Red Thai Curry Soup (slightly adapted from Amuse Your Bouche. Servings: 4+, Total Time: 20 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 16 oz. mixed stir-fry vegetables (I used a frozen Asian blend), cooked

·         2-3 Tbsp. red Thai curry paste

·         14.5 oz. can light coconut milk

·         ½ 16 oz. pkg egg noodles, cooked

·         Salt

·         Black pepper

·         14.5 oz. water (fill the can from the coconut milk)

·         2 Tbsp. fresh coriander, chopped

Instructions

1.       Add the curry paste and cooked veggies to a large frying pan, mix well (I used 2.5 Tbsp. curry paste so that my husband could handle the dish) over medium heat.

2.       Add the coconut milk and the noodles, and season to taste with salt and pepper. I also added around 1 can of water – just add what you need to get the curry/soup to your desired consistency.

3.       Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, simmering very gently, until the curry is hot.  Add the coriander and serve immediately

I converted the numbers from the original recipe using an online calculator (the oz. were in ML and grams) and I think that the proportions were slightly off.  I used a whoel bag of noodles, which is why I suggest half a bag in the ingredients list.  One bag was way too much and made this a curry, not a soup.

The taste of this dish was just OK for me, not as spicy as I woul dhave liked and not with the depth of flavor that I am used to from my other curry dishes.  I don’t think that was just the noodles.  Maybe extra coconut milk instead of water or maybe some other spices would help.  I did use dried coriander instead of fresh (2 tsp.), but I don’t think that affected the taste.

Anyways, the dish was OK, but I don’t think that I’ll make it again.  I did look at some other recipes on this site and they look delicious.  Stay tuned for more!

Roasted Tomato Soup

Roasted Tomato Soup (from Woman’s Day, Servings: 4-5, Total Time: 45 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 ½ pound(s) plum tomatoes, halved

·         3 Tbsp. olive oil

·         Kosher salt

·         Pepper

·         1 large red onion, chopped

·         4 cloves (large) garlic, chopped

·         2 jalapeños, seeded (if desired) and chopped

·         4 cups vegetable broth

Directions

1.       Heat oven to 400 degrees F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss tomatoes with 1 Tbsp. oil and ¼ tsp. each salt and pepper. Roast until very tender and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

2.       Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add onion, season with ½ tsp. each salt and pepper, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally until very tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in garlic and jalapeños and cook for 2 minutes.

3.       Transfer tomatoes and any pan juices to the pot. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Using an immersion blender (or a standard blender, working in batches), purée soup.

This recipe is pretty simple to make.  I decided to make it when some of my generous neighbors dropped off a ton of their homegrown tomatoes.  Overall, the taste was pretty good, very tomatoey (as expected), but not spicy at all, even with jalapeños that were not seeded!  I added some red pepper flakes to kick up the spiciness to my level.  My husband enjoyed it as is.  A very creamy soup without the added fat from actually using cream – perfect!

Slow Cooker Indian Chikn Stew

Slow Cooker Indian Chikn Stew (slightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Servings: 8, Total Time: 8-10 hours)

Ingredients

·         Nonstick cooking spray

·         2 packages Trader Joe’s Chickenless Chikn Strips, cut into 1-inch pieces

·         ½ cup onion, chopped (1 medium)

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         5 tsp. curry powder

·         2 tsp. ground ginger

·         ½ tsp. salt

·         ¼ tsp. ground black pepper and/or cayenne pepper

·         2 15 oz, cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

·         2 14 ½ oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained

·         1 cup water or vegetable broth

·         1 bay leaf

·         2 Tbsp. lime juice

·         1 9 oz. package fresh spinach

·         Hot rice (for serving)

Directions

1.       Lightly coat a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Add Chikn, onion, and garlic to the slow cooker. Add curry powder, ginger, salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Stir in beans, tomatoes, water, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.

2.       Stir lime juice into mixture. Stir in spinach and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes or until spinach starts to wilt. If desired, serve in bowls with hot cooked rice.

This was a simple dish that was low on preparation but high on flavor.  Not sure if it’s exactly one of the flavor profiles that I fall in love with, but it was still good and I would probably make it again.  The only changes that I made to the above recipe was using water in lieu of vegetable broth (we didn’t have any), cayenne pepper, and three small bay leaves instead of one bay leaf.  I also removed the leaves before serving (because that’s what I’ve read in other recipes).

The soup has just the faintest hint of heat (from the cayenne pepper.  I actually added some Sriracha to mine the first night because I wanted to amp up the heat.  It has a little sweetness to it as well, you can definitely make out the bay leaves and ginger in each bite.  The garbanzo beans cooked nicely, but I recommend using petite diced tomatoes – it might make the soup look a little neater (as opposed to having big chunks of tomato everywhere!).  I also recommend tearing the spinach leaves into small pieces because each bite I took, there was a string of wilted spinach hanging off the fork – not very appetizing, in my opinion.  If I make it again, I’ll probably add a bit more curry powder to increase the Indian flavor, and the cayenne pepper to make it something I like a little more.

All in all, not bad for a quick dish that I can let sit and stew all day!

Couch Tomato Café (Manayunk, PA)

Couch Tomato Café (Manayunk, PA; http://manayunktomato.com/)

My husband and I were in Manayunk for the annual Arts Festival.  We were looking for lunch and stumbled upon the Couch Tomato Café.  The name caught my attention and I saw open tables outside, so we went to look at the menu.  There were a number of vegetarian items, so we went in and ordered.  The place was packed! There was a small eating area directly inside the door and a counter with stools off to the right looking out the front window.  We walked up to the counter, where they showcased fresh salad ingredients and pizza.  I ordered the Beet It salad and a cup of Gazpacho.  My husband ordered two slices of pizza.  We went outside to await our food.

The salad consisted of spinach, roasted beets, goat cheese, and slice almonds, covered in a raspberry-vinaigrette dressing.  When I first looked at the bowl, I could see that there was way too much goat cheese and sliced almonds, so I had to pick some of those out (more the cheese than the almonds).  The spinach leaves were coated in the dressing – a little too much.  Despite these drawbacks, the salad was pretty good and the dressing was sweet.  The Gazpacho was fantastic!  It was cold and spicy, a perfect contrast.  And I’m not just talking a little spicy, I’m talking eye-watering spicy!  My mouth was on fire but I didn’t want to stop eating the soup.  So good!  Both the soup and salad were served with wheat bread – that was good too, lightly buttered and with a little Italian spice. 

I would certainly go there again – there are so many options.  And, for those of you wondering, my husband was so-so about the pizza.  He ordered one slice of white, which he liked, and one Pepperoni slice, which he said was overcooked and just kind of blah.

Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo

Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo (slightly adapted from AllRecipes, Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes, Servings: 8)

Ingredients

·         1 Tbsp. olive oil

·         1 medium onion, chopped

·         1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

·         5 stalks celery, chopped

·         2 cups vegetable broth

·         4 (15 oz.) cans black-eyed peas with liquid

·         2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles

·         2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Directions

1.      Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, and cook the onion, pepper, and celery until tender.

2.      Pour in the vegetable broth, and mix in black-eyed peas, diced tomatoes and green chiles, and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Add water if soup is too thick.

I made some changes to this recipe based on what I had on hand and what I could get at the grocery store.  I used one 16-oz. bag of dried black-eyed peas because two of the grocery stores that I go to didn’t have canned.  I soaked them overnight in seven cups of water and then rinsed them.  I had to cook the dish about 30 minutes longer and add about 2 cups of water, but it worked out!  I also removed the rice that is in the original recipe because we didn’t have any in the pantry.  Instead, I served this with cornbread – which was an excellent move!

I found that the veggies and peas stay pretty crisp during the cooking process and that texture was a nice difference to the soft tomatoes.  I added a couple dashes of hot sauce, but I should have added more!  I didn’t initially because of my husband’s sensitivity to spicy food.  I don’t know if I will make this again, because, overall, it is pretty bland, even with hot sauce and two cans of tomatoes with green chiles.  Maybe tomatoes with jalapenos would work better.  It is a good mix of carbs and healthy protein, though, and is full of veggies! This one may stay in the recipe box, but get moved to the back.

