Thai Coconut Soup Rice

Many moons ago, I went to my local supermarket and perused the Amy's soups section, as I normally do. I picked up my usual favorites: No Chicken Noodle, Minestrone, and Vegetable Barley. Then my eyes stopped on the soup to end all soups, Thai Coconut. I had to have it. I love Thai flavors, I love coconut, I knew this was going to be a party in my mouth.

I bought 4 cans, and made one for dinner that night. I sadly wasn't SOUPer blown away by this (badum chh). I liked the Thai flavors, but it was sadly lacking. This soup watery was full of broth, and not too much else. I like soups that are hardy, and while I loved the Thai basil, bits of tofu, and veggies, it just wasn't enough.

I actually had photos from the first time I tried this soup saved in a folder on my computer for a future blog post for ages. But the more i thought about it, the more I didn't wan't to share a food that I wasn't pleased with. After all, this blog is about food I like to eat.

Even though I wasn't a fan, I didn't want the soup to go to waste, so I slowly made my way through the stock I had picked up on the first day I got it. One day, all the parts of my brain decided to work together. A number of times Ben and I have used soup broth to make rice, in addition to water. Thai Coconut Soup Rice was born!



What you need:



1 can of Amy's Thai Coconut Soup
1.5 cup of rice, dry

What do to:
Measure out the rice, and pour it into a medium pot.
Pour the soup into a measuring cup.
Using a fork, fish out the solid pieces in the soup, and scoop them into a small bowl, leaving the soup broth in the measuring cup.



There should be about a cup of broth left.



Pour the 1 cup of soup broth in with the rice, then pour in an additional 2 cups of water.
Stir the rice, broth, and water together, cover the pot, then bring to a boil.
Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down to low, and let simmer for 16 minutes.
DO NOT remove the lit until the end of the 15 minutes.
Once the rice is fully cooked, stir in the reserved soup veggies. Serve hot.









The perfection of this rice is that all the ingredients are already in the soup, so you don't need to add anything else! I loved the light, coconut flavor, the sweet and tasty veggies, and, of course, the Thai basil. The rice was nice and creamy, and had a built-in protein: the tofu from the soup! This would be great as a side, or a meal on its own. Oh, and its vegan too!

What other soups should I try to make rice? Will you try this Thai Coconut Soup Rice?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Easy Miso Soup

I have loved miso soup ever since I first tried it, and I remember that first.  When I was in high school my mom found a brand of vegetarian instant soups in the supermarket, and I lived on those.  They made all different flavors, and one was miso. I remember how much I loved it, and how happy I was that it was vegetarian.

I started ordering miso soup from Sushi restaurants left and right. They all seemed to taste a little different, so I decided to see what really went into miso. From what I gathered, miso itself is made from fermented soy beans. When miso soup is made it can be made with just miso and water, or it can also have fish stock.  That must have been the culprit of the unusual taste in the different soups.

That meant I sad had to cut miso soup from my diet, since you never know how restaurants make it. I figured that was that. Then Ben found a really easy miso soup recipe. It was completely vegan and looked easy to make. We pick up some miso paste and Ben made his soup...and it was SO GOOD! After stealing a ton of spoonfuls, I knew I had to make it myself.



What you need:



4 tablespoons of miso paste
1 lb of tofu, diced
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
dried seaweed, crumbled
6 cups of water

What to do:
Heat the water in a medium pot, until boiling.
Once water is boiling remove from heat.
Add the onions, crumbled seaweed, and tofu to the boiling water.



Scoop out a tablespoon of miso, and put the spoonful in the water. While the spoon is in the water, using a fork or chopstick, slowly dissolve the miso into the water.
Repeat 3 more times.
Serve with a few dashes of soy sauce.











This miso soup was amazing! It was so authentic with the perfect Asian flavors. The tofu was nice and soft, and added an element of protein. The onions were crunchy, and added depth to the flavor or the soup. The flavor of the seaweed gave this soup that fishy element that in other soups comes from the fish stock. A splash of soy sauce was the perfect finishing touch. It added that last bit of saltiness that was needed to complete the soup.

Do you love miso soup too? Will you try making your own easy miso soup?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Veggie Packed Minestrone

I have tried a number of canned soups, which are always warm, healthy, and comforting in the winter (or any time of year). Every time I review a canned soup, someone always tells me to try cooking it myself. I recently made corn and potato chowder, and was super happy with the result. One of my favorite soups is minestrone. While I love Amy's soups, I knew it was time to try my own!



