Tasty Tuesday

People close to me know that Tuesday is my least favorite day of the week. I have a pretty good record for absolutely horrible Tuesdays. But for a Tuesday, today wasn’t so bad. Even though I woke up with a MONSTROUS cold sore that made my bottom lip three times it’s normal size, ugh!

I had class all day and then stopped at the laundromat on my way home. I went to the library while my clothes were washing and picked up The Girl That Kicked the Hornets Nest. The last of the Stieg Larsson trivia – I can’t wait to get into it! My library does this thing where they rent out all there new books for only 7 days with no holds or renewals. I like it because it allows me to get good books without having to wait on a ridiculously long list (if I pop in at the right time), but this book is so long I’m afraid I won’t finish it! Especially since finals are next week.

For dinner I cooked up some Creamy Tomato Soup from the 500 Vegan Recipes book and Couscous with Stir Fry vegetables. The tomato soup was good, although a bit chunky. I would probably purée it next time (the recipe did suggest that but I thought I might like a thick soup better). The couscous was AMAZING though! I’ll admit that I’m definitely glad I had the tomato soup to offset the starch in the couscous, but overall the dinner felt pretty well rounded. I would suggest that the couscous be served as a small portion with a big serving of something else, because it was pretty heavy even with all the vegetables I added to it.

Couscous with Stir-Fry Vegetables

Ingredients:

• Box of couscous
• 1 zucchini
• 1 cup chopped grape tomatoes
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup mushrooms, diced

Directions:

• Cook couscous using package directions, set aside.
• Meanwhile, add olive oil to a pan on medium.
• Sauté onions and garlic until translucent (2 minutes).
• Add mushrooms, tomatoes, and zucchini, stirring occasionally. Cook until zucchini is tender (about 6 minutes).
• Turn off heat and add couscous to the stir fry. Mix until fully incorporated.

Creamy Tomato Soup (500 Vegan Recipes)

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp EVOO
• 1/4  cup chopped shallot
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 4 cups tomato juice
• 1 can diced tomatoes (including liquid)
• 4 canned sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp basil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup nonfat sour cream

Directions:

• Melt the butter and oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add shallot and garlic and cook for two minutes.
• Add the tomato juice, diced tomatoes, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, and salt. Bring to a low boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Stir in the sour cream until well blended. Remove from heat.
• Purée until smooth (wait until the soup is slightly cooler).