Fiesta Chikn Soup

Fiesta Chikn Soup (adapted from Kraft Recipes, 4 servings, Total Time: 40 minutes)

Ingredients

¼ cup Zesty Italian Dressing

1 package Trader Joe’s Chickenless Strips, chopped

½ onion, chopped

1 cup (1/2 of 14-1/2-oz. can) stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium vegetable broth

1 ¼ cups water

1 can (8-1/2 oz.) peas and diced carrots, drained

1 tsp. chili powder

½ cup Mexican or Taco Shredded Cheese

Directions

1.)    Heat dressing in large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add strips and onions; cook 5 min., stirring occasionally.

2.)    Add tomatoes, broth, water, peas and carrots, and chili powder; stir. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 8 min. or until onions are tender.

3.)    Serve, topped with cheese.

I wasn’t as fond of this Mexican soup dish as others that I have tried.  If I make it again, I’ll add some hot sauce or jalapenos, or something to jazz it up a bit.  As is, the chili powder doesn’t help much in the flavor department.  It is also fairly one note on the texture component, of which my husband is not a fan.  Maybe adding some tortilla chips on top would make him happy!  If you are looking for a mild dish, then this is your ticket.  But if you’re looking for flavor town, you’ll need to make some additional enhancements (and I definitely recommend the Taco cheese, as it has a more intense flavor).  Enjoy!

Southwestern Corn Soup

Southwestern Corn Soup (5-6 servings, total time 25-30 minutes)

(adapted from KraftFoods)

This was a tasty soup, but I made it a tad too spicy.  My husband took a bite, said it was good but the slow heat blew him off his feet.  Guess I’ll be eating all of the leftovers! 

Ingredients

1 small green pepper, chopped

4 oz. 1/3 Fat Cream Cheese, cubed

½ lb. (8 oz.) Velveeta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 can (14.75 oz.) cream-style corn

1-1/2 cups skim milk

½ can adobo peppers with sauce

2 Morningstar Farms Black Bean burgers, thawed, crumbled

1.)    Cook peppers in a non-stick medium saucepan on medium heat 3 to 5 min. or until crisp-tender.

2.)    Add cream cheese; cook on low heat 3 to 5 min. until melted, stirring frequently.

3.)    Stir in Velveeta, corn, milk, adobo peppers, and Black Bean Burger crumbles; cook 5 min. or until  Velveeta is completely melted and soup is heated through, stirring occasionally.

Although I though this dish was good and spicy (great for a cold day), next time I will use a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles (drained) instead of the adobo peppers.  I want it to be more pleasing for my husband to taste.  The green peppers lose most of their crispness when cooked with the remaining ingredients, but that did not detract from the dish at all.  Using lower fat substitutions helps reduce the calories and overall fat in the dish.  Adding the burgers increases protein, an important step for vegetarians!  The soup is really easy to make and the texture is very creamy, especially if you let it cool for a moment before eating (allowing the Velveeta to congeal slightly).  I definitely plan on making this delicious dish again in the near future.  I’ll let you know how it works out with the adobo pepper substitution.

Chelsea Tavern – Wilmington, DE

http://www.chelseatavern.com/

I have only been to Chelsea once before, for a beer and some pizza, but have wanted to go back for more than a year.  The menu looks so enticing and the selection of beer is fairly good – better than your average restaurant.  As you enter the restaurant, you walk into a welcoming bar area – it is well-lit with nice wooden tables – a good place to eat if you want something slightly more casual.  You then walk back into the dining area, there are both booths and tables – the lighting is slightly dimmed for a slightly romantic ambience. 

We sat at one of the tables in the middle of room – they are close together, so I felt that the couples on either side of us were way too close, but after my beer came, I perked up.  We started out with the House Made Soft Pretzel Crullers, served with Queso Poblano sauce.  The pretzels were just a touch too hard for my liking, but they were not overly buttery and barely salted.  And the Queso dip – delicious.  Perhaps the pretzels had been apart of another batch – I’d be willing to give them a second taste test.

