I've come to realize, even as infrequent as my posts have become (being a single mom is busy business), I am mostly only posting vegetarian recipes. I do not want to give the impression that I turned full on vegetarian, though I would love to have that sort of commitment. It's just the only new recipes I have been interested in are vegetarian. One of the big obstacles keeping me from going vegetarian is the typical American mindset. We were born and raised to think dinner is meat. Deciding what to make for dinner, especially quick easy meals during the week, is so hard if I don't have meat as the main course to build from. Lots of vegetarian dishes seem so much like side dishes, I have a hard time making them my complete meal. I've been working on it. I love the idea of making vegetarian soup, since the leftovers make for a couple nice and easy work lunches. Pasta's are an easy vegetarian fix, but I do not want to rely on them too much. I am always on the lookout for my bulging waist line. The mommy muffin top is going down, but is not gone completely! So, that is the explanation of why most of my recipes seem geared towards vegetarian. The health and environmental benefits of going meatless are astronomical, so learning to cook with little to no meat is a major interest of mine lately!
Figuring out a meatless meal for last night's Meatless Monday was a bit of a challenge. We just came back from a week vacation and the fridge was close to empty. I stayed meatless for the Monday on vacation, but cannot claim to have eaten healthy for the rest of the week. I even drank SODA a couple times ::gasp:: Well, now we are back to reality and a whole 7 lbs heavier. While I was planning to stop at the market to gather up some fruits and veggies to stock our fridge, keep in mind I was also having to work with a post-vacation budget. Before vacation, I cleared out all the veggies that would not last the week away. All I had left in my kitchen was onions, potatoes, carrots, and garlic. By googling recipes containing onions and potatoes, I stumbled upon a great soup.Luckily I had some homemade veggie broth in the freezer.
- 4 onions, sliced thin
- 7 potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced
- 4 - 5 cups vegetable broth
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 3 Tbsp milk **optional. I used soy, but regular milk could work as well.
Slice the onions and put into a large pot with the oil and cook on low heat. Slice up the garlic and add to pot. Continue to cook on low until onions start to soften. Peel and dice potatoes, then add to pot with onions. Stir to coat all ingredients with the oil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add broth. Bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are very soft. Stir in the milk if you are using it.
Mash with a hand masher or let cool to process in a blender, depending on your desired consistency. I was really hungry, so I just used a hand masher.
This recipe took about an hour to create. A little long for during the week, but the second half hour is not very hands on. If you are short on time, most soups can be made ahead and frozen! A quick defrost could set you on your way to a nice delicious soup.
Another thing I love about this recipe is the simplicity. There are no herbs, salt, or pepper and it works wonderfully. Since I used my homemade broth, the sodium is minimal. This is a great recipe to have on hand when you are low on ingredients or cash. I also had carrots on hand, but decided not to use them. Next time I definitely would. The more veggies, the better!
Sophia has been having a hard time eating lately. For a while, she was doing much better. She was eating everything on her plate and was very proud of herself! Lately, she complains that her stomach is hurting at just about every meal, yet she never complains of these pains at any other time. I am sure this is because she does not want to sit through the boring task of eating a real meal when she would rather be having snacks instead. She very rarely complains about the taste of a dish, but it's the actual eating that seems cumbersome. Last night she did not want to eat her soup, but she also was not saying it taste bad. I managed to get her to eat half the soup along with a slice of buttered bread. Since she did not complain about the taste, I will definitely be making this again.
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