Toasty Autumn Suppers!

Monday Night: "Gingery Split Pea Soup" from Voluptuous Vegan

I love love love this magical recipe. It's basically a straightforward split pea, but it's a bit lighter than usual, and the peas are cooked with big slices of fresh ginger and - here's the real magic - a dried chipotle pepper. That smoky chipotle gives such a nice depth to the soup, and makes the whole house smell just amazing. It's an easy, low fuss recipe too... which is worth a lot in my book! The recipe calls for yellow split peas, so it's more golden than green.

Mystery Night (I don't remember): "Thai-Style Tofu & Vegetables in Spicy Coconut Broth" from "Fresh Food Fast."

Truth be told, this is one of the few recipes I've made from this book that we didn't love. It certainly wasn't bad - we both ate it and enjoyed it. But it's not the kind of thing I'm clamoring to make again. Most importantly, I've got plenty of other Thai tofu & veggie type recipes that are more exciting and delicious than this one.

Tonight!: "Braised Pinto Beans with Delicata Squash, Red Wine & Tomatoes" from Fresh Food Fast.

This recipe however, was a big redemption. It was great! Very exciting to use tomatoes AND delicata squash from our own garden! Also, Peter Berley (the author of FFF) points out how nice it is that you can eat the skins of delicata squash, so that no peeling is required. Very nice indeed. This recipe was perfect for our cold rainy night - tomatoes, squash, beans - a nice complete meal that took about 25 minutes from start to finish. Love it!