Italian Friendship Soup

With holidays right around the corner, it's time to start thinking about presents and spreading holiday cheer and joy. My favorite way to warm up my friends during the cool winter months is with a steaming cup of soup!

Friendship soup is delicious and easy, and even makes a great gift, because it relies heavily on dried ingredients. To give it as a gift, just put dried ingredients (beans, pasta, veggie bouillon and spices in a plastic gift bag and tie it tightly. Put in the card the recipe with the note "just add tomatoes, garlic and onion" and your friends will be able to make Italian Friendship Soup anytime!

Here is the recipe--

Ingredients:
One cup white beans
One cup baby shell pasta
One veggie bouillon
One tablespoon Italian seasoning (like basil, oregano, parsley and thyme)
One medium onion, chopped
One can of diced tomatoes
Two cloves garlic, minced
Seven cups water
Veggie cheese shreds for garnish

Boil beans for 45 minutes then allow them to sit in the pot for an hour, or steep the beans in a pot overnight.
While beans are steeping, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is tender.
Rinse and drain.
Add veggie bouillon and Italian seasoning and seven cups of water.
Bring to a boil.
Add sauteed onion and garlic and simmer for 45 minutes.
Add pasta shells and boil for 25 minutes.
Reduce heat to simmer and add tomatoes.

Serve when soup is hot. Garnish with veggie cheese shreds.

Sure to warm the heart and soul!


Happy Holidays!

Stone Soup

The Story of Stone Soup

Once upon a time, in a little town in post-war Eastern Europe, there was a great famine in which there was barely any food and everyone, everywhere was very, very hungry. People hoarded whatever food they could find, because there was not enough to go around. One day a lonely wandering soldier came into a village and began asking questions as if he planned to stay for the night.
"There's not a bite to eat in the whole province," every townsperson told him. "Better keep moving on."

The young man continued walking, and came to the house of an old woman. He knocked on her door and she answered hesitantly. “I have no food to share with you,” she told him, “but you can sleep on the floor by the fire if you would like a nice warm place to spend the night.”

“Thank you for your generosity,” he told her. So the young man entered her home for the evening. His stomach growled of hunger, but only having one piece of bread and a little bit of butter for herself, the old woman offered him no food. Seeing a cabbage in the kitchen, the young man had an idea.

“Do you have a pot?” he asked the old woman. “Because if you do, I can make us soup.”
“I have a cauldron, but no ingredients for soup,” said the woman.

But the young man had a plan. He drug the cauldron from the hearth and out into the meager garden behind her cottage. He filled it half-way full with water and began to set it to boil.
“How are you going to make soup with no ingredients?” asked the old woman.

"Oh, I have everything I need," he said. The young man reached into his pocket and with great ceremony, he drew an ordinary-looking stone dropped it into the water. “I will make us stone soup.”

The young man dropped the stone into the cauldron and watched the water boil. He leaned over the pot and sniffed. “"I do like a tasty stone soup. With this stone, our soup will be fit for a king.”
Hearing the rumor of food, villagers wandered to the old woman’s garden to watch the young man make the soup. As the soldier sniffed the broth and licked his lips in anticipation, hunger began to overcome their skepticism.

"Ahh," the young stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup. Of course, stone soup with a little bit of cabbage would be fit for a king."

The old woman lingered by the cauldron and looked toward the door of her cottage. After a minute, she went inside and returned with her cabbage. “Here, add this to the soup,” she said.
The young man added the cabbage and stirred the broth. "Ahh," the young stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup with cabbage. Of course, stone soup with a little bit of potatoes would be fit for a king."

A villager heard the young man and smelled the soup. He lingered by the cauldron and looked toward the door of his cottage. After a minute, he left and returned with some potatoes. “Here, add this to the soup,” he said.

The young man added the potatoes and stirred the broth. "Ahh," the young stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup with potatoes. Of course, stone soup with a little bit of onions would be fit for a king."

Another villager heard the young man and smelled the soup. He lingered by the cauldron and looked toward the door of his cottage. After a minute, he left and returned with some onions. “Here, add this to the soup,” he said.

