This is one of my favorite soups. It’s delicious, quick and easy to make, which is the ideal combination for my busy life. The real secret to this recipe is the sun-dried tomatoes, but you really can’t go wrong with anything based on tomatoes and basil, and as an added bonus, the lentils make it a hearty soup. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
1 cup lentils (rinsed)
2 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
1 peeled and chopped carrot
1/2 cup reconstituted, chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 chopped medium onion
1/4 cup freshly chopped basil
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add all other ingredients and bring to boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
Buy the What Dawn Eats: Vegan food that isn’t weird cookbook for more recipes like this one.
Variations
- Add 1/2 cup rice and an additional 1 cup water.
- Experiment with additional spices. Oregano and thyme would make good choices.
- Make a spicy soup by adding some crushed red pepper or chopped chili peppers.
- Add a few mushrooms, broccoli or other vegetables.
- Naturally gluten-free and can be easily made low-sodium by substituting water from reconstituting the sun-dried tomatoes in place of the vegetable broth.
More information for Lentil Soup with Tomato and Basil recipe:
- Prep time: 10 min
- Cook time: 40 min
- Total time: 50 min
The name already has everything you need to know. Nothing fancy, not too much work and still yummy. Makes 8 servings.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney) beans
2 14-ounce cans chopped tomatoes (including the juice)
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
freshly ground pepper and additional chili powder to taste
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until onions are tender. Add garlic and sauté another 30 seconds.
Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook for at least 20 minutes (you can also cook it a lot longer).
Serve hot in bowls with your favorite crackers or cornbread.
Buy the What Dawn Eats: Vegan food that isn’t weird cookbook for more recipes like this one.
Variations
- Add a pound of veggie ground beef, crumbled veggie burgers, textured vegetable protein (TVP), quinoa or similar grain for a “meaty” chili.
- Replace some or all of the kidney beans with black beans for a black bean chili.
- Use fire roasted crushed or diced tomatoes for a smoky flavor. Muir Glen sells cans of fire roasted tomato products.
- Throw in a handful of sun-dried tomatoes because they make everything a little better.
- Add chopped hot peppers for a spicier version.
- You could also make this a vegetable chili by adding carrots, bell peppers, potatoes or other favorite veggies.
- Naturally gluten-free.
More information for Quick and Simple Chili recipe:
- Prep time: 10 min
- Cook time: 30 min
- Total time: 40 min
This is another one of my favorite summer sandwiches, and it is really just a tomato sandwich on steroids. Makes 1 sandwich.
2 slices toasted whole-wheat bread
2 slices tempeh bacon
sliced tomato
sliced avocado
lettuce
vegan mayonnaise to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Spray a non-stick frying pan with a little oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the tempeh bacon slices and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
Spread each slice of toast with mayonnaise. Add tempeh bacon, tomatoes, avocado, lettuce and pepper.
Pictured with yellow tomatoes and multi-colored leaf lettuce.
Buy the What Dawn Eats: Vegan food that isn’t weird cookbook for more recipes like this one.
Variations
- Replace the mayonnaise with Mango Guacamole or use guacamole, instead of avocado.
- Use spicy mustard, hummus or other spreads instead of mayonnaise.
- Add a few slices of pickles.
More information for Bacon Avocado Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich recipe:
- Prep time: 5 min
- Cook time: 5 min
- Total time: 5 min
This is great served with garlic bread or bruchetta. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
1 pound pasta (cooked according to package directions)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup freshly chopped basil
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
2 cups chopped vegetables (broccoli, mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini)
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes.
Add vegetables. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add a small amount of water of vegetable broth if they get too dry.
Add crushed tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over pasta.
Variations
- Experiment with different combinations of vegetables.
- Used grilled vegetables and skip the step where you sauté the vegetables.
- A can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes instead of regular crushed tomatoes is a great substitution.
- Throw in a handful of sundried tomatoes.
- Use fresh roma tomatoes or a can of low salt tomatoes for the low-sodium version.
- Serve over gluten-free pasta or another grain for a gluten-free meal.
More information for Pasta Marinara recipe:
- Prep time: 20 min
- Cook time: 30 min
- Total time: 50 min
Vegan Food That Isn't Weird
This is one of my favorite soups. It’s delicious, quick and easy to make, which is the ideal combination for my busy life. The real secret to this recipe is the sun-dried tomatoes, but you really can’t go wrong with anything based on tomatoes and basil, and as an added bonus, the lentils make it a hearty soup. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
