Potassium Broth

I came across a recipe for a broth that is rumored to be used in health spas and healing clinics in Sweden, it's called ~ Potassium Broth. It sounded interesting; I just so happened to have a bunch of potato peels and veggie scraps that the recipe called for, just sitting in my freezer; and it's still a bit chilly and gray around here... So, I decided to give it a try. I used this recipe for my inspiration ~ adding a ham bone to the pot of broth since I had one hanging around in the freezer (and I need the space). It's a simple broth, easy to make and pretty good. Not a bad way to start the day, or for a light snack to keep the hunger pangs away, or as the beginnings for a pot of soup.  :)

Quick Enoki Mushroom Soup ~ Meatless Monday

I'm a big fan of the itty-bitty, fairy-sized Enoki Mushroom.  There is something so cute and dainty about these little guys.  What I also like about them is how easy they are to use, just a minute in some hot broth and they're good to go.   My favorite way to eat them is in a super quick, simple to make soup.  In about the time it takes to boil the water so I can make the broth, I can have my ingredients all assembled for my soup.  

To make my Quick Enoki Mushroom Soup, just ~ Chop the Enoki Mushrooms into short sticks.  Slice a carrot into super thin 'coins'. To slice them I use my veggie peeler on the thin end of the carrot.  Slice some bell pepper into super thin strips.  Chop some cilantro.  Put all the prepped veggies into your soup bowl and then pour your favorite hot veggie/mock meat broth or miso soup over the top.  Stir in some Bragg's and a couple of drops of toasted oriental sesame oil.  Give it a quick spin & you're ready to eat.  Change up the soup any way you want, just slice the veggies super thin, so that way they 'cook' in the broth in about a minute.

Vegetarian Tex-Mex Chili ~ Meatless Monday

The day I came up with this recipe, I was craving chili.  So, I started throwing things into my big soup pot ~ a little of this and a bit of that...and came up with this satisfying, easy vegetarian version.  Just because it's meatless doesn't mean it's missing any of the full-bodied flavor that I like in my chili.  It was great the first day, and was just as good the next day (maybe even better)...just a little thicker.  Yum!  Either way, it's a tasty bowlful of chili pleasure.   I'm really happy with how this recipe turned out.  Hope you like it, too! ~ Enjoy!

Vegetarian Tex-Mex Chili
makes a big pot full

Chili Ingredients

• 6 cups canned chopped tomatoes, with juice
• 2 cups, ready-to-eat/rehydrated TVP crumbles, 'chicken' or 'beef' (or you favorite meat crumble substitute)
• 1 cup salsa (your favorite kind - optional)
• 1 can chili beans, in sauce
• 1 can kidney beans, with juice
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, packed
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 2 Tbsp taco seasoning mix
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt/pepper, to taste

Garnish with ~

• crushed tortilla chips
• fat free Greek yogurt/sour cream
• shredded low fat cheese
• cilantro for garnish

Directions

Add all chili ingredients (tomatoes to garlic) to a large soup pot.  Bring ingredients to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer for about one hour, stirring every so often.  Add a little water, if desired, to get the chili to the thickness you like.  Taste, add salt/pepper as desired.   Serve the chili garnished with ~ a handful of crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro & a dollop of Greek yogurt/sour cream.

Easy Fusion-Mirepoix, White Bean & Rice Soup

Easy Fusion-Mirepoix, White Bean & Rice Soup ~ celebrating the French & Cajun/Creole cuisines

I was playing around in the kitchen, just wanting to make something quick, easy and something that used up the odds-and-ends in my veggie bin.  I came up with a soup that has the best basic flavor builders of two cuisines ~ Mirepoix from the French and the Holy Trinity from Cajun/Creole.  For the soup I ~ made a mirepoix of onion, celery, carrots (French) and added bell pepper (a nod to Cajun/Creole), included beans (white, not red, for a nod to the French) and rice (for a beans/rice nod to the popular Cajun/Creole combo).  It's a mostly veggie soup, just getting it's meat flavor from the chicken broth. (adding some leftover cooked chicken would be a nice addition, too).  I'm really  happy with the flavor-fusion of these two classic veggie flavor combos, and the hit of white wine makes this simple soup just that much more luxe tasting, and the rice gives it a little creamier body, without any extra effort.  Gotta love easy flavor layering.  For me, this is a perfect way to get into the Mardi Gras spirit!  Enjoy! 