The young man added the onions and stirred the broth. "Ahh," the young stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup with onions. Of course, stone soup with a little bit of carrots would be fit for a king."

Another villager heard the young man and smelled the soup. He lingered by the cauldron and looked toward the door of his cottage. After a minute, he left and returned with some carrots. “Here, add this to the soup,” he said.

The young man added the carrots and stirred the broth. "Ahh," the young stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup with carrots. Of course, stone soup with a little bit of mushrooms would be fit for a king."

Another villager heard the young man and smelled the soup. She lingered by the cauldron and looked toward the door of her cottage. After a minute, she left and returned with some mushrooms. “Here, add this to the soup,” he said.

The young man added the mushrooms and stirred the broth. "Ahh," the young stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup with mushrooms. Of course, stone soup with a little bit of beans would be fit for a king."

Another villager heard the young man and smelled the soup. He lingered by the cauldron and looked toward the door of his cottage. After a minute, he left and returned with some beans. “Here, add this to the soup,” he said.

The young man added the beans and stirred the broth. "Ahh," the young stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup with beans. This stone soup will be fit for a king."
And after the cabbage and the potatoes and the onions and the carrots and the mushrooms and the beans, the stone soup was fit for a king, and the cauldron was overflowing with soup. There was indeed a delicious meal for all.

Each villager hurried home and returned with bowls and cups and spoons and ate until they had their fill.

The starving village was hungry no more.

And the lonely wandering soldier was hungry no more.

In the morning the lonely wandering soldier continued his wanderings, but he left his magical stone with the little old woman… and the village was never starving again.

Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, pease porridge in the pot, nine days old!

Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold,

Pease porridge in the pot, nine days old;

Some like it hot, some like it cold,

Some like it in the pot, nine days old!

Listen to Peas Porridge Hot

Music and Lyrical Adaptation by Jack Hartmann

As I made my first fall stew this week as a welcome to fall on September 22, I thought about this song. My stew is like pease porridge... the pot keeps going day after day, because I keep adding ingredients. It began as a pumpkin stew, but I couldn't fit all the ingredients in the pot, so as we ate it up, I slowly added celery, then carrots, then more corn and then noodles. Each addition created a new flavor, so it's not like eating Pease Porridge every day for nine days. And unlike Pease Porridge, our stew didn't last so long-- I ran out of ingredients on day four, and ran out of soup on day five. But it was a healthy and delicious meal every time!

So what is Pease porridge and where does it come from?
According to Wikipedia, "Pease Porridge Hot," also known as "Peas Porridge Hot" or "Pease Pudding Hot" is a children's singing game and nursery rhyme. The origins of this rhyme are unkown, but the name derived from Middle English Pease Porridge and Pease Pudding which was called Pease Pottage.

The earliest printing of the rhyme was in John Newbery's Mother Goose's Melody, 1760.

Pease Porridge hot,

Pease Porridge cold,

Pease Porridge in the Pot

Nine Days old,

Spell me that in four Letters?

I will, THAT.

Vegans can have cake and eat it too...

My first vegan cake!
How to make a cake when you have no ingredients and no idea what you are doing

Today I wanted to make cupcakes. Unfortunately I had none of the ingredients necessary for al the recipes online (mainly shortening and apple cider vinegar) so I decided to use what I had, create my own recipe and see what happened. It was a challenging endeavor, trying to get the cake batter to be batter, taste better and use up all my butter, in addition to the other odd ingredients I found in my baking cabinet. But after trial and error, I developed a cake 100% vegan and easy, using ingredients most are bound to have.

To make a vegan cake, you need the following:
2 c. flour
1/2 c. flaxseed
1 tps. of each of the following: baking soda, baking powder, corn starch, salt
1 c. soy milk
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. vegan butter (I recommend smartbalance)
1/2 c. corn syrup
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 c. vegetable oil

Because this recipe is based on what you've got, it is open to variation and interpretation. Apple sauce may be substituted for oil, any other milk may be used, flaxseed may be omitted, granulated sugar could replace brown sugar, and you don't really need baking soda and baking powder and corn starch (its ok to just choose one, but add a little more than 1 tsp.) If you have apple cider vinegar or shortening, toss some in the batter, too. Keep in mind as you change ingredients, you want your cake to be moist, delicious and rise.