As my main course, I had the Wild Mushroom Soup (which, sadly, is not on their current menu) and the Baby Spinach salad.  The soup was to die for, honestly.  It was mushroomy, but had a touch of cream in the middle and topped with just a hint of pesto.  There were a few mushroom chunks – and all this added up to be so tasty – my mouth is actually watering as I think about it.  If you don’t like mushrooms, then this isn’t the soup for you, but if you even slightly like them, I would recommend trying it (if they add it back to the menu).  I also had the Baby Spinach Salad.  It was very lightly dressed – a little bit more dressing would have done the salad good.  It was okay – not great for a salad.  I thought that I would like the dressing more, but it was nothing spectacular.

For dessert, we attempted to please both of our palettes and ordered the Chocolate Chocolate Cake.  Well, the cake was good, and so was the ice cream, but the spicy caramel sauce – way too much!  And that’s not just me saying it because I don’t like caramel – my husband agreed that it was too spicy for a dessert.  I have definitely learned that spicy desserts are not what I like.  We were able to scrape a lot of the caramel sauce off of the cake so that we could enjoy it, but the taste mostly stayed with us for the rest of the night – kind of a bummer.

Overall, Chelsea has a nice atmosphere and tasty food.  I would recommend it for the vegetarian restaurant-goer.  FYI – They also have a downstairs room with a bar for private events – right beside the wine cellar!

September 2012 Update:
On a recent visit to Chelsea, I enjoyed the Hand Cut Signature Trio Fries appetizer and Veggie Margherita pizza.  The fries consisted of crispy Vidalia Onions, Idaho & Sweet Potatoes and were seasoned with a homemade spice.  They were paired with a house aioli.  The aioli was a tad spicy, perfect for my taste!  All of the fries were crispy, but some were slightly burnt.  I think I’d get the dish again if I went with a group of people to share it with.  I then had the Veggie Margherita pizza that comes out of the brick oven in the back of the dining area (a nice one, made of light-colored stone).  The pizza has a plum tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, wild mushrooms, red onion, and roasted peppers (I opted to nix the olives).  It had a crispy crust and was slightly browned on the top (no burning for this item!).  It was a tasty pizza that I would definitely order again.

May 2013 Update:

My mother and stepdad came to visit over Mother’s Day weekend.  We treated them to dinner at Chelsea Tavern in downtown Wilmington.  My husband and I had ordered the House Made Soft Pretzel Crullers as an appetizer on a previous trip and didn’t much care for them, but he is on a soft pretzel kick, so we ordered them for the four of us.  Boy, am I glad that I gave these a second try!  They were soft and chewy and not drowned in butter like some soft pretzels.  They were served with a  spicy Dog Fish Head 60 Minute I.P.A. cheese sauce – delish!  Not really that spicy, but definitely tasty.  

As my main dish, I ordered the Chelsea Pizza.  It has a shallot and garlic spread and is topped with tomatoes, sautéed spinach, herbed ricotta cheese, and a bit of mozzarella. I love getting pizza at Chelsea because they serve it with your own little tri-bowl of parmesan, Italian herbs, and red pepper flakes.  I also loved this pizza!  Of course, that probably has something to do with all of the cheese on it.  The crust was thin, but not crusty or burnt – cooked just right in their brick oven.  The veggies were soft and chewy and I loved the garlicky taste that the sauce imparted on each bite.  I cannot wait to go back to Chelsea because I will definitely order this again.

The Windy City

My fiancee and I took a short trip to Chicago and had a wonderful time.  It was my first visit and I cannot wait to go back.  Not only is it a beautiful city with a fantastic skyline and lots of things to do, but it also has some awesome food.  Keeping in line with my blog ideals, I’ll stop talking abou the trip and start relaying my memories of the food J

Our first night, our hosts took us to Tuscany, an Italian restaurant on Taylor Street.  We had to eat in the back room because we did not have reservations, and it was kind of loud, but the food was very good.  The front of the restaurant had a nice atmosphere with the typical Italian style painting and decorations on the walls.  Our meal started out with a nice presentation of crushed garlic with olive oil.  Our waiter crushed the garlic at our table and added any spices to our liking.  This kind of attention indicated to me that this was going to be a good meal! 

