Vegtable Tahini Soup

I made this soup like three days ago but was terrified that I'd be unable to photograph it. You see, I came very close to destroying my cheap digital camera in The Great Purse Spill of Last Wednesday. Ladies, make sure your water bottle cap is screwed on tight if you put it in your purse.

Oh, and my inspiration for this recipe came from here.

Ingredients:
3 large tomatoes, quartered
2-3 handfuls baby carrots
1 large red onion
1/3 cup tahini
6 cloves garlic
2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. dried chili flakes
2-3 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
The juice of one lemon
Water, if needed
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Saute your onions in olive oil. Add tomatoes and carrots. Add bay leaves, cumin seeds, chili flakes and turmeric. Pressure cook for one whistle or simmer until all is soft. Add garlic and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and water. Put this mix in a blender with the tahini and mix well.

Healthy and delicious.

Coconut Curry

I'll be honest. This isn't the most authentic tasting curry I've ever made. Still, it's pretty damn good. Basically, this was intended to be Coconut Green Curry, but ended up being a semi-Americanized curry of sorts. I blame the lack of authentic ingredients on Minnesota winter. Thai basil is nowhere to be found, and lemongrass is a long drive away. Whatever, I supplemented with actual lemon and some Indian curry leaves.

The good: This recipe was very tasty and completely vegan. The red potatoes were also perfect, because they were small and tender and cooked fast. The bad: A little too much starch. Potato plus rice equals a lot of starch and no protein...

Ingredients:
1 16 oz can of coconut milk
5-6 green chillies
8-10 curry leaves
1/2 large white onion, chopped
10-15 baby carrots, sliced
1/2 bag frozen peas (standard sized bag...)
1 small red bell pepper, sliced thin
7 small red potatoes, quartered
1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 tablespoon Thai curry paste, green or red, store bought or homemade.
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon sugar (if desired)

Saute your onions until translucent. Add chillies, curry leaves and coriander seeds. Saute for another two minutes and reduce heat. Add ginger-garlic paste, curry paste and coconut milk. Mix well. Add carrots, peas, potatoes and red bell pepper. Simmer at a low heat.


Add turmeric, chili powder, peanut butter and lemon juice. Taste and add salt and/or sugar to taste. Once the vegetables are done (15-20 minutes), add the cilantro and cook until it's just a little soft. Remove from heat and serve with long grain rice (such as basmati).