When you have found all of your ingredients, combined dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Combined corn syrup, brown sugar and butter and melt into the microwave. Mix those together and then add to the dry ingredients. This will be your batter. If the batter is too thin, add flour. If it is too thick, add more milk. Taste test at this point to determine satisfactory sweetness.

Pour batter into a baking pan. Should make a 9x9" square or circle cake. I was lacking a baking pan, so I greased my frying pan and cooked the cake in it. Works just as a well and I made a nice round cake.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes, checking periodically. Poke it with a fork to check when the cake is done. If the fork comes out clean, the cake is set.

Allow cake to cool and then frost.

Frosting:
1/2 c. vegan butter
3 c. confectioners sugar
1/2 c. soy milk

Wisk all ingredients until smooth. To thicken the mixture, add more sugar and chill.

To frost, pour frosting on the top of the cake, smearing around to the edges. Chill.

Serve cake chilled, garnished with strawberries or another sweet fruit.

Raise your glass and your pinky to vegan wine

We use vegetable broth in our soups and soy milk in our coffee, but I never knew I had to check the label on the wine bottle before I pour it into my wineglass, too. I thought wine was made by Lucille Ball dancing on grapes in a big barrel on black and white TV, but it seems as though I have overlooked a few steps of the process. Wine is more than fermented grapes. It is actually filtered through animal products when it is clarified and cleared after fermentation.

Although wine usually contains only grapes, yeast, and a small amount of sulphites, which are added and created during fermentation, the processing of wine uses substances that are often not vegan.

Several animal products might be used in the making of wine during the clarifying or 'fining' process. Fining is when the spent yeasts (which turns the sugar to alcohol) and any miniscule bits of leaves or stems are removed, leaving a clear liquid. A fining agent binds to the debris and settles on the bottom of the wine tank or barrel, from where they are removed. The ingredient list will not state the clarifier because it is removed from the final product.

Wine is clarified after fermentation using animal-based and earth-based products. Animal-based products include egg whites, milk, gelatin made from bones, isinglass made from fish bladders, caseinate milk proteins, and dried blood. Bentonite is an earth-based clay earth product.

So what does this mean for us vegans? Organic protein agents are more likely to be used in the clarification of premium wines which cost more than $7 a bottle. Egg whites are commonly used for red wine clarification in more expensive wines, above $15 a bottle, or French wines expected to age. In the United States, large producers use potassium caseinate instead of eggs as fining agents in some red wines. Gelatin can clarify either white or red wine, or beer and less expensive wines may use this method. Isinglass is used to fine selected white wines specifically in Germany. Some American wineries also use isinglass to clarify white wine or chardonnay. Bull's blood is also used in some Mediterranean countries but is not allowed in the U.S. or France. And all Kosher wines are not vegan—they may be more likely to avoid the use of the animal-based clarifying agents, but not all do so.

The good news is the most popular substance used to remove the proteins of domestically produced white wines is bentonite, the silica clay and it is used to fine most inexpensive wines.

Because labels need not declare these animal product used, I recommend asking the wine connoisseur at your nearest wine shop for guidance as you look over isles and make your wine selections for tonight's dinner. Or look through the huge list of vegan wines, link below.

And when all else fails, grab a bottle of monet, as I can assure you its drinkable for all.

Sources of information:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/vegetarian_and_vegan/drinks.shtml
http://www.veganconnection.com/notvegan.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan_wine

HUGE LIST OF VEGAN WINES
http://vegans.frommars.org/wine/

My little sister asked me today why I was vegan...

My little sister asked me today why I was a vegan. Although she has sat through countless meals of my vegan rants and raves, she was unable to parrot back to me why I believe the world should be vegan.

