Sweet sweet potato soup

Thanks to the farmer's market this past weekend, we had lovely soup, which was awesome on this rainy rainy evening.

2 sweet potatoes, quartered & baked
1 apple, cored, peeled and baked
garlic cloves, peeled and roasted
olive oil
onion
celery
carrots
lemon
garam masala
cumin
vegetable broth
mint (courtesy of our yard)

Roast potatoes, apple, and garlic at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Allow potatoes to cool & remove skins. Simmer veg broth, onions, olive oil, celery, and carrots in a big pot. Blend potatoes, apple, garlic, and a bit of broth in a food processor. Add to soup pot. Add spices. Bring to boil. Add lemon zest. Add sprig of mint for garnish.

Sag Dal

Or Dal Sag? This was inspired by the recipe here
using Toor Dal and spinach instead of amaranth. Didn't have any chili peppers around so threw in some tomatoes and curried cashews.

Chocolate Mousse Pie

Between baking cookies for my students and making this pie for a Belle Brunch over the weekend, there has been a lot of chocolate in our house lately. Who said there's no such thing as a fat vegan?

This pie is our standard party hit. It takes:
1 block of silky soft tofu
1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (check ingredients to make sure there's no whey in them)
1 dollop of maple syrup
1 graham cracker crust (if buying a pre-made one, check to make sure it's without honey)

This recipe's all in the timing. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave while blending the soft tofu 'til smooth in a blender. Quickly add melted chips to blender and blend before they cool (otherwise they'll harden and you'll get lumpy pie...or a broken blender). Add a dollop of maple syrup (Grade B for higher nutritional value) and blend some more. Pour into pie crust. Bake for 5 minutes at 325. Put in the 'fridge or freezer to cool for hours before serving. It should have a chocolate mousse or cheesecake consistency when done. Add your favorite fruit or nuts to the top. Amaze your friends and family. Don't tell them there's tofu in it until they ask you for the recipe--many people are prejudiced against tofu & have no idea it can taste this good.

brownies

Duncan Hines Chocolate Lovers' Walnut brownie mix is vegan! It calls for egg and milk to be added, but we used Egg Replacer & soymilk. The frosting is vegan, too. (Most frosting is just sugar & oil).

Lentil Salad

Trying to eat a salad each day. Black beluga lentils from Trader Joe's. (They're warm.) Produce from various places. Dried wasabi peas from the Asian market. Cute tile bowls from the Pampered Chef, courtesy of Maggie.

south Indian in the South

We got to go to Woodlands Pure Vegetarian Indian Restaurant in Charlotte this past weekend. The buffet & masala dosas can't be beat.