Easy Fusion-Mirepoix, White Bean & Rice Soup
makes a pot full

Ingredients

• 1 large white onion, diced/small chop (or purple, for a more colorful soup)
• 1 large stalk celery, diced/small chop
• 1 large carrot, diced/small chop
• 1 medium bell pepper, seeded/diced/small chop
• 2 cloves garlic, thin sliced 
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 can navy beans (or fav white bean), with juice
• 1 cup cooked white rice
• salt/pepper, to taste
• favorite red pepper hot sauce

 

Directions

Saute the first 5 ingredients in the olive oil until the veggies begin to turn a golden brown.  Pour in the white wine to deglaze the pot.  Add the broth, cooked rice & can of beans/juice.  Simmer all for about 15 minutes. Add salt/pepper/hot sauce to taste.  

 

Vegetable Bean Soup ~ Meatless Monday

Winter.  Snow.  Cold.  Want soup.  Want...It...NOW!!  Yeah, that's how I get when I want something to chase away the chill of the day.  So, to satisfy that food craving, I tried this veggie/bean soup recipe from Whole Foods.  I didn't plan ahead, so I had to use a quick soak method of softening the beans, instead of just soaking the beans overnight like the recipe called for.  It's not a super quick recipe when you have to cook the beans instead of just using canned ones, but, it was worth the wait.  Besides, it made the house smell good while it was simmering.  Tweaked it just a bit for what I had on hand.  Hit the spot. 

Hearty New England Clam Chowder ~ Easy, Creamy & Low-Fat

I recently shared an easy, low-fat recipe for red potato soup on the blog.  I liked it so much, I wanted to make it again...but, with a little flavor twist.  This time I changed up the basic potato soup recipe to turn it into a low fat New England clam chowder.  With all this snowy, cold weather, I'm craving soup all the time.  How about you?

Hearty New England Clam Chowder ~ Easy, Creamy & Low-Fat 

serves 4-6
 

Ingredients

• 2 cups red potatoes, medium chop ~ with skins on (or off, your call)
• 2 cups white onion, small chop (about 1 large onion)
• 1/2 cup carrots, small chop (about 2 medium carrots)
• 1/2 cup celery, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 Tbsp real bacon bits
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 4 cups of your favorite chicken broth (canned/or from bouillon)
• 1 12oz can fat free evaporated milk, divided
• 1  6.5oz can minced clams with clam juice (add a 2nd can if desired)
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke (or more, to taste)
• 1 tsp Frank's RedHot Pepper Sauce (more/less, to taste)
• salt/pepper, to taste

Directions

Combine the potatoes, onion, carrots, celery, parsley, broth, bacon bits, garlic and dried basil, in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup evaporated milk in a separate cup, until smooth.  Stir completely into soup mixture.  Add the remaining evaporated milk, liquid smoke and hot sauce.  Bring soup back up to a boil.  Stir constantly for 2 minutes, or until thickened.  Turn heat to low, add can(s) of minced clams with clam juice, stir  & simmer for one minute to heat clams through.  Taste, add salt/pepper/more hot sauce, as desired & serve.  Enjoy!

Comforting Cold Weather Meals

Easy Beef Stew with Red Wine ~ I threw together this tasty beef stew in no time at all.  I let it simmer slowly on the stove and it made the house smell wonderful.  It was a perfect meal for this bitter cold weather we've been having.

Chili

We've been stuck in our house for the last week, riding out this huge polar vortex snow storm that's been hammering the Midwest/US.  This past week has been bitter cold, but it's slowly warming up.  We've finally started seeing temps a few degrees above freezing, just enough to start some of the snow melting, but there is still so much more to go.  It's been so over-the-top bitter cold, that all the schools were canceled this  week.  J was thrilled to get an extra week of Christmas break, can't say as I blame him. 