I asked her why she thought I was vegan and she had a grasp on the concept that we could be directly eating the food that the animals we slaughter eat, thereby cutting out the "middle man" and saving resources. But she could not recall the gut reason of why I am a vegan--

By eating meat, you perpetuate world hunger.

This is how I explained it to my 11-year-old little sis:
It takes an acre of land to raise a cow for slaughter, and once it is slaughtered and prepared, a cow can feed 10 people. But if the farmer were to farm the land with agriculture instead of grass and cow feed, crops grown on an acre could feed 100 people. So by raising agriculture instead of animals, we could feed 10x the amount of hungry people. I would gladly give up hamburgers in order to feed 90 starving children. It's like a lie of omission: knowing the truth and not speaking it is still deceitful. Knowing you can feed more people with a vegetarian lifestyle and still eating meat, is just like stopping those other 90 people from eating.

Now my math above may not be perfect, but my motives are pure, and my computations are close enough. My ideology and my heart are in the right place. And I hope each of my vegan rants and raves opens another person's mind.

So this is what I taught my sister to say: Eating veggies feed more people than eating meat. And with so many starving people in the world, why would I not want to do my part toward helping our world live. It's as simple and as complicated as that.

Out on the town

Hungry? As a vegan, sometimes it feels like there is nothing to eat in Boston. I'm fine at home where I can cook meals to order exactly how I like them, but its awkward when you are out and try to convince the Chinese line cook to make some fried rice without the egg.

But have no fear--your stomach grumbling stops here. I have a huge list of vegan-friendly restaurants in Boston that will serve you something edible.

I have not been to all of these restaurants, but the list is a compliment of VegGuide.org. I encourage you to try them all out, and let me know which are the best.

My all-time favorite vegetarian and vegan restaurant is Veggie Planet in Harvard Square. Living in the South End of Boston, it takes a lot to get me across the river and over the bridge to Cambridge, but the food and ambiance at this place is well-worth the trip. It's a little whole-in-the-wall restaurant and music joint that offers pizzas and rice bowls with all sorts of toppings. It was the first place I ever went where I had more than one item to choose from on the menu. Great for vegetarians, vegans and seekers, and the food will even satisfy the most carnivorous, pouting little sisters.

So grab a map and your wallet, choose a restaurant off the list and be ready to be satiated!

You don't have to be rich or skinny to be vegan

Some folks believe to be vegan you have to be able to afford it. Not true. When you are buying butter anyway, why not get the vegan kind? The price is about the same. Plus, meat is the most expensive item in your basket--put it back on the shelf and you can add 2x its weight in beans, rice and tofu.

Some folks believe to be vegan you have to love tofu. It's okay tofu freaks you out. It freaks me out, too. It is white and squishy and made from plants. It is a little like alien food and I have yet to master cooking with it myself, but edamame is my favorite snack and the tofu dish is the one I always order when I eat out.

Some folks believe to be vegan you have to be a waify flowerpower lady. I may be a bit of a hippy (my middle name is Moonlight and I don't shave my legs,) but I am not a skinny little lady who hugs trees and sings Kumbaya. I'm an average person, with probably a lower-than-average salary, who cooks up whatever I happen to be able to find. I prefer stovetop cooking and washing dishes by hand. And after dinner, I like long romantic walks on the beach....

Vegan is not a stereotype, it is a choice and a lifestyle. It is a choice for a better lifestyle, for yourself, the animals and your world. This is our world and we should eat it up, but there are many mouths to feed and don't forget to save a bite for all the generations to come. We must all eat in such a way so that no one goes hungry.

As a vegan, don't worry about going hungry and don't be afraid of the idea of becoming a little furry friend, there is a surplus of vegan cuisine that is more than rabbit food. On any given day, you can find me eating... pasta, pizza, burgers, sandwiches, falafel, cake, sorbet, cookies, chips, soup... all of which have vegan variations and all of which are obtainable. There is soymilk and vegan cream cheese and nondairy creamer. As a vegan, I want for nothing.

Where I have felt the pinch, is at fast food restaurants, bakeries and wineries. No more milkshakes, jelly donuts or cheap bottles of red wine. My only solace is that I have replaced these items with ones that are even better for my body, and their productions are better for the world: soy protein shakes, toast with butter and jam, and Moet & Chandon. As a vegan, you are not giving up, you are trading up: something good for something better.

I cannot profess to say I have never cheated, because I have unkowingly eaten a sausage I thought was falafel and or wittingly enjoyed a packet of instant hot chocolate I wanted REALLY, REALLY badly. No one is perfect, but dedication is the key and the journey is admirable.

So, prince charming and cinderella, stop trying to put those vegan shoes on somebody else's feet--you take them for a walk. They are comfortable for your pockets, your waistline and they leave a smaller carbon footprint.

Haymarket--bang for your buck and good luck

Haymarket: it's not organic. it's not fair trade. it's not always fresh. But it is cheap and boisterous, making it completely and totally Boston. Nestled behind the Haymarket mbta station where the orange line and green line intersects, people from all over the city elbow through the throng in search of two things: produce and deals.

Only at Haymarket can you find pounds of produce for dollars. Vendors are all ages, races and generations and they haggle for your business. But don't try to haggle prices or quality--what you see is what you get, and when you can get 10 baby artichokes for $1, so what if half of them are moldy? Pick off the bad parts and throw the rest in a pot of boiling water. And don't even think about picking out your own oranges, your hand may get slapped and your dollar returned.

Shoppers check their manners at the door and don't be afraid of being pushed or pushing back. Watch your toes for suitcases and grocery baskets, as people navigate the crowd and the narrow streets. But the abuse is well worth the heavy bags full of deals that laden your arms as you walk home.

The best time to go to Haymarket is around noon on Fridays. If you are searching for the good stuff, that's when the produce still looks the best and the crowd is thinner. If you are searching for deals, check it out on Saturdays around 4pm, because by then the are giving the raspberries away by the box. Don't wait until Sunday because the tents, the vendors and the produce will all be gone.

And when you get home, stick it all in the fridge--it will last longer.

An ode to you, Haymarket,
with your rude attitudes,
bent tents and
boxes of berry...
no where else can you buy like that
for 10 bucks all you can carry

What's the deal with vegetable soup?

To make an amazing vegetable soup, you need not possess culinary prowess. You don't need a lot of time or energy or money, just a little bit of creativity. My first roommate in my first apartment in Boston, who would have made a great husband except for the fact that he liked men and didn't understand the concept of paying the rent, taught me a few years ago how to make a delicious, healthy meal out of nothing.

Look in the fridge and in the freezer. What vegetables do you have? Anything works. I like fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned because of they have no preservatives.

Toss whatever vegetables you want to into a pot on the stove. I can go as far to say that the pot may be the most important part of the soup. I have a stainless steel 5.5 quart pot that I love. It makes enough soup to feed a few friends and me, or just me for a few days, and it goes from stovetop to fridge easily.

I prefer to make my own broth (again, less preservatives and sodium) but you can also use canned vegetable broth. You want the broth or the water to cover the vegetables in the pot.

To make my own broth, I add to the water vegetable bouillon and seasoning. For red soups, add freshly diced or canned diced tomatoes. For chowders, add soy or rice milk later.

Add two bayleaves and allow vegetables and broth to boil. I like to add beans or pasta or rice to my soup to make it more hearty and add protein. Also consider adding quinoa or barley. Usually, I cheat and get beans from a can because they are quicker, but boiling your own beans is obviously the best way to ensure the freshest flavor and healthiest soup. I use this time while the soup pot is boiling, to boil any pasta or beans I plan to add to the soup. Cook pasta until al dente. (Pasta will continue to cook in the soup and it will dissolve and get too mushy when over-cooked.)

Add beans and/or pasta or rice to the soup at this time and turn down the heat so that it is no longer boiling. Stir all ingredients together.

At this time seasoning begins. For seasoning a quick and easy soup made from a meager spice cabinet, feel free to sprinkle salt, pepper and Mrs. Dash mixed italian seasoning.

