An Ode to Soup

I think that soup is really the ultimate form of food. Different flavours all dancing together in a delicious mush. Each one is unique. A soup's flavour comes from which vegetables, herbs, spices, beans, rices and other ingredients you use (lime juice and coconut milk are some of my favourites), as well as which ingredients are playing the starring roles and which are playing back ups. Blending half of the ingredients after they've been cooked, then adding them back to the pot makes the soup creamy and hearty.
Another fantastic thing about soup is that you can make them in big batches and be set for days! Or feed a group of hungry friends.
Today I made Mulligatawny Soup ( an Indian soup, apparently) from a recipe in 'How it all Vegan.' It was delicious and yellow. Served with stone milled multi-grain crackers.
I am currently enjoying a cup of Chamomile Lemon Tea.

Cereal and fruit

I was having a conversation about veganism recently while waiting in line for a party. It was very friendly, which it usually is. One misconception I had conveyed to me was that there aren't a lot of options when your a vegan. Obviously I demonstrate that this isn't true all the time, but I think the grocery shop I just did is evidence that this idea is wrong in itself.
I was out of flaky cereal so after pursuing the isle I picked Nature's Path brand organic Spelt flakes, which are sweetened with fruit juice. I just ate it mixed with Morning Crisp granola cereal with strawberries and vanilla Nature soy milk.
I was also craving fruit while I was shopping so I ended up with golden raspberries (which I just wolfed down), pears, and dried mango.

In other news: I learned how to Charlston today. I've been taking swing dancing lessons at U of T. One of my bestest and sexiest friends teaches. Good times.

Pasta-bilities

Forgive the terrible pun in the title. I couldn't help myself.
Last night I made pasta, which is one of my go-to recipes 'cause you can put just about anything in it, it's really quick to make and you end up with lots of left overs.
Try mixing it up with regard to the noodles you use. Yesterday I used Rotini vegetable pasta (corkscrew pasta with regular, spinach, and tomato noodles mixed together.
To the sauce (I bought sauce in a jar this time, but you can also make it yourself with diced tomatoes and spices) I added frozen peas, cubed tofu, and mushrooms. Just throw it all together in the pot. Let the mushrooms cook for a while so they shrink and release their juices into the sauce.
Things you can add to pasta sauce:

• Spinach
• Veggie ground round (fake ground beef)
• Tofu cubes
• Fake sausage
• Peas
• Broccoli
  
• Carrots
• Bell peppers
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Garlic
• Zucchini
• ...Pretty much any vegetable you want
  

Featured above is a picture of the Curried Split-pea Soup that I made the other day. My grains cabinet is getting pretty full and I noticed that I have a lot of split peas sitting around. The recipe was from Eat, Drink, and be Vegan but I added some chopped up carrot and red pepper to it, which I think made it more interesting.
Served with a baguette.
The meal I made the following day I forgot to take a picture of before we gobbled it up. It was Cumin Lime Tofu with pumpkin seed crust, also from Eat, Drink, and be Vegan. I've made this recipe a few times before and its one of my favourite ways to cook tofu. I also made Coconut rice by cooking jasmine rice in light coconut milk with some margarine and salt.

Stephy needs a job

I've been out of school for a few weeks now and I should probably find myself some employment. Know anyone who wants to pay me for eating cookies? I'm really good at that.
At least I'm cooking and kind of getting some work done on a painting.
Also I got two more holes in my ear today. Yay for me.
Above was a meal I made with lentils, couscous, and garlicky kale. I love green things and also garlic. The kale was chewy and had a strong taste, almost like a mix between a green and an herb. I enjoyed it.