Cream of Asparagus Soup

What a great and unique soup. First things first. I wanted to try to make it with almond milk so it was dairy free, but I was a little nervous about doing that for this one. Asparagus soup sounded very different to me so I did not want to stray from the recipe too much. But I will substitute milk for almond on the next cream based soup. I did, however, use fat free organic milk. And of course Smart Balance in place of butter. I don't think either substitution had any negative effects on flavor. In fact, for a cream based soup, this was light and frothy and just delicious. I think I may have over done it a little with the white pepper as well as the dill. I used fresh and a lot of it. Just something to keep in mind for next time. But it turned out great! I hope you enjoy! And as always, just send me a message if you are curious about the recipe. Or of course pick up the cookbook!

Gypsy Soup!

I had never heard of Gypsy Soup before this endeavor and let me just say, I was missing out! I stayed pretty true to the recipe since it was so new to me. Of course, I used extra garlic. I also substituted the green peppers for red and yellow since they were on sale and taste better. I used two bay leaves instead of one cause I like to live on the edge and I used canned chick peas instead of cooked fresh cause who has time for that. Once again, Kelly was my amazing chopper. I am going to have to keep her on staff in my kitchen permanently I think! Once again, I am wishing I doubled this recipe.

I am looking forward to the weekend so I can continue this soup adventure. The past few days have been somewhat yucky and today pretty much topped it off...and its still early. I am looking forward to the routine of following a recipe. And the satisfaction of tasting it!

Spicy Tomato Soup

First of all, let me just say that I am a connoisseur of tomato soup. Well, this has to be the best I have ever dipped my spoon in! I had some help with this one. Kelly was my expert chopper and I do believe she will be invited over every time I cook from now on to take on this daunting task. There were a couple of changes I did make to the recipe. I don't keep butter in the house so I used Smart Balance instead. So little butter is used in this recipe that I don't think you can tell much of a difference. I used fresh dill and a bit more than the recipe suggests. I love my herbs! My only regret: THAT I DIDN'T DOUBLE THE RECIPE!

Welcome to The Moose Wood Chronicles

Welcome Aunt Shula, Susie and probably Virginia....and whoever else is interested in this journey. On Aunt Shula's recent visit, she bought me a critically acclaimed vegetarian cookbook. I decided, in the style of two ladies named Julie and Julia, I would cook my way through this cookbook, one recipe at a time, and report on my findings, substitutions and opinions. This weekend, the adventure begins. First section: Soups! My favorite!