Peanut Butter Ramen

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic (or 1 t squeeze bottle garlic)
1 teaspoon ginger (I use the refrigerated squeeze bottle kind) 
1 healthy teaspoon green curry paste
4 cups vegetable broth (I use the Orrington Farms vegan no-chicken broth)
1 can lite coconut milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari (to taste)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
juice of 2 limes

2  "bricks" of ramen

any variation of the following:
a handful of mushrooms, sliced very thin
handfuls of fresh spinach
broccoli, barely steamed
shredded carrots
cubes of tofu (I use the Trader Joe's packaged teriyaki tofu)
seven-minute eggs

at the table:
sriracha
peanuts, scallions, cilantro, mint, whatever you like

1.  Heat a large, heavy pot; add oil, then garlic, ginger, and curry paste. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes.
2.  Add three cups of broth and the coconut milk. Stir, reduce heat to low, and simmer.
3.  In a medium bowl, whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, lime juice, and remaining cup of broth.
4.  Add the peanut butter mixture to the broth. Stir. Add a handful of sliced mushrooms at this point if you like.
5.  Simmer 5-15 minutes. Adjust seasoning, adding salt, sugar, or lime to taste.
6. Cook the ramen in a separate pan, undercooking slightly. (Maybe 90 seconds to two minutes in the boiling water.)
7. Scoop noddles into your bowl, add whatever veggies, tofu, whatever. Ladle broth over. Add egg, if using. Top with whatever you like. 

This makes enough for three nice bowls for dinner and enough leftover broth for someone to have a decent bowl tomorrow. However, they'll have to make fresh noodles and reassemble whatever veggies/tofu they like.

Spicy Hungarian “Sausage” and Lentil Stew

Once upon a time, I used to work out at the Y on Marshfield. This worked out fairly well. My daughter would take a swimming class and I'd get in some exercise. One problem: The Food Network played constantly on the TVs about the machines so I'd spend my work outs memorizing and mentally adapting recipes, grab V, then immediately head around the corner to Whole Foods to buy the ingredients. (It felt slightly counter-productive but I have some good recipes from that time.) 


This was a Rachael Ray special from the winter of 2007 that I changed eighteen ways to Sunday. I remember that it was originally called it something sort of stupid, like "stoup" but I wouldn't do that if I were you.

• @ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 portobello mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup lentils
• 1 large potato, peeled and chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
• 2 teaspoons Spanish paprika
• 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary, intact on stems
• 1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted chopped tomatoes, such as Muir Glenn or, regular diced tomatoes
• 6 cups vegetable stock (approx.)
• 4-5 cups fresh spinach, chopped (can also use kale or swiss chard)
• I box Boca Italian sausage (4 in package), cook according to directions and slice into bite-sized chunks

 Heat a medium soup pot over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil then add garlic, onions and mushrooms. Cook a few minutes, then add carrots, lentils, potato, salt and pepper, bay leaf, paprika and rosemary (leaves will fall from stems as stew cooks). Add tomatoes and broth and cover pot then raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Uncover pot and turn heat down a bit but keep stew at a good rolling boil. Cook 15 minutes until lentils and potatoes are tender. Remove rosemary stems and turn off heat. Add “sausage” and greens. Let stand 5 minutes.


Yield: 8 servings 

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

This soup may be the most customizable meal ever. The base is vegan and with a variety of toppings, you can make it whatever you want. Great for a dinner party. In fact, it debuted at the inaugural meeting of the Order of the Purple Finch.  Serves 8.

Base:
1 large onion
4-6 cloves garlic
1 red pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1 poblano, seeded and roughly chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 1/2+ cups fresh tomatoes (or frozen roasted tomatoes, or 1 14-oz can of tomatoes)
1 can of tomato paste
6 cups of veggie broth
1 t. cumin
2 t. ground coriander
cayenne, spicy paprika, or New Mexican red pepper to taste (I used 1 t. New Mexican)
olive oil
salt to taste

In dutch oven, sautee onion and garlic until fairly soft. Add spices. Add peppers and carrots. Sautee 5-10 minutes. Add tomatoes, paste, and broth. Simmer until all ingredients are very soft. Add more water or broth as necessary. Remove from heat. Puree using immersion blender. Adjust to your desired thick/thin-ness. Adjust seasoning and salt to taste.

Now, here's the good part. Ladle, steaming hot, into bowls over crushed corn tortilla chips (NOT Tostitos or some crappy fake chips, use the real thing) or strips of corn tortilla, oven toasted with a little oil. Let people top the soup with things like:

oven-roasted corn
oven-roasted grape or cherry tomatoes
diced white onion or scallions
finely chopped radishes
black beans
chopped cilantro
avocado or guacamole
limes, quartered for squeezing
chopped hard boiled egg
sour cream
cheese: chihuahua, goat, or jack
sauteed tofu or seitan

Try to have the toppings (other than the sour cream) at room temp so they don't cool the soup too much.

Magical Spinach-Broccoli Soup

This is an adaptation of some yummy soup made by Alison. I have made it a hundred times and I think it keeps away the flu bug.

Saute in olive oil:
1/2 onion, minced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped

Cover with 3-3 1/2 c vegetable broth. Simmer 10-15 minutes.

Add 1 head broccoli, washed, trimmed, and chopped. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add 1 bag/large bunch spinach, washed and sorted. I add some lemon juice, too, maybe a tablespoon. Stir.

Remove from heat. Puree with immersion blender.

Season with curry powder, salt, pepper, and pinch of cayenne. All to taste.

Stir in 1 cup of sour cream (you can use low fat or even plain yogurt.) Return to heat and warm but do not bring to a boil or the soup will curdle.

Yum. About 4 generous servings.