Peas and Pasta Soup

This recipe (a spin on an Italian soup with peas and pancetta) is fairly simple in that it does not have a lot of ingredients, and so its success relies on making sure those ingredients are top quality.  Making your own veggie stock is ideal, and making your own pasta is essential unless you are lucky enough to live in a place that sells eggless fresh pasta.  The key to the pasta is making a firm dough and giving the noodles some time to dry before they go into the broth.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 cup finely chopped firm or extra firm tofu
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ketchup
- 1/4 tsp liquid smoke

- 2 tbsp margarine
- 1 onion, small dice
- 3 cups peas, frozen or fresh
- 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 8 cups vegetable stock
- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 recipe fresh pasta, rolled out to #4, cut into wide strips

METHOD
1. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan over med-hi heat.  Add tofu and fry, stirring regularly, until golden brown on all sides.  Add salt, ketchup, and liquid smoke and mix well.  Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat margarine in a stock pot over medium heat.  Sauté onion for 5-7 mins, until softened.
3. Add peas, parsley, and stock.  Bring to boil over high heat.  Add pasta and tofu and cook until paste is tender.  Season to taste and serve.

Easy Mexican Red Rice

Great on its own, as a side, or in a burrito.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 dried red chile, deseeded (I used a New Mexico chile)
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (juice and all)
- 1.5 cups long grain rice (I used basmati), rinsed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup frozen peas

METHOD
1. Slit open chile and deseed, then soak in a bowl of hot water for about 5 mins.  Save the soaking water.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then sauté onion and garlic for 5-7 mins, until translucent but not browned.
3. While onions are cooking, blend the soaked chile (but not the soaking water) into the tomatoes (I use an immersion blender in a juice pitcher, but a blender or food processor would also work).  Blend until smooth.
4. Add rice to onions and stir to coat with oil.  Cook for 2 mins then add the tomato mixture.  Mix well.
5.  Bring to bubbling, then reduce to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 mins, or until rice is almost cooked.  If rice gets too dry, add some of the soaking liquid.

6.  Add peas to the rise, mix well, then cover and cook for 5 mins.  Fluff rice and serve.

Ethiopian Potatoes and Peas with Split Pea Puree

This is really just an Ethiopian vegetable stew repackaged a different way that photographs well and would make for a nice dish at a dinner party. You can eat this with a fork or spoon, or scoop it up with traditional injera. If you are using injera, make sure the potatoes are cut small enough to be picked up with your fingers.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup yellow split peas, rinsed
- 3 cups water
- 1.5 lbs small red potatoes
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 sweet onions, halved and sliced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp tumeric
- berbere to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tomato, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- water as needed
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- pinch of allspice and cloves
- 2 cups peas, fresh or frozen
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- parsley, to garnish

METHOD
1. Boil the 3 cups of water and get the split peas cooking. Simmer, covered, until very soft and breaking apart.
2. While split peas are cooking, parboil the potatoes, whole, for about 10 mins until tender but still firm. Rise with cold water and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Saute onions for 15 mins, until golden brown. Add pepper, garlic, ginger and spices and cook for 5-8 mins more, until onions are a deep brown. Add tomatoes and bring to bubbling.
4. Drain split peas in a fine sieve and add to the onion mixture. Add tomato paste and mix well. Blend until smooth in a blender or food processor, adding water as needed and adjust seasonings as taste. The mixture should be pourable but not runny. Set aside.
5. Heat margarine in a frying pan over medium heat. Cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces and fry until golden. Add add spices and fry for 2 mins. Add peas, paste, and water and mix well. Let bubble until peas are cooked and mixture has thickened.
6. To serve: pour some lentil mixture into a shallow bowl. Top with some potato mixture and garnish with chopped parsley.

Curried Potato Salad

Perhaps its my partial Irish ancestry but I love potatoes. I also love potato salad, but it can be a bit bland and boring after a few picnics. Curry powder and some peas spice up this version, and you can leave the mayo behind of you like. It tastes great both warm and cold.