Before the arctic air and snow arrived, I stocked up my pantry and fridge, so we've been enjoying warming and comforting foods for the last week ~ beef stew, chili, ham & beans, chicken & dumplings, chicken noodle soup, mac & cheese ~ you know, comfort food that I've posted about in the past.  I decided that if I couldn't go out-and-about, I might as well cook.  :)  Needless to say, good home cooked meals were the highlight of our snowbound days...

Our backyard has knee deep drifts of snow...

Ham & Bean Soup ~ our leftover Christmas ham was the perfect addition to a pot of Hurst Great Northern Beans.  A little drizzle of Frank's RedHot Sauce adds just the right amount of heat.

The view out my kitchen window...  Brrr!!

I hear that there is the possibility of another polar vortex snow storm heading our way in the next few days.  Well...guess it's time to head back out to the market to replenish the supplies once more.  Hopefully this time the trip won't take up an entire afternoon.  Seriously, the market was PACKED!  Worse than the Black Friday sales ~  all 25 register lanes were open, each stacked 7-10 full shopping carts deep, people everywhere and shelves emptied fast. 

The view out the front of the house ~  It was too cold to go outside & take most of the pictures (-40 with the windchill), so I just took pics through the glass.  Roy took the photo of the front of the house when it started to 'warm up', I think maybe it got up to zero that day...

When you're waiting in the checkout line, with nothing else to do, seeing what others are purchasing can be amusing.  I was chuckling at what some people had in their carts ~ some were full of cereal, bread, eggs, pancake mix, ice cream, hot chocolate, milk, juice, meat, veggies, cat food & kids games to help keep the boredom away (sounds like my cart).  While others were full of beer, chips, munchies, frozen pizza, wine, cheese and crackers.  Ahhh...I remember those single days.  :)

Curry Pumpkin Soup ~ Meatless Monday

I like to tinker with canned pumpkin and this time I played around with it in a simple soup.  I combined a can of pureed pumpkin, veggie broth, curry spice mix, dried onion/garlic...then let it all simmer until the flavors combined.  To a layer of creaminess and body to the soup, I decided to swirl in some Greek yogurt, and added another dollop on top, right before serving.  I like experimenting with different ways to use canned veggies ~ how about you?  :) 

Super Easy White Bean & Kale Soup

Here is a super-easy-to-make soup that I'll throw together when I want something that looks/tastes like it took a bunch of time to make...but it really didn't.  When it's cold and snowy out, give me soup...and cans of beans to get it started!  This is a throw-as-you-go kind of soup ~ usually I'll use 2 cans of white beans with their juice, about a 1/2 bunch of chopped kale, a finely chopped onion, 4-6 cups of chicken broth, whatever spices I feel like tossing in the soup pot, a dash of liquid smoke, and a couple tablespoons of real bacon bits.  I let it all simmer together until the veggies are tender, and then it's time to eat.  Add a nice garnish, maybe some bread/butter or crackers and everybody's happy...especially me.  :)

3-2-1 Red Potato Soup ~ low fat & creamy tasting!

For our lunch today, I made a really satisfying, delicious, creamy and low fat potato and veggie soup.  I'm calling it my ~ 3-2-1 Red Potato Soup.  (because it has 3/2/1 amounts of veggies & seasonings :)   My inspirations for creating this soup came from ~ 1/2 bag of red potatoes that needed using up; a hungry/sick kid that didn't go to school today; a husband who was cold from clearing snow; and a gal (me) who was surfing the 'net, looking for a way to tame her craving for something warm and comforting to make for her family's lunch. All those things collided in my big, blue pot...and what a yummy lunch it was.  Hope you like this low fat soup as much as we did.  Real time cooking in my kitchen today ~ Enjoy!!

3-2-1 Red Potato Soup

inspired by this recipe...

serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 3 cups red potatoes, medium chop ~ with skins on (or off, your call)
• 2 cups white onion, small chop (about 1 large onion)
• 1 cup carrots, small chop (about 2 medium carrots)
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 Tbsp real bacon bits
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 5 cups of your favorite chicken broth (canned/or from bouillon)
• 1 12oz can fat free evaporated milk, divided
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke (or more, to taste)
• 1 tsp Frank's RedHot Pepper Sauce (more/less, to taste)
• salt/pepper, to taste
• shredded low fat cheddar cheese for garnish (optional)

Directions

Combine the potatoes, onion, carrots, parsley, broth, bacon bits, garlic and dried basil, in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup evaporated milk in a separate cup, until smooth.  Stir completely into soup mixture.  Add the remaining evaporated milk, liquid smoke and hot sauce.  Bring soup back up to a boil.  Stir constantly for 2 minutes, or until thickened.  Taste, add salt/pepper, as desired.  Serve as is, or garnish with some shredded low fat cheddar cheese.

