I’m all about the comfort food, and these are two vegetarian recipes I’ve prepared and shared on repeat. Each recipe is flexible with variations to suit your taste (see options below) -- and can be modified for vegans. I hope you’ll enjoy making and tasting these dishes, and that you’ll leave comments. Bon appetit!
Winter Vegetable Soup
Notes: The original recipe came from chef Andre Soltner, ages ago. This makes a big batch so adjust quantities as needed. Or, make the full recipe and freeze the leftovers to enjoy on a cold winter day later.
Serves 12+
Ingredients:
1-2 large onions
1-2 leeks, white and an inch of the green leaves, carefully rinsed
2-4 garlic cloves
10-12 carrots, peeled
1 stalk celery
1 fennel bulb
2-4 red potatoes, peeled (or with skin on)
2 Tbs. olive oil or butter
1 green cabbage, or Napa or Savoy
1 jalapeno pepper, or dash of red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper, if desired
Several twigs of fresh thyme
1-2 quarts of chicken or vegetable stock; enough to generously cover the vegetables
Small handful of parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Prepare the first seven ingredients and cut them into large chunks. Saute the vegetables in the oil or butter for 10 minutes in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven while you cut up the cabbage into large chunks. Add the cabbage to the pot and stir to incorporate. Stir in finely minced jalapeno (optional) and add thyme and the stock of your choice. Simmer until all of the vegetables are soft, approximately 30 minutes.
Pulse the soup in the food processor, blender or with a hand blender to desired consistency. (I prefer a little texture instead of a smooth puree.) Serve hot with chopped parsley as garnish. See other serving suggestions below.
Options:
Give this recipe your own touch by adding other favorite ingredients to the list above. You really can’t go wrong!
Zucchini
Summer squash
Broccoli
Kale
Swiss chard
Shallot
Basil (fresh or dried)
Marjoram (fresh or dried)
Serving Suggestions: Splash of heavy cream or dollop of sour cream
Buttery, crunchy homemade croutons Roasted pumpkin or acorn squash “bowl”
Toasted pumpkin seeds or pepitas toppings
Very Veggie Rainbow Dal
Notes: There are probably thousands dal recipes, with endless variations. For this quick and easy version, I built on the original from Anna Thomas, and added colorful rainbow vegetables. And yes, sometimes you can find purple carrots. This dal also freezes well.
Serves 4-6 as a main dish over brown basmati rice (or more if served as a side dish)
Ingredients:
1 cup dried lentils (tender red lentils cook quickest, yellow are also traditional, but I don’t recommend black, brown or green lentils)
½ large yellow or red onion, chopped (small dice)
½ red, yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
1 orange, yellow or purple carrot diced
¼ cup chopped cilantro stems
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 quart water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (half this amount if you prefer less gingery dal) 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric Crushed seeds from 4 cardamom pods (I just sprinkle in a tiny bit of ground cardamom, to taste) Cayenne or red pepper flakes to taste
1 cup chopped Swiss chard or spinach
2 1/2 tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Fresh cilantro leaves
Lemon juice or lemon wedges
Diced fresh tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste Method:
Rinse the lentils and cook in the water in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven. Cover and simmer until cooked, between 30-60 minutes. Add the ginger, turmeric, cardamom, cayenne and/or hot chili pepper flakes to taste. Add the onion, pepper, carrot, cilantro stems, and garlic. Cover and simmer together for 10 minutes. Then add the Swiss chard or spinach, cover and finish cooking another 10 minutes. Add more water if the dal consistency is too thick, to cover the greens.
Melt the butter in a separate skillet and cook the cumin for at least 10 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally and watching so it doesn’t burn. Stir into the dal. To serve, spoon the dal over cooked rice and garnish with lemon juice (to taste) or lemon wedges, cilantro leaves and diced fresh tomato.
Photo: Couleur
The dal sounds delicious and I look forward to trying it.
These recipes look delicious. I look forward to making them.