Pasta and Potato Vegetable Soup

This is my version of a recipe I believe I got from "Vegetarian Times" several years ago. Perfect for the weather we've been having lately!

1 small onion, diced
1/3 - 1/2 c. chopped celery
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. dry red wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 T. dried parsley (or 1/3 c. chopped fresh parsley)
1 T. dried basil
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. salt
8 cups vegetable broth, water, or any combination of the two
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
3/4 c. dried pasta (macaroni, penne, or something like that)
1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large soup pot, sauté onion, celery, and carrot in olive oil and wine over medium-high heat until onion is transparent. Add garlic, sauté another minute. Add tomatoes, herbs, salt, and water or broth, and bring to a boil. Add beans, pasta, and potatoes, and cook at a low boil until vegetables are soft, potatoes are fork-tender, and pasta is cooked. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta Stew with Beans)

This is a recipe I modified from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant by The Moosewood Collective. It's a really cool cookbook with recipes from various ethnic regions (including the Southeast US!) and countries, and the original recipe that I modified is in the Italy section. Don't let the kale turn you off. It actually MAKES the dish.

3 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced - halve big slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch kale, washed, destemmed, and torn into bite-sized pieces
1 28-oz. can chopped tomatoes, with juice (Muir Glen has cans of fire-roasted tomatoes, and these really give the stew a wonderful smoky taste.)
1 can canellini or Great Northern beans (with juice this time!)
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley or 2 T. dried parsley
2 T. chopped fresh basil or 1 T. dried basil
oregano, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb. pasta (short, chunky variety, like penne)

Start cooking the pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large soup pot, and sauté the onion and carrot for a few minutes. Add garlic and kale. Stir unti the kale is wilted down but not drying out. Add tomatoes with juice, beans with juice, and herbs. You can add water to make it thinner if that is what you like. Don't add water to keep it stewier.
When the pasta is done cooking, drain, and mix with the bean and tomato sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn out into a serving bowl, and serve hot.

Tuscan Beans with Tomato Sauce and Sage

This is a recipe I adapted from Ursula Ferrigno's Truly Italian cookbook - an excellent Italian vegetarian cookbook. It is highly recommended not only for the recipes, but for the beautiful photographs of Italy. This particular recipe is deceptively simple. The leftovers can be eaten atop crusty European bread as a snack. YUM!

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance.)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 T. dried/rubbed sage (more, if you prefer)
1 can chopped tomatoes with juice
2 cans canellini or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Heat the oil and butter together in a medium saucepan. Add the sage and garlic and fry in the oil/butter mixture for 1 minute.
2. Add the tomatoes and tomato juice, the beans, the salt, and the pepper, and simmer together for 5 minutes until heated through.

Vegan Chili

This is a recipe from The NEW Farm Vegetarian Cookbook that I modified. It is my standard vegetarian chili recipe now. I had a dedicated meat-eater tell me this is the best chili she had tasted in her life! So there you go!

2 cans beans, rinsed and drained (I use 1 can of pinto and 1 can of red kidney beans, but you can use whatever you want. Black beans are supposed to be the least gas-producing beans, if that is a concern to you.)
1 c. TVP (This is Texturized Vegetable Protein. You can get it at Kroger in the health food section. I usually buy it in the bulk section of Whole Foods.)
7/8 c. boiling water
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. plus 2 T. chili powder
2 t. salt, divided
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. expeller pressed canola oil
3 1/2 c. tomatoes and tomato sauce and even water (You pick the combination, depending on how thick you like the chili. I use 1 can of tomato sauce, 1 can of petite-diced tomatoes, and a little water to wash the tomato residue out of the cans.)
1 t. cumin
pinch black or red pepper

1. Put the tomato mix, 2 T. chili powder, cumin, 1 t. salt, and black or red pepper in a large soup pot. Begin to simmer.
2. Add beans to the pot.
3. Soak TVP, garlic powder, 1/2 t. chili powder, and 1 t. salt in boiling water for 10 minutes, then add to the pot.
4. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add to the pot.
5. Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes before serving, to allow the flavors to "marry." It is my personal opinion that this is even better the next day, after it has been in the fridge overnight.

Cuban Black Beans

This is adapted from a recipe my friend Elaine gave me. I am not sure what cookbook she may have gotten it from. She has advised me that my topping of fresh tomatoes is not properly Cuban. If you want to be authentic, top with chopped fresh white onion, per Elaine. Thank you, Elaine!

1 lb. dried black beans
1 T. salt
2 T. plus 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, deseeded and deveined, chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 bay leaves
1 T. dried oregano
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 c. prepared white rice (Ok to use brown if you're taking better care of yourself!)
chopped fresh tomatoes to garnish

1. Wash the beans well after picking through them to remove any stones. Put the beans in acovered pot with the salt and 2 T. olive oil and water to cover. Soak 8 hours or overnight.
2. Simmer beans in the same water. Add bay leaves, oregano, and ground pepper. Cook until tendter, 1.5 - 2 hours. Stir very little to avoid breaking the skins on the beans. Add additional water as they are cooking, if necessary. Cook the rice during this time so that it's ready to go when the beans are.
3. Sauté onion, peppers, and garlic in the remaining 2 T. olive oil until soft. Stir these into the finished beans. Remove the bay leaves.
4. Serve the beans over the cooked rice. Garnish with chopped tomatoes.