Soup!

I really, really like making soup. Especially when it is chilly outside. I like making huge pots of soup and freezing some to eat at a later date, or having people over and feeding them warm, nutritious, delicious, soup. Winter is great, I don't care what anyone says about the weather, it makes me want soup and I am down with that.

I made two tasty soups this week from these good vegan cookbooks I have by the same person--Sarah Kramer. I have "The Garden of Vegan" and "La Dolce Vegan!" and have made a lot of things that turned out really well from them.

The first soup is called garden carrot soup with fresh ginger, and it was light, but filling, and had really amazing layers of flavor. I sautéed carrots and leeks in sesame oil (!) which really added something awesome to the final product. I could taste the sesame, and it wasn't overpowering, but kind of gave a hearty undertone to the soup. There was also a yam in the soup, and nutmeg, and fresh grated ginger. It was completely lovely--a pleasing shade of orange, smooth and flavorful, and delicious. I will definitely make it again. 

Last night I had some friends over for dinner and I made soup again. This time it was coconut curry red lentil soup, which I have made twice before. It turned out a bit spicier this time because I added more curry, but I liked it a lot. Good for the sinuses! It has onion, potatoes, a yam, curry paste, coconut milk, celery, and lentils, of course, and is a most excellent soup. The last time I made it, it was a really beautiful color. This time something in the proportion of ingredients was off, because it was less of a creamy orange color and more split-pea colored, but I also used french lentils instead of red lentils because I discovered I was out of the latter. Of course, it matters most of all that it turns out edible and it was proclaimed delicious by all at the table (which it was). I definitely think presentation is important. Next time I'll add more yam, maybe. I like not following recipes. I want to cook more things with lentils in 2009, because I like lentils a lot.