A Couple of Off-The-Cuff Recipes

Last week I made a couple of great-tasting, easy-to-duplicate vegetarian recipes. I was happy enough with them that I thought I'd share. As I say this, bear in mind that I'm a dyed-in-the-wool carnivore, so saying that I made a good vegetarian dish is quite an accomplishment.

Recipe I:
Creamy Potato Soup

Ingredients
Five or six medium to large potatoes
1/2 small onion
1/2 small bell pepper (I used orange pepper in this recipe)
One bag of fresh mixed veggies - baby carrots, broccoli and cauliflower (approximately 8 oz)
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 can vegetable stock
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
Milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cut the potatoes and onions into large chunks. Do NOT skin the potatoes. Boil the potatoes until fully cooked. Rinse potatoes.

While the potatoes are boiling, steam the bag of mixed veggies and the onions. (Use the same steamer for all of these vegetables.) They should be finished around the same time as the potatoes. I used a large stock pot with a steamer on top, which allowed me to boil the potatoes and steam the veggies at the same time. Set aside the potatoes and steamed veggies.

Combine the condensed mushroom soup, the condensed celery soup, the can of vegetable stock, the garlic, the cheese and two cans of milk. Heat to simmmering. Add the steamed veggies and stir. Add the potatoes. Stir and cover. Cook on a low heat for 30 to sixty minutes, stirring occasionally. This will make the potatoes incredibly soft, and the steamed veggies will effectively dissolve in the broth. You will notice that I added no salt or pepper to this soup. I found this recipe so good by itself that I didn't need to add salt or pepper. But as always, salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe II:
Tomato Vegetable Soup

Ingredients
1 Can diced tomatoes
1/2 small onion
1/2 small bell pepper (I used orange pepper in this recipe)
One bag of fresh mixed veggies - baby carrots, broccoli and cauliflower (approximately 8 oz)
2 tablespoons of minced garlic

Steam onion, pepper and fresh veggies until soft. Put steamed veggies, garlic and diced tomatoes in a blender and liquefy. Add salt and pepper to taste. If refrigerated, this soup will thicken to a point where it can be used as an antipasto over baguette bread.