Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup diced carrots
2/3 cup diced celery
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp dill
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fennel
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups canned chopped/peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup of wheat bulgur

I got this recipe from Copia in Napa. We attended a cooking demonstration up there over the weekend. This was a very filling meal. We served with the homemade wheat bread from the night before. I didn’t have dill so I left that out. Also, I haven’t made my own stock yet so just used vegetable bouillon. I forgot to grind the fennel but, you know what, I really liked it whole–it was like a nice licorice taste you’d get in every other bite.

4 out of4 spoons.

2 tbsp lentils, washed
4 cups vegetable bouillon
1/2 inch ginger root
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp dry sherry
1 1/2 cups canned corn kernels
1 egg white
1 tsp sesame oil

garnish with scallions.

Nice soup; you get these wisps of egg-white on top which look like cream. The ginger gives the soup a nice flavor. Very enjoyable!

3 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp corn oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 lb tomatoes, skinned, chopped
3/4 cup lentils, washed
5 cups vegetable bouillon

Garnish with finely chopped cilantro

This turned out really well. I likes me some deadly nightshade, I tell ya what. Served with some fresh bread with a butter/thyme spread.

3 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, peeled and chopped
8 oz potato, chopped
8 oz parsnips, chopped
8 oz turnips, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 zucchini, sliced
1 green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, rushed
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp mild curry paste
5 cups vegetable bouillon
1 1/2 cups black eyed peas
chopped cilantro to garnish

I didn’t have paprika, turnips or black eye peas. Used kidney beans instead. Used curry powder instead of paste. In spite of all of this, this turned out really good. It was somewhat similar to the curried parsnip soup I prepared on 2/21/2008. Served with artisan bread with real butter and fresh thyme.

For dessert:

I made vanilla bean ice cream…

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 whole vanilla bean
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar

Wow, I’ve never worked with an actual vanilla bean before. They’re expensive. I bought two beans in a jar called “Madagascar Vanilla Beans” for nearly $20US. You have to slice the bean lengthwise and then using the back of the knife you remove the paste inside. It’s very aromatic and insanely delicious. This recipe was a bit difficult to follow since it requires cooking ingredients at certain temperatures. I just bought a digital food thermometer so that was helpful. Tastes very good!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
1 red onion, chopped
3 parsnips, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups of vegetable bouillon
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Wow, very interesting flavor! The spiciness is balanced out nicely by the the sweet chunks of delicious parsnip. I only had two parsnips on hand so the soup could have used one more for sure. Hope to make again some day.

3 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 lb sweet potatoes, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 1/2 cups vegetable bouillon
1 1/4 cups unsweetened orange juice
1 cup low-fat unsweetened yogurt
2 tbsp chopped cilantro to garnish

I should have cooked veggies slightly longer. I used sweetened yogurt and orange juice since that was all I had on-hand. Interesting taste. I need a citrus peeler/zester to get better wedges of orange on top. The soup is citrusy and sweet. Not one of my favorites though my girlfriend professed to love it and quickly ate all the left0vers.

1 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

5 cups of vegetable bouillion
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp saffron threads
4 scallions, sliced into rings
2 zucchini, cut into batons
2 large tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
4 oz rice noodles
ground black pepper

I wanted to make this dish again using actual scallions. Served with artisan bread with real butter and thyme spread. Definitely one of my favorites so far!

4 out of 4 spoons.

For dessert:

Sweet Fruit Wontons

Placed raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries into food processor. Spooned into wonton wrappers, buttoned up and fried for 2 minutes in the wok. Delicious when served hot, drizzled with honey on top of home-made ice cream.

Ingredients:

12 oz bunch of asparagus
3 cups vegetable bouillon
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cups milk
4-6 tbsp heavy cream
salt and pepper

This dish was kind of complicated to prepare since it involves cooking ingredients separately in 3 different pans and has a 55 minute prep time. Wish I’d made the asparagus stems bigger instead of chopping them all up. Also I should have kept a few more out for garnishes. Still, it turned out surprisingly well. It’s probably the least healthy dish I’ve cooked, given the milk, butter, and heavy cream.

3 out of 4 spoons

Bonus: Layered fruit and yogurt parfait, topped with chopped cashews for dessert. Delicious!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 3/4 cups diced potatoes
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups vegetable bouillon
1/2 cup broccoli florets
3 cups canned corn kernels
3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
1 tbsp chopped cilantro as garnish

I didn’t have a red onion so used scallions instead. I substituted carrots for the brocolli. I only had 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese. I probably should have cut the potatoes smaller. I think it could also use some dill to liven up the taste a bit. Still, the recipe makes a lot of soup and it is quite filling.

3 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 lb canned, chopped tomoatoes, drained
1 cut red lentils
2 tsp lemon juice
2 1/2 cups vegetable bouillon
1 1/4 cups coconut milk
salt and pepper
chooped cilantro and lemon slices to garnish

Well, I didn’t have any garam masala or cumin and I used 3 cups of bouillon, instead of 2 1/2 (it just seems easier that way). I used fresh tomatoes, pureed again in the food processor. I had brown lentils instead of red ones. Ironically, there was an article in the food section of The San Francisco Chronicle today about the difference between various types of lentils so I knew these didn’t need to be cooked as long. The soup turned out very thick; I think it could have used more coconut milk. But, man, it was fantastic! It must have been the fresh lemon juice.

4 out of 4 spoons.