God, I love Daiya!!

Yes, its a little pricey and is defintely a luxury for us, but when we have a package of Daiya cheese in our fridge, I get oh-so excited to use it. Today was another cold, wet day here in San Francisco and I couldn't stop thinking about soup. As soon as I got home from work, I scoured the fridge to see what I had - 2 broccoli crowns, half an onion, a garlic bulb, a few potatoes, and a bag of "cheddar style" Daiya cheese. I knew immediately what I would be making for dinner tonight... Broccoli potato cheese soup... YUUMMMM!!

I started off by sauteeing the onion and garlic with a little Earth Balance in a pot. When soft, I added a little flour to make a rue. To that, I added a couple cups of veg stock and whisked it until it thickened. Then, I added the Daiya - and I was not skimpy here. I boiled the potatoes separately and when they were fork tender, I added them into the soup, along with the chopped broccoli. I generously salted and peppered the pot and let simmer until Stephen got home - probably about 30 to 45 minutes.

I served it up in big bowls with a sliced bagguette...

African Peanut Soup

This is one of those recipes that I constantly stumble across and have been dying to make for some time now, but never seem to get around to it. I have seen a variation of the recipe in VegNews, the VeganYumYum cookbook, and most recently in Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's latest cookbook, The Vegan Table. So finally, I decided that I had to try this recipe!

Last night was the perfect night for soup (it was cold and rainy, but then again, we are in San Francisco) and I just so happened to have all the ingredients on hand. So, like I often do, I created my own variation of this soup, taking a few ideas from each recipe. Here is what worked for me:

Makes about 3-4 servings

3-4 tbsp. water (or 1 tbsp. olive oil if you choose)

1/2 brown onion (although, next time, I would only use 1/4), diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, diced

1/2 red bell pepper

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup chunky peanut butter (thinned with some water)

1 cup butternut squash, cut in 1/2 inch chunks

1 small sweet potato, cut in 1/2 inch chunks

1 cup cooked garbanzo beans (I cook my own... and you should too - they taste so much better than canned)

2-3 cups veg broth (i used a boullion cube + water)

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1-2 scallions, chopped

3-4 cups prepared whole wheat cous cous

1. Saute onions, garlic, carrot, and bell pepper until soft.

2. Add in spices and peanut butter. Let everything mix together for a few minutes.

3. Add in butter nut squash, sweet potato, garbanzos, and veg broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 mins without lid (until squash and potato are cooked through and the broth has reduced a little bit).

4. To serve, scoop cous cous in the middle of bowl, add soup around the sides, and top with cilantro and scallions. Enjoy!

This soup was truly delicious. I will definitely be making it again very soon! Check out the picture below: