February Recipe Roundup
Here are some things I tried cooking in February!
Above: from Spirited Away, of course! |
I've realized I started this series of posts last month and never really explained my motivation in doing so.
While I'm by no foodie or an Instagram/TikTok-worthy cook, I still think its important to show a realistic example of what vegetarian eating can look like. I think this is especially important at the start of a new calendar year (i.e. January and February) when many have resolutions or goals involving dietary changes.
Vegetarianism and/or plant-based diets are not always slim, white, and aspirational. Our meals at home, more often than not, taste a hundred times better than they look, and oftentimes involve cans of cream of mushroom soup and french fries rather than hemp hearts and date purees.
Comfort Food: (Veggie) Hamburger Soup
I hadn't had hamburger soup in years and then one day as I was falling asleep I remembered it! It just seemed the cozy thing we needed for the early, colder days of February. I used this recipe from Best of Bridge. This old-fashioned soup is pretty cheap to make, too!
I used veg ground round instead of ground beef of course, veggie broth instead of consomme (it's what I had on hand). Also very important - I didn't used barley, I made this with macaroni noodles because that's what I remember!
I thought it was strange that the recipe called for a can of tomato soup in this soup but can assure you this was delicious.
Something kinda fancy: Sweet leek carbonara
This recipe by Jamie Oliver was very easy and tasty and felt like a more sophisticated meal with the leeks. Very nice for early spring.
A rare tofu appearance: Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls
We very rarely eat tofu at home. In fact, I think in the last 12 months I have purchased tofu maybe three times. This recipe from Pinch of Yum was pretty tasty though, a good weeknight meal. We made the sauce in the magic bullet and it all came together quickly. The only change I would make is that next time we'll fry the tofu instead of baking it!