INGREDIENTS
- 6-8 small potatoes
- 1/2 small onion, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tbsp oil (or use some vegan mayo)
- 1 tsp curry powder (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup thawed frozen peas, or cooked fresh peas
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

METHOD
1. Boil potatoes until tender. Rinse under cold water for a few mins, then cut into chunks. While still warm, toss in the rest of the ingredients. Serve warm or cold.

Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera sounds soooo much better than what this actually is: Clean out the Fridge Pasta. I used to hate pasta primavera because back when I was a vegetarian it seemed to be the only thing available when I went out to eat (kind of like the way I feel about salad and grilled veggies now that I am a vegan). Hmm. That tells you how long ago I was a vegetarian; I actually had the time and money to out to a restaurant. Anyway, despite Son #1's protests about the presence of mushrooms, this dish went over very well. It's not overly saucy, so increase the flour and soy milk if you want more.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6

- 300g capellini, cooked

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 onion, diced

- 1 red pepper, seeded and diced

- 1 large carrot, cut into thin sticks

- 8oz sliced mushrooms

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 cups frozen peas, thawed

- generous tbsp of flour

- 1 1/2 to 2 cups soy milk

- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Saute onions for 3 mins, until beginning to soften. Add red pepper and carrot and saute for 5 -7 mins, until carrots are starting to get tender. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook until mushrooms have released their water.

2. Add peas and heat through. Sprinkle flour over veggies and mix well. Add 1 1/2 cups of soy milk and nutritional yeast and bring to bubbling. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Drain pasta and return to the pot over medium heat. Pour sauce over top and mix well. Add more soy milk if pasta is too dry.

Orzo Risotto

I was really in the mood for a risotto but didn't have a single grain of arborio rice in the house. I did, however, have a bag of orzo pasta. Since it looks an awful lot like rice, I thought it would make a good substitute.

INGREDIENTS

- 5 cups salted water

- 1 1/2 cup orzo pasta

- 2 tbsp margarine

- 1/2 cup white wine

- 1/2 cup hot vegetable broth (or more)

- 1 cup frozen peas

- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Get the salted water boiling in a pot. Add pasta and cook for 4-5 mins, until pasta is softened but still has plenty of bite. Drain and set aside.

2. Melt margarine in a pan over medium heat. Add pasta and mix well, coating each piece of pasta. Add half of the wine, stirring constantly until absorbed. Repeat with remaining wine.

3. Add enough hot broth, a bit at a time, stirring regularly, until pasta is al dente. Add peas, yeast, parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Mix well, and cook until peas are done. Serve.

Mattar Tofu Paneer

Did I ever mention that one reason I became vegan was because I hated cheese? No? That's because I loved cheese. I especially loved Indian paneer, and I often made my own. But, that was back when I suckled at the teat of death (as Isa would say, ha ha). Mattar paneer is one of my favourite dishes, and this version uses pressed tofu in place of paneer.

INGREDIENTS

For the paneer

- 1 pkg firm or extra firm tofu, sliced in half horizontally, and pressed under a fairly heavy weight for at least 30 mins, then cubed

- 3 tbsp soy milk

- 1 tbsp plain soy yogurt

- 1 tbsp water

- 1/2 tsp miso

- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, finely ground

METHOD

1. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Whisk together wet ingredients in a small bowl, making sure miso dissolves. Add tofu to frying pan and spray lightly with oil. Fry for about 10 mins, turning regularly, until all sides are golden.

2. Add miso mixture to pan and mix well. Allow liquid to absorb/evaporate (will happen fairly quickly), then remove tofu from pan.

INGREDIENTS

For the curry

- 1 tbsp margarine

- 1 onion, halved and sliced

- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

- 1" piece of ginger, minced

- 1 tsp tumeric

- 1 tsp garam masala

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp chili powder

- 2 cups frozen peas

- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (or 3-4 fresh tomatoes)

- tofu paneer

- 1/2 cup plain soy milk

- 1 tsp lemon juice

METHOD

1. Heat frying pan over medium heat. Melt butter and fry onions, cilantro, and ginger for 5 mins. Add spices and fry for 2 mins.

2. Add peas and tomatoes (with juices) and cook for 5 mins. Add paneer, soymilk, and lemon juice. Bring to bubbling and let simmer for 10 mins. Remove from heat and serve.