Curried Yellow Pea, More Barley and CC #7 -- The Disappointment.

Let's get the bad out of the way first...

CC #7 -- The Valentine's Day Disappointment

No picture necessary -- noodles, sauce. Boo.

I should have just made one of our favorite dishes, but we had decided to make "Penne alla Vodka" from Veganomicon for our Couple's Cooking night and were excited to make it together on Valentine's Day.  This is the first time that this cookbook has let us down -- unfortunate timing, to be sure.  No, it also was not any better the next day, as recipes sometimes are.  Why am I including this?  Frankly, I guess I just mean it to be a warning; we upped the spices over what was called for, and the sauce was still bland.  Although I did notice that the almonds added some creaminess (props for that to the authors), I can't believe how flavorless the sauce was which was obviously problematic as the dish is sauce-centric.  I would be open to trying this dish again, if someone has a different recipe or tips for this dish.  

Oh well -- at least we made some delicious chocolate brownies for dessert and were consoled by some very cute valentines.

Aforementioned valentines:

On the left -- Boomer ("Mom's food is delicious; I especially like when she drops carrot peels on the floor for me")

On the right -- Nestle ("I have both toys -- hehe, I rule.  Why are we taking more pictures?")

One Pot Testing Recipe: "Hot and Sour Soup" (with my main dish fortifications)

Here is one of Carla's latest recipes that I tested -- Hot and Sour Soup.  I added spinach, additional mushrooms, and carrots for some extra heartiness and vitamins as a complete meal and for some color!  What is so great about so many of her recipes is that they lend themselves to such addition and preferences; in this recipe for example, there was supposed to be more of a traditional focus on the broth, but if you wanted extra veggies, it just made the soup a bit more dense, which I like.  In the coming months, you'll probably see quite a few testing posts, as I love her recipes and enjoy testing as many of them as I can! Sorry that I won't be able to post the recipes, BUT...you will soon be able to purchase Quick and Easy Vegan Bakesale (some selections of which you've seen here before) and the pics will further tantalize you, as you eagerly anticipate her second cookbook release.  Check out her blog for QEVB and One Pot additional teasers/ recipes/photos!  Alas, you cannot pre-order QEVB yet, but I will let you know when it is available!

"Curried Golden Split Pea Soup With Quinoa and Spinach"

(Expanded and expedited from Jae Steele's recipe for the soup in Ripe from Around Here, p. 167)

If you are interested in expanded education about the vegan diet and local food, I recommend Jae Steele's Get it Ripe and Ripe from Around Here.  From vegan basics to detoxing practices to benefits of local food to resources for holistic, plant-based health, Steele (a certified holistic nutritionist) combines education with enticing recipes.  I should investigate to see if there is such a thing as a bookshelf gadget, huh?

Olive oil

 2 med. onion (finely diced)

3 celery stalks (finely diced)

1.5 T curry powder

1 t. cumin

salt and pepper (scant 1/4 t. of each to start then add to individual bowls or in final tasting; if stock is not low sodium, omit any additional salt)

8 c. water +3-4 t. bouillon (depending on intensity) or stock

1.5 c. yellow split peas

1 package fresh spinach about 5-6 oz. (rinsed and drained,)

1 c. uncooked quinoa

1. Lightly oil the bottom of a soup pot (approximately 1 T. oil).  Heat oil over med. to med. high heat.  Saute onion and celery in oil for 5 min. until they are softening but still maintain color.  Add curry, cumin, salt and pepper.  Stir to saute together for an additional 5 min. -- add a bit of the stock/water if mix starts to stick.

2. After designated time, add all stock and split peas and stir to combine.  Bring mix to a boil; then reduce heat to simmer and let simmer for about an hour until peas are completely cooked and softened.

3. In the last 15 min. of simmering time, cook quinoa according to package directions and set aside.

4. At the end of the hour, test the peas for doneness, and add salt and pepper to taste.  Add fresh spinach to pot, stir gently until spinach has just combined and is slightly wilted.  Serve over quinoa.

Expedited "Hearty Bean and Barley Soup" (Thanks, Aunt Susan!)

Isn't recipe sharing fun?  I feel so lucky to be part of both food and family communities who enjoy cooking and sharing recipes with one another.  I mean let's be honest -- sometimes, the creative juices just aren't flowing, and we just want someone we trust to give us a good recipe, so we don't have to think about what to eat or make.  We can simply make it.  The following recipe is especially fantastic for this kind of day or mindset, as it is ingredient flexible and pantry-friendly, probably even in an end-of-the-week setting.  The original recipe can be found here; as expected, I used veg. broth and omitted the parmesan (frankly, with mashed bean/barley creaminess, the parmesan is unnecessary!).

To expedite:

1) Do the bean step first; it takes longer than you think and doing it in the middle of the recipe, for me, is just asking to burn some of the sauteeing vegetables.

2) The whole separate broth deal is too fussy for me and draining out delicious garlic seemed like a needless waste.  Instead, add 1 T olive oil in the bottom of a large soup pot and heat to med. heat.  Add the garlic, red pepper, and 2 t. dried rosemary powder.  (Note: I've only ever been able to find the needles -- make powder in your coffee or spice grinder and then put back into container.  No more twigs in your dishes!)  Saute for 1-2 min. until flavors start to release.  [Now, continue with addition of onions, etc. as directed in recipe.  You may need to add a touch of broth or a tad more oil to make sure that additional veg. do not stick to the pot. ]

For pantry ease:

I've never seen the quick-cooking barley that is called for in the recipe.  I used regular barley as that's what I had on hand.  If that's what you have too, use 8-9 c. broth and know that you will need to increase simmer time to 30-40 min. after bringing mix to a boil.  Since you omitted the time for the first step (and extra dishes!), you've still expedited the process slightly and reduce active time (thereby allowing time for salad prep or whatever else you might want to prepare for the meal).

Final thoughts:

It is RARE that the hub voluntarily wants more than two meals with the same food.  With this recipe, multiple eatings were welcome. Furthermore, this is a wonderful recipe to encourage some greens consumption with hesitant greens eaters.  The hub said "I really love that fresh spinach in the soup."  I almost fainted.  This soup fulfills its "hearty" claim to the max and, especially with my tips, is an affordable and easy dish that will impress people with its surprising flavor/textural complexity.