Monday, August 21, 2006

Confessions

So here's the red lentil soup I made last night. Though we ended up going to Moe's Southwest Grill for dinner on a whim (because I love that place!), I decided to make the soup anyway so that we could have it for lunch this week. But I have to make a confession--I cheated.

Bob's aunt gave us this soup mix, which has been sitting in my pantry for awhile now. So I decided to use it up. It had the red lentils and the bulgur wheat already packaged, and it contained a spice packet that included red peppers, cayenne pepper, orange zest, and "other spices"--of which I identified ginger and cinnamon. I added vegetable broth, orange juice, an onion, and a butternut squash. Don't ask why I had a butternut squash on hand in the dead of summer--I'm not sure myself. Probably a gift from someone with squash-phobia. Anyway, our verdict on this soup: It's okay. It's definitely interesting. Maybe a little too sweet and orangey. I think I could reproduce this recipe if I wanted to, but I would probably make some serious modifications. More cayenne, less orange juice, more lentils, less bulgur. The butternut squash was my favorite part--this might have potential to be a nice autumn soup.

We made a loaf of bread last night. This is Oatmeal Wheat Bread, a recipe from Fatfree Vegan. It's a favorite. This loaf rose a little funny, though--it got really tall but didn't spread out much in the pan. It probably had something to do with the way we shaped it. I think Bob said he would leave the loaf-shaping to me from now on. Heehee. I'll let him stick to his pizza crusts.

Okay, well as the title of this post suggests, I have more than one confession to make. Here's the other: I'm a tempeh virgin. I've never tasted it, much less cooked it. But I've heard and read many good things about it, so I was at Earth Fare and finally decided to give it a try. My first fear is conquered--purchasing tempeh. But now it's sitting threateningly in my refrigerator, and I don't know what to do with it! I don't know how to cook it or if it's finicky like tofu is. I know nothing about it. So... any basic suggestions would be very much appreciated, before I crack open VWaV and try a recipe!

7 comments:

MeloMeals said...

I'd say, stick with VwaV.. Tempeh can be so good, but also bad.. if you don't cook it right. Steaming it first is necessary.

Anonymous said...

I've never tried tempeh or seitan either -- you'll have to let us know how it tastes.

That bread looks awesome.

Anonymous said...

You're not alone! I'm a tempeh and seitan virgin too... I'm still getting used to tofu. I look forward to hearing how it goes and I might just follow in your footsteps!

funwithyourfood said...

I see you cracked into the pantry! way to go :)

Teddy

KleoPatra said...

Good job, Laura, you brave woman. Keep challenging yourself. I'm slowly learning to take chances in the kitchen... thanks for more inspiration...

Dori said...

Well, since it is confession time. I have never made or even tried tempeh either. I bought some about 1 1/2 months ago in an effort to try something from vegan with a vengeance cookbook, like the bac'n or sausage recipe. I ended up sticking it in the freezer. It awaits me there.

Nicki Baker said...

so happy to find your blog - I am also a Christian, and I'm vegetarian!