 

Pineapple Rasam ~ Meatless Monday

In this month's Penzey's Spices catalog, there was a recipe for an Indian soup called ~ Pineapple Rasam.  It sounded really interesting, and since I love Indian food so much, I knew I had to make it.  I made it for our lunch today, and it was just perfect for this second day of Fall.  This version of  rasam uses a can of crushed pineapple as it's base ~ what an unusual way to use pineapple!  The soup turns into a wonderful combo of sweet, spicy, smooth and creamy ~ with a great 'rich' mouth-feel.  I'm going to have to explore using pureed crushed pineapple in other dishes, too...maybe even as a base for a vegetarian gravy.  Surprisingly, it didn't give a heavy pineapple flavor to the soup, just a nice 'thick' texture... I think pureed crushed pineapple might be my new secret ingredient for a low fat 'thick' texture!

I added a bit more Indian spices than their recipe called for, just because I wanted a richer spice flavor.  I have a nice Masala Sambhar spice blend that I like to use since it compliments many different foods.  I also used regular oil instead of ghee (since I don't keep that on hand), I added 1/4 tsp of butter extract to the water for a touch of butter flavor since I didn't use ghee, and I just used all ground spices.  I still used the mustard seeds in the hot oil first, than added the rest of the spices as the recipe called for.  I served it with some Trader Joe's naan bread and a 'ready to eat' rice and yellow lentil dish called  pongal (that I bought last month at the Indian market).  What a satisfying light lunch for this beautiful, sunny and mild ~ Meatless Monday!  More real-time cooking in my kitchen today.  :)

Cold Cucumber & Greek Yogurt Soup ~ Meatless Monday

I recently acquired an old, yellowed, late 80's paperback copy of  ~ Jane Brody's Good Food Book.  I came across a recipe for a cold soup that would use up the last of the season's cucumbers that my neighbor, Cheryl, had so kindly shared with me.   I was inspired by the cookbook's original cold cucumber & yogurt soup recipe and came up with my own version, using what I had available in the kitchen and fridge.

The way I make it, the diced cucumber will begin to release it's liquid as it sits in the fridge, and will begin to thin out the Greek yogurt, turning it into a 'soup' consistency.  I prefer making the soup this way, instead of the traditional ~ salting the cucumber before hand, and letting all the tasty cucumber liquid go down the drain ~ method.  Why waste all that subtle, fresh cucumber flavor?  Not in my kitchen!  :)  This is a cool, refreshing soup, perfect for the last of the dog days of summer and for a light, Meatless Monday midday meal ~  Enjoy!

Cold Cucumber & Greek Yogurt Soup
serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt
• 1 medium cucumber ~ peeled, seeded & finely diced
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried dill weed (or about 1/2 Tbsp minced fresh)
• 1/4 tsp Tabasco Green Jalapeno Sauce
• 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• salt/pepper ~ to taste
• 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts

Directions

Add first 10 ingredients (Greek yogurt-salt/pepper) to a bowl and stir to combine.  Let sit in fridge for 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld.  The cucumber will start to release its liquid as it sits and will begin to thin the thick Greek yogurt.  When ready to serve, give the mixture another stir and add more water if needed to get the soup to your desired consistency.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, adding more salt/pepper/Tabasco sauce as needed.  Garnish soup with chopped walnuts and a little dill weed before serving.

