Summer Soup

I know this isn't on the recipes page, but i thought to myself, "aw, heck. I better give'em sumthin'!" So here you are.

The following recipe was created on Sunday night when i was trying desperately to use up things before they went bad. It is a little known fact that food doesn't go bad as quickly after you cook it.

This is a light soup, but tasty. It has one carrot and one potato in it to add just enough natural starch to give it some body, which i like in a soup.

2 small onions, chopped
LOTS of garlic, also chopped
sautee in 1/4 cup of olive oil
while that is sauteeing in large stockpot, chop up the following, and add each vegetable to the pot as you finish cutting them:
1 carrot
3 stalks of celery, cut on the diagonal
add 2 large vegetable boullion cubes (no, i'm not above boullion cubes)
pour in 6 cups of water, then add
4 large tomamoes, chopped
1 bunch coarsely chopped parseley
1/8 cup finely cut cilantro
1 large finely chopped red potato (with the skin still on -- it aids in taste)
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 can dark red kidney beans (pour the liquid in too! yes, i know, that's the part that makes you fart, but if you simmer it for long enough, the bubbles cook out)
1 can cannellini beans (same deal)
1/2 cup red wine*
2 tsp dark soy sauce
16 cranks of a peppermill
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/3 lbs fresh chopped spinach
sprinkle the top with a layer of garlic powder, and simmer for an hour

* On wine: I drink a fair amount of it. And whatever i don't finish before it starts tasting funny, i mix with my other skunky wine bottle in the fridge. I know they say you shouldn't cook with anything you wouldn't drink. My answer to that is that i would have at one point, and i'm not throwing away good wine! Remember, don't throw anything away!

Technical Update

Hello there, all two of you who have read this! I greatly appreciate it. I just wanted to let you know that i'm currently seeking an alternative site from which to manage my recipe pages, because the blogger engine is frankly too clunky to do it. Please bear with me. Thank you! Hopefully i'll have an answer tomorrow.

Welcome

Welcome to the first issue of The Cheap Vegetarian's Guide to Survival! This idea was born about two and a half years ago in a nice kitchen i was housesitting after i had made some delicious conconction using beans, rice, and a made-up chipolte chilli. It dawned upon me that over the years, i had become fairly creative and had made some damned good vegetarian food that even omnivores like, and my lovely boyfriend suggested a cookbook. The idea was born. The Cheap Vegetarian's Guide to Survival.

You see, back in the day, there were all kinds of misconceptions about what it means to be a vegetarian, most of which involved someone being on a high horse prosyletizing at people about them being inhumane, and encouraging them to eat food that was more expensive than they could afford. This misconception came from a few bad apples that are inevitably in every barrel. Furthermore, the misconception that being a vegetarian is expensive, i believe, comes from the fact that the meat substitutes available are indeed more expensive than the meat products. For example, most hot dogs or frozen chicken patties go for price $X.xx, while the vegetarian substitutes tend to go for somewhere around $X.xx + ($X.xx)75%, making it seem as though being a vegetarian costs about 75% more than not being a vegetarian. Soymilk also fits into this equation, should someone choose to drink that over regular cow milk.

Here's the flaw with that reasoning: most of the time, if you're eating right, you don't use meat substitutes. Most of the time, you eat vegetables, beans, rice, cereal (just like anyone else), fruit, and some deserts, just like anyone else who's having a balanced diet. Depending on your choices, you might be eating eggs and cheeze too. I'm pretty sure that omnivores are found eating all of those things from time to time.

People ask "but what about protein?" Let me tell you, there are plenty of ways to get protein without eating meat. The aforementioned eggs, yes. There are also beans and rice, which combined make a complete protein. Milk and soymilk are other excellent sources, as are tofu, seitan, cheezes of all sorts, sour cream, etc. Be creative! Even mushrooms turn into protein when they're cooked. I've been a vegetarian for 9 years, and it hasn't been a problem for me to get protein.

"What about iron?" people ask. Another interesting fact -- black beans and dark leafy greens contain more iron than just about anything out there. Eggs are also good for that. Interestingly, i find that when i'm PMSing (about to lose an egg) i crave eggs. It's really the one time of month that i ever make myself an omelette. And i make a damned good omelette.

So you see, there are plenty of things to choose from besides expensive meat substitutes for your nutrition. Actually, those meat substitutes aren't much better for you than the quality of the meat they're trying to mock either! And let me tell you here and now, if you're poor, beans and rice are your friend.

So, i'll get around to writing a mission statement in the next posting. In the meantime, i hope i've given you something to ponder. Soon to come are recipes and tips.