Inspired by All Recipes.

What you need:



4 small (or 2 medium) potatoes, pealed and chopped
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
5 cups of veggie broth
1 can of green beans
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 can of chick peas
about a 1/2 lb of carrots, pealed and chopped
oil for cooking
your favorite Italian spices to taste (I used basil and oregano)
pepper and celery salt to taste

What to do:
Heat oil over medium head in a large pot.
Saute onion, pepper, celery salt, and Italian seasonings for about 5 minutes.
Stir in canned tomatoes (with juice), chick peas, green beans, carrots and garlic.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft, about 30 minutes.











I was really excited when I had noticed, again, that I made a completely vegan dish...until I added a side of cheesy garlic toast.



I was so pleased with this perfect blend of Italian flavors and tomato. I loved the bite of protein that the chickpeas added, it was almost meaty. The green beans and carrots gave this soup a great veggie packed flavor. The potatoes were nice and soft, and filled with the flavor of the soup. All the veggies made this soup so colorful and beautiful. This soup was so comforting. I'd call it Italian with a twist!

What is your favorite soup? Will your try out this minestrone?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Spicy Lentils with Veggies

I have mentioned around here a few times that I have been trying to make better food choices. Cheese is probably my weakness, along with other dairy foods. I have been doing lots of thinking about my egg and dairy intake. While I would love to be able to be a vegan, I am just too weak. I tried vegan Mondays, but that failed too. I started making conscious choices to cut down all animal products; no eggs in my fried rice, no cheese on my veggie burger.

Eventually, these choices weren't conscious anymore. I found that so many times I would be halfway through a meal that I cooked, and realize that it is completely vegan! Now that I am supporting myself, I am cooking more and ordering take out less, which made it a lot easier to cut out dairy. I used to rely on bagels and pizza when I was living in New York. I guess one TINY good thing about being away from home is that I am away from the most tempting of dairy products.

I have seen lots of "one-pot" meals, but it was only as I was cooking this that I even realized this meal was vegan! I love that making the right food choices has become so instinctual.



Inspired by Eat Live Run.

What you need:



2 cups of lentils
2 bunches of kale
2 sweet potatoes
2 cups of chopped carrots
2 serrano peppers
4 cups of vegetable broth
3-4 cloves of garlic
salt/celery salt to taste
oil for cooking

What to do:
Chop up the kale, serrano peppers, garlic, and peal and chop the sweet potatoes.
Heat the oil in a large pot and add the carrots and sweet potatoes. Cook until softened.
Next, add in the garlic and kale, until the kale starts to wilt.
Add in the peppers, lentils, salt, celery salt, and vegetable broth.



Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer, until the lentils are soft and the water has been absorbed.
Serve hot.











These lentils were chewy and hardy. I was nervous that the pepper would be too spicy, but it added the perfect amount of heat. The sweet potatoes and carrots were nice and soft, and added an element of sweetness. The kale was mild, and the veggie broth and celery salt added lots of different flavors. This ended up tasting just like how I would have described my grandma's cooking: comforting and healthy!

How easy is it for you to eat vegan? Will you try this one pot lentil meal?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

ToFish & Chips

I have featured many different nationalities of food on this blog. You have seen Greek, Chinese, Italian, and even Mexican, but there is one country that this blog has never been too, until now. I have always loved England, I mean who doesn't? They make lots of different foods across the pond, but the one that comes to might right away is the classic fish and chips.  Fish and chips are so popular, it is even a common bar food in the states. I have mentioned that my biggest goal as a vegetarian is to re-create meat dishes. I have also mentioned that I have never found a decent vegetarian fish substitute. I guess that meant it was time to get creative.



What you need:



1 package of tofu
2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

As you can see, I strayed away from the traditional battered and fried fish, and opted to go more towards a lemony and baked fish. This meal is already non-traditional using tofu, so I thought it was OK to bend the rules a bit.

What to do:
Drain and slice the tofu, then press for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine Old Bay, garlic, salt if desired, and pepper in a small bowl.



Coat all pieces of tofu with the spice mixture, and lay out on a baking sheet.
Drizzle the tofu with the lemon juice.



Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, flipping the tofu halfway through.
Serve hot, with a side of french fries.







Of course, I had to enjoy this meal in true British style, with some vinegar on my chips!



The tofu had a firm, but flaky texture, and being naturally mild, it definitely let the flavors in the Old Bay shine. There was a nice bite from the garlic, a tang from the lemon, and saltiness just as you would expect fish to have. The tofu itself wasn't very fishy, but incorporated the flavors normally eaten with seafood. It was fun trying out something new, and nice to make a tofu dish inspired by foods from a different country.

Have you tried to make your own version of fish and chips?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Couscous

Happy 2014!!! The New Year is always a fun time, filled with reflection and hope for what's to come. However, this New Years feel a little bit different to me.

14 years ago, the number 14 became my lucky number (my online name is LittleMonsterx14 for a reason!). When I turned 14, my mom told me that it would be my lucky year. We now entered the year 2014, and I can just feel that its going to be something special. I don't know why, or what will happen, but the year '14 is going to be a special one. I am so excited to see what the year brings, and to fully enjoy all the things the number 14 will bring me!

I have always been intimidated by Brussels sprouts. They smell funny, look funny, and everyone always says how they taste bad.  Why would anyone want to eat a food like that? Well, over the summer my dad ordered some Brussels sprouts at a restarunt, I tried a bite and they were delisious!  I decided it was time to investigate them a little more.  Over Thanksgving, I tried a roasted sprout, and I liked it. The final test was to try cooking them myself.  Last week they went on sale, and I knew it was the veggie gods telling me it was time.



What you need:



1 large bag of Brussels sprouts
1 box of plain couscous
olive oil
onion powder
celery salt
parsley
garlic powder
salt and pepper
lemon juice

What to do:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
While oven is heating, cut the sprouts in half.
Put the Brussels sprouts in a large bowl and mix in salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.
Mix in enough olive oil to evenly coat everything.



Spread the Brussels sprouts evenly on a baking sheet, and bake for 35 minutes, flipping every 5-10 minutes.
Once the sprouts are nearly done, cook the couscous according to the directions on the box. The box only says to add olive oil and salt, but I decided to add a few other spices to give it some extra flavor.
Serve everything together!











After trying Brussels sprouts for the third time I have officially jumped on the sprout train! They were crispy on the outside and crunchy on the inside.  They had a bit of tang from the lemon, some spice from the pepper, and the perfect amount of saltiness. The Brussels sprouts themselves had a really nice fresh veggie taste with that roasted flavor. The couscous was super fluffy with a nice array of different spices. This meal was surprisingly comforting, and super delicious. Hooray for Brussels sprouts!

Do you love Brussles sprouts as much as I do? Will you be trying them out this new year?

Bye from the Veggie Side.

Spicy Asian Pasta

I just want to start off by apologizing for my surprise absence.  While the holiday time isn't the biggest deal to me, it does come with lots of extra work at my job, which means long hours.  Working so hard, plus a trip up to see Ben's family, I didn't have much time to blog. While I'm still super busy, I was really happy I finally found the time to sit down and write a blog post.

Even though it's not the best food for you, I just love pasta. Its delicious, filling, and easy to make it into a great vegetarian meal. I am always looking for pasta recipes to add to my collection.  When I don't know what to make with my pasta, I go with the standard garlic and oil sauce, but I was looking for something a little different. I found THIS spicy pasta with broccoli recipe and decided to give it a go.



Adapted from Recipe Treasure.

What you need:



1 lb box of pasta
2 head of broccoli, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of olive oil (some to cook the broccoli, and some to coat the pasta)
1.5 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes

What to do:
Cook pasta according to directions on the box.
While pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic and red pepper flakes.
Once the broccoli is golden, add the broccoli and salt.
Saute until the broccoli is fully cooked and starting to soften.
Drain the pasta, and mix in the broccoli.
Mix in the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce, serve hot, or chill.











If you like spicy, then this pasta is for you. It is packed with lots of heat!  There was a bit of Asian inspired flavors from the soy sauce, a hint of tang from the vinegar, and lots of tasty garlic flavor. It definitely was unique, but it was really delicious!

What is your favorite pasta meal? Have you ever tried an Asian style pasta?

Bye from the Veggie Side!