For more variety, try including oregano, thyme, parsley, garlic powder, sage, taragon, and allspice. I prefer minced and leaf spices in soups to powders, but season to your own tastes and liking.

For sweet soups, add sugar, oregano, parsley and taragon.

For spicy soups, add curry powder or chilli powder.

Bring soup to a boil once more and allow the spices and ingredients to mingle.
Turn off the stove and leave pot covered until ready to serve.

Soup is so easy, but it fills you up with vitamins and healthy foods and it's a great way to get your vegetables. I love how it tastes differently after each bowl as flavors mingle and ingredients change. It is a perfect vegan meal because it includes so much variety. This is a basic recipe, but make it your own by adding your flair for your own tastes.

I have a penchant for enjoying it with whole wheat toast smeared with smart balance butter.

If your soup lasts for any longer than the evening, the vegetables/beans/pasta may soak up some of the broth. At that time add water and more seasoning to taste.

What is wrong with the AMERICAN DIET?

In 2007, TIME Magazine pointed out that Breast Cancer is spreading around the world because of the American Diet. Imagine the ways in which health would improve if people reduced or eliminated the consumption of the following foods...

The American Diet consists of:

• Too much white sugar
• Too much white flour
• Too much dairy products (like milk, cream, butter, cottage cheese, yogurt, especially ice cream)
• Too much processed foods
• Too much french fries
• Too much salad dressing
• Too much chips
• Too much honey
• Too much chocolate
• Too much of any type of sweeteners
• Too much spices
• Too much alcohol
• Too many birth control pills
• Too many drugs (over the counter or under)
• Too many medications
• Too many chemically grown, processed and treated foods
• Too much meat
• Too many eggs
• Too much chicken
• Too much baked cakes, cookies and bread

You are what you eat. Who wants to grow up to be a cinnamon bun???
I'd much rather be a cauliflower.

TONIGHT, NO CHILD WILL GO TO BED HUNGRY

BOSTON, MASS. 2050

Leading nations have been fighting for 2050 years to lead capitalist societies, but due to recent peace meetings discussing discussing poverty and starvation, First and Third-World countries have built a coalition to end global hunger. Today the program will launch, as a first step to solving world-wide hunger and poverty, filling children's stomachs from Africa to Mexico to Washington, D.C.

For 40 years a coalition, including one member from each nation has discussed a plan to solve the problem of unequal distribution of resources and not until this month has the coalition agreed to a solution: share--don't waste--resources.

With all the livestock in the United States eating the equivalent of 2 billion people, irresponsible practices have deepened inequality and poverty gaps. Top countries, including the USA, Britain and China have agreed to adopt Robin Hood's notion of taking from the rich and giving to the poor.

The plan will include a gradual reduction of livestock in favor of agricultural farming and institute a waste-not, want-not program.

According to Al Gore, who was the leading champion of Global Warming prevention in 2000, old technology and old ideas equal past results. New technology and old ideas equal failed results. This will be a new idea using new technology with amazing, world-changing results.

What is Mae Chop Suey?

Make something out of nothing. You can take the same ingredients and make hundreds of different meals. You can make the same meal hundreds of times and it tastes different each time. To me, food nourishes your mind, body and soul.

This blog will highlight a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. I'm a cheap vegan. I'm a recent vegan and I'm still trying to figure it all out, but I invite you to explore the vegan lifestyle with me.

It's about saving the world.
It's about saving yourself.

My signature dish is Mae Chop Suey, which is a dish of something I make out of nothing, using any ingredients I find in my kitchen. Usually it becomes a soup or a pasta, but it is always vegan and always delicious. I am a poor college student and I try not to spend money on food, so I go to Farmers' Markets and borrow my roommates food for ingredients and I have yet to disappoint a palate...

Why be a vegan?
The better question is, why not?
And the most important question is, HOW?

Visit Mae Chop Suey to follow my journey of how to make being a vegan work for you. Three years ago I was eating steak and potatoes. Two years ago I was eating manicotti. And now I eat vegetable soup. Join me in a quest for better food and better health, leading toward a better world.