired them with black beans fajita style. there were some delicious salads, chocolate covered strawberries, and of course yummy drinks. i bet no one missed meat for a second!

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

look at my helper! and the horrible colors of my kitchen.
i know i post a lot of pizza on here. but we're still not there. i still haven't found quite the right crust, it is always too doughy. but this was a step in the right direction.

recipe for the dough

recipe for the tomato sauce

i had to make my own tomato sauce, i have so many tomatoes from so many gardens! and mozzarella, and red onions, and more tomatoes and more zucchinis of course.