 

Chicken & Rice Soup

Something happened around here last night, all was fine and then BAM!  Roy and J both came down with coughing fits and stuffy sinuses.  Lately, I know our area has been noted as having 'high to very high' amounts of pollen ~ I believe them!!  So, today we all stayed inside.  Since I had a bit of meat left from the roast chicken I made the other day, I decided to make chicken stock/soup.  There is something about simmering the chicken bones for a homemade soup that just makes a soup taste so much better.  I cleaned out the fridge while I was at it and found a container of rice, so I ended up making an on-the-fly ~ Chicken & Rice Soup.  We all loved it, it made us feel better and it helped to free up some space in the fridge.  Win's all around!  Real-time cooking in my kitchen tonight.  :)

Pozole ~ Mexican Pork & Hominy Soup

I was cleaning out the fridge and freezer the other day and cooked up a hearty and soul-satisfying soup with what I had lurking about, one that my Mexican-food-loving-self just adores ~ Pozole.  I don't have a standard recipe for this classic pork and hominy soup, (but here is one that sounds good) I always wing it, I start out with the basics and then add-on as inspired.  This time I added in a can of black beans, used some homegrown  green chilies that I roasted and froze at the end of last summer, some Trader Joe's roasted corn , a huge can of diced tomatoes and a few other goodies.  I topped it some crushed tortilla chips (the last remnants at the bottom of the chip bag) and enjoyed eating it for a few days.  We've been having really cool weather lately.  I know it's almost summer, but some days it feels more like late winter here.  Maybe I should just hop on a plane and head south of the border for some warmer summer weather.  Get me some surf, sand, sun and cervezas ~ sounds like a plan to me!   Olé  :)

  

Mrs. Patmore's London Particular ~ Yellow Split Pea Soup ~ from The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook

For my birthday, my hubby gave me a copy of ~ The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook.  I love this cookbook!  It's a fun read and the recipes all sound so tempting.  Even though it's almost the middle of May, it's still rather cold, gray and dreary around here much of the time, so I decided to try making a warming soup to make our day a little more comforting.  (besides, soon enough it will be 100+ degrees outside, so might as well make some soup while I can :)  Mrs. Patmore's London Particular (Yellow Split Pea Soup) recipe caught my eye ~ and I already had all the ingredients to make it...so I did.

 

These are some of the tweaks I made to the original recipe...  I used some leftover ham that was in the freezer instead of boiling a ham hock; I just used a little olive oil to saute the onions in (instead of the 1/2 cup of butter the recipe calls for); I added chopped celery to the soup while cooking; I didn't puree the soup, just smashed it with the potato masher ~ because we like our split pea soup more on the 'rustic side' (and pureeing makes it look too much like baby food for our liking); AND I used yellow split peas instead of the green split peas called for.  "Why?" you might ask...

Well, calling for green split peas as the main ingredient had me scratching my head, because later in the book, when they give the recipe for a traditional green split  pea soup, they mention using yellow split peas if you want to make a version called ~ London Particular (yellow ~ that's what makes it L.P.)  I have no idea why they don't call for yellow split peas in this recipe of Mrs. Patmore's...I'm blaming the cookbook's copy editors.  It's a sloppy (or should I say soupy :) error.  Those copy editors must not be real foodies (or Downton Abbey fans) who actually read the witty banter before and after the recipes in this cookbok.  It's those little details that can really make or break a recipe.  In this case not taste wise ~ but color wise.  Read the little story before this recipe and you'll see why Matthew would probably be fond of it.  (I think I'd be good at a cookbook copy editing job...  Where do I sign up?  teehee)   

Give the soup a try and you'll see why everyone at Downton Abbey thinks Mrs. Patmore is such an excellent cook!  ;)

Brown Sugar Ham & 15 Bean Chili Soup

Lately, I've been trying to use up fridge leftovers and older things that have been hanging out in my pantry.  (it's all a by-product of tearing up my house while getting new flooring in the kitchen-side of the house)  This time I used the big, leftover brown sugar ham bone/meat from Easter and combined it with a bag of Hurst Beans 15 Bean Chili Soup. 