I started off with the Barbe Rosse salad - roasted red beets, hazelnuts, citrus segments, goat cheese, frisee, butter lettuce, sherry vinaigrette.  The serving was enough for two people, so they brought it in a bowl and gave us extra plates.  It was tasty, not overly dressed with the vinaigrette.  I love goat cheese on a salad because it adds a great creamy texture.  I also enjoyed having the hazelnuts in the mix to add some crunch.  After my salad, I enjoyed the Ravioli Alla Pera – I had a really tough time deciding what to order because there are a few tasty-looking vegetarian options (or items that can easily be made vegetarian).  However, since I was running a half marathon the next morning, I chose something that wasn’t spicy or different than my normal eating.  The ravioli was filled with roasted pears and was covered in a sauce consisting of more pears, parmigiano, toasted nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and mascarpone cream.  So yummy!  It reheated well the next day for lunch, too (since they gave such large portions).  We finished with a nice chocolate cake for dessert – not too big and not too rich – perfect way to end!

http://www.tuscanychicago.com/

After recovering from the half marathon, my fiancée and I headed to The Art Institute of Chicago.  It was a rainy and windy day, so we wanted to limit our time outside.  While there, my appetite kicked in and we stopped at Caffè Moderno.  I was surprised to find multiple veggie items there and had some of the vegan Tomato Basil soup with a wheat roll on the side.  The soup was very good and topped with some sesame seeds – it also had nice little kick to it.  The bread held up really well when dipped into the soup.  It was a very nice snack (unfortunately, not able to carry it around while looking at the art, but that’s okay.)  http://www.artic.edu/aic/visitor_info/restaurants.html

Connie's Pizza

One of my requests to our hosts was to indulge in some Chicago-style pizza.  My fiancée told me that true Chicago-style would mean I’d only be able to eat half a slice, so we opted for deep dish.  We ordered in from Connie’s.  I got the House Salad with a Garlic Ranch dressing, the Veggie Pizza, and the Cookie Monster to share.  The salad was your typical takeout salad – lettuce, tomatoes, onions – and the dressing was very garlicy (not a bad thing!).  The Veggie Pizza was topped with broccoli, onions, mushrooms & sliced tomatoes.  I am a huge fan of bread, cheese, and veggies, so this was a great combo!  I really liked the taste of it and it was quite filling.  We finished our dinner with the Cookie Monster – a much more massive dessert than we expected.  It consisted of four large chocolate chip cookies topped with four scoops of vanilla ice cream, a few dollops of whipped cream, and smothered in chocolate sauce.  Fantastic way to end this delicious meal!  http://www.conniespizza.com/

P.S. – the pizza tasted great cold two mornings later when we flew out – I saved two slices for lunch J

Our final culinary hurrah in Chicago was a trip to Harry Caray’s Tavern at Navy Pier.  When faced with the decision of whether or not to get a veggie burger at a restaurant, I usually opt not to because they are normally cooked on the same grill.  I made an exception this time because it had goat cheese!  The original burger comes with a Kalamata Olive Spread, but I asked for it without because I am no fan of olives.  It did come topped with goat cheese, arugula, tomato, and onion – all laid out on a whole wheat bun.  I had a side salad instead of fries, to try to keep it a little healthy.  The patty wasn’t that great, but the goat cheese made the meal.  I actually ate the whole thing.  One word of caution though, I got an upset stomach afterwards – possibly because of it being cooked on the same grill as meat.  I don’t have any proof, just sharing my concerns.  (FYI – there are other veggie options such as pasta and pizza)

http://www.harrycaraystavern.com/navy-pier/index.html

I love Chicago and the food is delicious – I cannot wait to go back to savor more of their delectable treats!

Zoup! - Glen Eagle Square (Glen Mills, PA)

One of my coworkers first told me about this place the other day, so I checked out the menu.  They have a few vegetarian options – soup, salad, and sandwich – so I thought it would be a good idea to try the food.  I decided to stay simple my first time, so I ordered the Frontier 7 Bean Soup – I was very impressed that they use vegetarian Worcestershire sauce.  I had the 8 oz. size and it is delicious.  Although the description shows that it has Tabasco, it was not at all spicy – very good flavor.  The beans (Pinto, Kidney, Garbanzo, Navy, Black, and Lentils) mix well and one does not overpower the soup.  This is definitely a bargain on the calorie ladder because it provides 6 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein for only 100 calories!  Very excellent and will get again J