Help! My Spouse is a Carnivore!

[Annchen]

Roasting the veggies for vegetable soup makes all the difference! I like making vegetable soup and then blending it to get a nice smooth texture, but hubby thinks it's kind of bland. But since I started roasting some of the veggies he's starting to admit that the soup is good

I've made a couple different versions. I roast some of the veggies in the oven while I prepare a thin vegetable soup on the stovetop (usually potato, some kind of onion or leek and perhaps a bit of carrot + vegetable stock). I fry up the onions and vegetables in the pan, season a bit and then add water and 1-2 stock cubes. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer until the vegetables are cooked. The soup should look a bit thin.

I've roasted sweet potatoes, garlic and potato, but butternut squash sounds delicious too. Don't bother peeling the veggies before roasting, just make sure they are clean and cut into smaller pieces. If I use a bulb of garlic I just cut off the top and pour some olive oil over it, if I want less garlic I put as many cloves as I want on the baking tray (not peeled!). I use olive oil and whatever seasoning I feel like. Bake until soft and then let everything cool a little bit. When the veggies are roasted it's easy to peel them. I usually peel and put the garlic in its own little bowl since I might not want to add all of it to the soup.

I use a hand blender and start blending the soup in the pan, adding the roasted veggies and some of the roasted garlic. If it's too thick I add more water and stock. When it's all smooth I taste to see if it needs more garlic or more seasoning. The first batch I made was a bit garlic heavy, so I don't dump it all in at once anymore

I guess you could roast all the veggies and just blend them with stock, but my oven is not big enough for huge batches of roasted veggies so I use the thin potato soup base to make sure I get a lot of soup, and just use the roasted veggies for flavour.

[mrraawwr]

Roasting the veggies for vegetable soup makes all the difference! I like making vegetable soup and then blending it to get a nice smooth texture, but hubby thinks it's kind of bland. But since I started roasting some of the veggies he's starting to admit that the soup is good

I've made a couple different versions. I roast some of the veggies in the oven while I prepare a thin vegetable soup on the stovetop (usually potato, some kind of onion or leek and perhaps a bit of carrot + vegetable stock). I fry up the onions and vegetables in the pan, season a bit and then add water and 1-2 stock cubes. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer until the vegetables are cooked. The soup should look a bit thin.

I've roasted sweet potatoes, garlic and potato, but butternut squash sounds delicious too. Don't bother peeling the veggies before roasting, just make sure they are clean and cut into smaller pieces. If I use a bulb of garlic I just cut off the top and pour some olive oil over it, if I want less garlic I put as many cloves as I want on the baking tray (not peeled!). I use olive oil and whatever seasoning I feel like. Bake until soft and then let everything cool a little bit. When the veggies are roasted it's easy to peel them. I usually peel and put the garlic in its own little bowl since I might not want to add all of it to the soup.

I use a hand blender and start blending the soup in the pan, adding the roasted veggies and some of the roasted garlic. If it's too thick I add more water and stock. When it's all smooth I taste to see if it needs more garlic or more seasoning. The first batch I made was a bit garlic heavy, so I don't dump it all in at once anymore

I guess you could roast all the veggies and just blend them with stock, but my oven is not big enough for huge batches of roasted veggies so I use the thin potato soup base to make sure I get a lot of soup, and just use the roasted veggies for flavour.

That sounds delicious, although... can there ever be too much garlic? I think not!

[Annchen]

Then you'll love roasting garlic! I sometimes tuck a sprig of rosemary in the garlic bulb. You can just squeeze out the roasted cloves and eat them as they are if you're a garlic lover. I've used them for a lot of things. Baked potato + butter + roasted garlic was really good.

[mrraawwr]

Then you'll love roasting garlic! I sometimes tuck a sprig of rosemary in the garlic bulb. You can just squeeze out the roasted cloves and eat them as they are if you're a garlic lover. I've used them for a lot of things. Baked potato + butter + roasted garlic was really good.

Stop it! You're making me drool! 

[Abbeeroad]

I made a modified version of this lentil tacos recipe last night:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/tasty-lentil-tacos-2/

It was pretty good and the hubs ate it without complaint!

Have you tried anything new lately, Lime?

[LimeRiot]

That looks good, Abbeeroad. Tacos are always a hit here. What kind of modifications did you make?

I've been cooking a lot of veggie meals lately! Here are a few of the recipes that have been a hit with both the veg and meat lovers around here .

Cheesy Spinach Baked Penne - I used ricotta instead of cottage cheese
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cheesy-spinach-baked-penne-recipe/index.html

Kung Pao Sliders - the slaw is so yummy and so is the tofu. I also had pre cooked bbq pork available for my hubby and friend so they could mix and match.
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/kung-pao-sliders/

Vegetarian Gumbo - basically a vegetable stew but really hearty and filling
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/vegetarian-gumbo/

Crispy Chipotle Bean Burritos - these are fun because they are made with phyllo dough!
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/crispy-chipotle-bean-burritos/

[Abbeeroad]

ooo...the sliders and the burritos sound delicious! I have a friend who swears by dry frying tofu before marinating.  But I have yet to try. I'm not sure what the advantage is. The penne sounds good, but spinach is hit of miss for us, as too much makes both of us gag, lol.

For the lentil tacos, I used enchilada sauce instead of broth because it was what I had and left out the taco seasoning (it was already in the sauce).

I'm trying this recipe tonight: http://www.cookincanuck.com/2011/11/cannellini-bean-vegetarian-meatballs-with-tomato-sauce-recipe/

We'll see how it goes!

[mrraawwr]

I'm making this Swedish dish called "cabbage pudding". It's basically cabbage and red lentils (normally minced meat) in an oven form. And then i serve it with potatoes and my go-to-gravy: cream, lingonberries and "messmör" (a kind of butter made from whey...). It may sound weird, but it's delicious! The lingonberries add a fruity acidity and the messmör makes it sweeter. Nomnom!

Here's a recipe. But if anyone wants mine I can write it down later
http://tummyrumble.hultberg.org/2010/07/cabbage-pudding-classic-swedish-dish.html

[jennieingram]

I have a friend who swears by dry frying tofu before marinating.  But I have yet to try. I'm not sure what the advantage is.

I always dry my tofu first.  I dry it on a clean tea towel or paper towels.  Since it's kind of like a sponge, I dry it so that it can absorb more of the marinade.  

If I'm cooking it in a pan, and want it to get crispy though, (without any sort of marinade), I actually pour off the water it comes in, they soak it in warm salted water for about 20-30 mins., THEN dry it and cook it up in our cast iron skillet.  It comes out all crispy and delicious.  Check out this web page about it:  http://herbivoracious.com/2012/05/how-to-make-tofu-really-freaking-delicious-tofu-101.html  

[Abbeeroad]

I have a friend who swears by dry frying tofu before marinating.  But I have yet to try. I'm not sure what the advantage is.

I always dry my tofu first.  I dry it on a clean tea towel or paper towels.  Since it's kind of like a sponge, I dry it so that it can absorb more of the marinade. 

If I'm cooking it in a pan, and want it to get crispy though, (without any sort of marinade), I actually pour off the water it comes in, they soak it in warm salted water for about 20-30 mins., THEN dry it and cook it up in our cast iron skillet.  It comes out all crispy and delicious.  Check out this web page about it:  http://herbivoracious.com/2012/05/how-to-make-tofu-really-freaking-delicious-tofu-101.html 

Awesome. I have yet to cook tofu on my own, but I order it out frequently. I LOVE it crispy and had no idea how to do it at home. Will be trying this for sure. Thanks jennie!!