I made it off the cuff, throwing in this and that.  I added a can of V8 juice, and when the beans were almost done I added some cubed sweet potatoes, onions, a little liquid smoke and a few other leftover veggie bin rejects.  I also added the brown sugar glaze 'jelly' that was remaining in the ham container.  The whole thing had an addicting flavor, similar to baked beans, but with a lot more depth.  Roy and I couldn't get enough of the stuff.  Too bad I won't be able to make it again and get the same flavor.  That's the beauty and the curse of making a ~ Clean Out the Fridge Soup ~ you never really know what you are going to get...and this time the soup was a definite two-thumbs up!  :)

 

Roy's Deluxe Tomato Soup

We all enjoy Roy's Deluxe Tomato Soup, especially when it's cold outside.  Add a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, and life doesn't get much better.  Roy likes to doctor up a basic can of condensed tomato soup by adding a can of diced stewed tomatoes to it.  He'll use the canned juice from the stewed tomatoes to replace some of the water called for.  (he always adds less water, since he likes his soups thicker)  When I make it, I like to use fire roasted tomatoes and some dried basil, for another layer of flavor.  How do you like your tomato soup?

Irish Colcannon Soup

I made this Irish Colcannon Soup on the fly, using the classic Irish potato and cabbage/kale side dish ~ colcannon ~ as my inspiration.  I started out with the traditional Irish recipe ingredients, but, then I spun the potato, kale, leek and ham into a soup version.  I simmered it all for about 45 minutes, long enough for the kale and leeks to became so soft that they melted into the broth.  The resulting soup turned out rich and thick, chunky yet creamy and all without adding any butter or cream, so it's low fat to-boot.  Yippee!

I always like to tinker with familiar Irish dishes around St. Patrick's Day, it's like having a little bit of Ireland in my kitchen.  Enjoy!  :)

Irish Colcannon Soup
serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups large diced potatoes, peeled
• 1 cup thin sliced leeks
• 1 cup diced cooked ham
• 1/2 bunch steamed kale, with stems removed, finely chopped ((steam for 5-10 minutes before adding to the recipe to help pre-soften kale ~ optional ~ OR just toss in chopped raw kale))
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• dash liquid smoke (optional)
• dash hot pepper sauce (optional)
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Place first 7 ingredients (chicken broth - onion powder) in a large pot. (if you're using raw kale, it might not dissolve as much as my precooked kale did)  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes/kale are super tender, about 30 minutes.  Add the nutmeg, liquid smoke, hot sauce and simmer for another 10 - 15 minutes.  ***((If you want it thicker, simmer a bit longer.  If you want it thinner, add a little more broth.  If you want the kale firmer, cook it a bit less.  If you want the kale melting into the soup, cook it a bit more.  It's easy to adjust the soup to get the texture just the way you want it. ))  Before serving, add salt/pepper to taste.  Enjoy! 

Hearty Ham & 15 Bean Soup with Oat Bran Muffins

I'm a HUGE fan of Hurst Beans.  Every pot of bean soup that I've made with their dried beans has always turned out great.  I'm really fond of their multi-bean soup mixes.  If I have any leftover ham in the fridge or freezer, especially if it's still on the bone, it makes for a soup that is always flavorful and delicious.

For this pot of ~ Hearty Ham and 15 Bean Soup ~ I used the Original 15 Bean Soup mix and a frozen ham bone, that was leftover from Thanksgiving.  I just followed the recipe on the back of the bag and I served it with the Oat Bran Muffins I posted about a little while back.  What a satisfying meal.  If you can find them where you live, I'd highly recommend you give them a try.  I think you'll love them as much as we do.  :)

 

Vegetarian Goulash Soup ~ Meatless Monday

Vegetarian Goulash Soup ~  Where's the beef?  ~  A full flavored, meatless spin of the classic Hungarian dish.  Using TVP 'beef' chunks (& a little liquid smoke) gives this soup the look and taste of a traditional beef goulash ~ but without the meat.  Perfect for your Meatless Monday!

I'm a huge fan of all the different varieties of Paprika ~ hot, sweet, smoked, Spanish, Hungarian, Californian ~ you name it, I love 'em all.   I thought a Hungarian goulash recipe would be a good way to showcase this most vibrantly colored, yet subtle or boldly flavored spice.   I looked around the net & through some of my old cookbooks and ended up taking some of this and a bit of that.  This recipe is more of a soup than a stew, so, I'm calling it ~ Vegetarian Goulash Soup.