Tweet Treats: Cardamom Scented Fall Soup

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My faith in El Paso’s vegetarian/vegan restaurant scene was renewed this past October when I attended Opus World Bistro’s vegan wine dinner. I had planned on blogging about the dinner and the restaurant, but I brilliantly forgot (again) to replace the SD card in my camera. I took cellphone pics, but they don’t do Chef Michael Ross’s food justice. The pics are on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (they’re grouped here>>). I’ll have to return another time to dine and take pictures of regular menu items. In the meantime, you NEED to eat at Opus World Bistro now. While, the wine dinner’s menu items are not on their regular menu, there are plenty of other tantalizing vegan options to choose from. You can view the menu here>>

Prices are a little high, but well worth it. Chef Michael assembles dishes that creatively and deftly make use of seasonal ingredients and textures. As of now, you can print out a coupon from their website. If I still can’t convince you to make it out to the westside and invest in a good meal, you can try making this soup that is inspired from one of the wine dinner dishes. Sweet pea tortellini, cardamom carrot vegetable broth & fresh fennel was the first course and my second favorite dish of the night.

My soup is different, but like I said it’s just an inspired dish. I love the flavors and the complexity the cardamom adds. It’s quick and easy and you can use either butternut squash, sweet potatoes, or carrots. This has to be one of the best soups I’ve created since the Smoky Tomato Chickpea soup I created for Vegan Mofo & the Earth Balance recipe contest.

Cardamom Scented Fall Soup

I placed the cardamom seeds in a tea infuser. You can get cardamom seeds at most grocery stores. I bought mine at Sprouts (they sell them by weight in the spice bins). They are cheapest at Indian & Middle Eastern grocery stores.

¼ cup onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3-4 cups butternut squash, sweet potato, or carrots, ½” dice
2 cups water or vegetable broth
¼ teaspoon caradomom seeds
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
salt & pepper

1. Saute onions until browned, about 5-10 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add squash, season with salt and pepper, cooking for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add stock or water, bringing to a simmer. Place cardamom seeds in a tea infuser, sachet, or wrap in cheesecloth; add to pot.
4. Simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through.
5. Remove cardamom. Puree in a blender or use a handheld immersion blender.
6. Add peas and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
7. Garnish with cilantro or your favorite herbs.

Tweet Treat: Roasted Carrot Soup

Roasted carrot soup w/cilantro pesto #veganinstagr.am/p/e6rER/

— Lisa Martinez (@epvegsnob) January 6, 2012

A raw carrot is my least favorite vegetable, but a cooked carrot is a whole different story. I had been craving a creamy curried vegan carrot soup that I used to make a lot, but I couldn’t find the recipe. VSEP used to publish a full-on newsletter, complete with articles and recipes, including a delicious curried carrot soup. When I couldn’t find it, I decided to make a simple roasted carrot soup, sans the curry.

It seems to be carrot soup season, as Fairy Healthy Life posted a delicious sounding carrot and apple soup, and Earth Balance posted a creamy vegan carrot soup complete with oats. Here’s a carrot soup I came up with when a couple of purchases and cravings came together:

Roasted Carrot Soup

1 lb. carrots, peeled & sliced into ½″ slices
1 shallot, peeled & thinly sliced (you can also use onions or garlic)
2-4 cups vegetable broth
olive oil, salt, and pepper

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Place carrots and shallots in a roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper over them. Combine until all vegetables are completely coated.
• Bake in oven for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through and browned.
• Puree carrots with 1 cup of vegetable stock. Add more stock until soup reaches desired consistency.
• Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
• You can also add milk, pureed silken soft tofu, or cashew cream to make it a creamy soup.

The recipe for the cilantro pesto can be found here.

Red Lentils Revisited

When I first became a vegetarian, I tried a lot of different foods that I would never have tried as a meat eater. One of those was red lentils, in which I did not like and have not eaten up until recently. I can’t remember how I made them, but my introduction to them was that of disdain and confusion. They were mushy, bland, and not even red!

It seems like red lentils have grown popular again, and after seeing many recipes and hearing much praise for this legume, I gave them a second chance last month. I must admit that I am now a fan, and love them for their taste, versatility, protein, and quick cooking time.

I can’t recall if I’ve seen red lentils at Albertsons and Walmart, but you can definitely find them at Sun Harvest, Jerusalem International Foods (5360 N. Mesa), Spice Market (5435 N. Mesa), and other import stores around town. Eastsiders can most likely find red lentils at Cielo Vista Natural Market (8900 Viscount), Wan Jia Le (9501 Gateway Blvd. W), and Super Target.

I’m sharing two recipes with you that seem very similar, but really do have different flavors and textures. The first recipe is perfect for tailoring to your preferences, and especially good for getting rid of any vegetables you may have laying around. The original recipe called for zucchini, but I didn’t have any, and I needed to use up a large tomato quickly. I decided to add in frozen peas for texture, and because they’re one of my favorites.

I made the second recipe last night because I wanted to incorporate carrots, red bell pepper, and red lentils together. You may be wondering why I just didn’t make the first recipe since I just told you that you can alter it as you please. Well, I didn’t have any coconut milk and I wanted a slightly different flavor. I loved the flavors and texture of this recipe. It had a sweet, nutty flavor and a golden, rich and creamy texture.

Coconut Red Lentil Curry Over Basmati Rice

Coconut Red Lentil Curry
(adapted from Gourmet Magazine, see original recipe here)
Makes about 6 servings

½ medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tblsp finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt (less if using vegetable stock)
1 (2 1/2-inch) fresh jalapeño or serrano chile, finely chopped, including seeds
1-2 cups water or vegetable stock
1 cup dried red lentils
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 large tomato, roughly chopped
½-1 cup frozen peas (no need to thaw)
1 handful of fresh cilantro

1. Cook onion in oil in a 3½- to 4-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until edges are golden (about 6 minutes).
2. Add ginger, garlic & cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, & chile & cook, stirring, 1 minute.
3. Add tomato, stir, then add in water, lentils, & coconut milk.
4. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
5. Add peas & simmer for about 5 minutes, or until heat through & lentils are tender.
6.Season with salt & serve with cilantro sprigs scattered on top.

Red Lentil Carrot Soup & Basmati Rice

Red Lentil Carrot Soup
(also adapted from Gourmet magazine, see original recipe here)
Makes about 4-6 servings

¾ cup red lentils, picked over & rinsed
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup water
¼ cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp turmeric
½ pkg of baby carrots, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
cayenne to taste
fresh cilantro

1. Saute onions in olive oil for about 5 minutes or until golden.
2. Add bell pepper, carrots, & garlic; cook for about 5 more minutes.
3. Add coriander, cumin, & turmeric; cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
4. Add stock & water; bring to a boil.
5. Add lentils & cook, covered for about 15 minutes or until veggies & lentils are tender.
6. Puree in batches, leaving some of the veggies & lentils intact for texture.
7. Add cayenne pepper & season with salt & pepper.
8. Garnish with cilantro & serve with Basmati rice.