Vegetable Soup on the fly

I'm TERRIBLE at planning ahead for dinner. I have good intentions. I'll try to start a menu plan where I write everything out for the week or month or whatever and do my shopping based on that. but when it comes time to cook I'm either too distracted to realize it's time to start making food, or I end up working late or I just don't feel like eating what I had planned. Inevitably, I always slack off with the menu. Usually before I even get through my first list. :p That means I'm usually scrambling around at 5, 6 sometimes even as late as 7-730 trying to figure out what to make for dinner. I really need to work on that.-_- 

Tonight I searched through some soup recipes when I got home from work trying to decide on dinner but nothing was really looking all that great. Because the clock was ticking I did what I often do, I just decided to wing it. The result was a tasty vegetable soup that pleased half the family and at least filled the bellies of the other, less pleased, half. ;)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head broccoli, chopped
• 1 head cauliflower, chopped
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 can no salt added corn, drained
• 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 cups dried pasta (I used Radiatore because I saw it on the shelf at the store and thought it would be awesome in soup... cool shape!)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 4 cups water

DIRECTIONS

1. Add vegetable broth, water, veggies and spices to pot. Stir to combine.
2. Cover and cook on medium for about an hour. 
3. In the last ten minutes of cook time add dry pasta and stir to combine.

Seriously could not be easier! Would work great in the crock pot as well. I really liked it, my 16 year old loved it... my 14 and 18 year olds said, meh. They thought it was bland. Which was especially odd since my middle son and I both thought it was spicy and flavorful. lol SOOO maybe I won't make it too often, or maybe I'll change something up a bit next time, but I will make it again because I thought it was tasty! :)

Tofu Scramble & Home Fries

I've been wanting to try a tofu scramble for a while now. I've never been a fan of eggs, even before I was vegan, but my kids always liked scrambled eggs, especially when they were made for dinner. So tonight I decided it was time to give it a try. I looked at a couple recipes and decided to start with this basic one from PPK, altered slightly to fit my own tastes.

TOFU SCRAMBLE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound extra firm tofu, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• black pepper to taste
• sprinkle cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• sprinkle imitation bacon bits
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• handful button mushrooms, sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat. 
2. Saute the garlic in olive oil for about a minute. 
3. Break the tofu apart into bite sized pieces and saute for about 10 minutes, using a spatula to stir often. Get under the tofu when you are stirring, scrape the bottom and don’t let it stick to the pan. The water should cook out of it and not collect too much at the bottom of the pan. If that's happening, turn the heat up and let the water evaporate.
4. I completely missed the step where she said to mix the spices ahead of time with some water so I just measured, added and dumped them all into the pan with the mushrooms and peppers. I cooked for maybe 5 more minutes after I added everything, stirring the whole time to combine all the spices.
5. Serve warm.

I originally wanted to make these into breakfast burritos so I planned to make some potatoes to go with the scramble. But we only had small tortillas so I just served everything on a plate together with some toast. The home fries recipe I used (yes I had to look up a recipe, lol. I've never made them before. Who knew it was so easy?!) was on All Recipes.

 

HOME FRIES

INGREDIENTS

• 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 tablespoons Earth Balance
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse potato cubes with cold water, and drain well. 
2. Melt Earth Balance in a large skillet over medium heat. 
3. Place potatoes in the skillet, and stir to coat with butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, and cook for another 10 minutes, turning frequently until brown and crisp on all sides.

Everyone loved everything. My youngest said we're calling it - 'scrambled fu' from now on and he wants me to make it again... tomorrow and the next day and the next day. lol I think it's safe to say I'll be making this one again in the future.