White Bean and Yellow Pea Soup

from All-American Vegetarian by Barbara Grunes and Virgina Van Vynckt

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients
2 Tbl olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup sliced celery
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups vegetable stock
1 can (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes
2 cups dry navy beans, soaked
2 cups dry yellow split peas
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup minced fresh parsley - (divided)
1 Tbl minced fresh sage
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp ground coriander
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in large pot. Add onions and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally and covering pot if necessary, until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, cook 1 minute. Add stock, tomatoes and their liquid, beans, split peas, bell pepper, 1/2 cup parsley, sage, tarragon, coriander. Bring soup to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally and adding water is soup becomes too thick. Cook for about 2 hours, until the split peas melt into the soup and the beans are tender. Add salt. Taste and adjust seasonings. Stir in 1/2 cup parsley or use to garnish individual bowls.

---

This bean soup was simple and tasty. The rest of this soup is in my freezer, and is slowly getting eaten up on foggy days.


Nutritional facts per serving (daily value): Calories 214kcal; Protein 12g (24%); Total Fat 4g (6%)(Sat. 0g (2%)); Chol. 0mg (0%); Carb. 35g (12%); Fiber 13g (53%); Sugars 6g; Calcium 97mg (10%); Iron 3mg (19%)

Cost Analysis
2 tbl olive oil - $0.44
1.5 cups onion - $1.42
4 cloves garlic - $0.19
1 cup celery - $0.47
1 cube bouillon - $0.67
1 can tomatoes - $1.59
2 cups flageolet beans* - $3.56
2 cups split peas $0.84 - $0.84
1 red bell pepper - $1.62
1 cup parsley - $0.33
1 tbl fresh sage - $0.09
1/2 tsp tarragon - $0.02 (est)
1/2 tsp corriander - $0.02 (est)
Total recipe cost: $11.25
Price per serving: $1.13

* I substituted flageolet beans for navy beans just for fun – and because they are quicker cooking. But in large quantities the navy beans are the way to go - the cost per bowl is well under $1! Who said organic cooking has to be expensive?

Tofu Mayonnaise

(Sorry for the less than stellar photo... I figure you can imagine what mayo looks like without much effort on my part.)

Yield: 20 TBL

1 cup tofu
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Add tofu, garlic, mustard, vinegar, and salt to blender. Slowly blend in oil.

---

We made this recipe in class, and I was skeptical. I mean, we didn't even use any special silken tofu. Just the regular firm stuff. But we were all extremely impressed - if you have a decent blender (or if you have a verry crappy blender and are verry patient, as in my case at home) this will turn out perfectly creamy and fool any mayo lover. Best of all tofu mayo will last forever and you don't have to worry about it going bad in your fridge or on the sandwich you take on a hike. And it's vegan. The original recipe called for lecithin, which is an emulsifier, but I didn't feel like buying any, and my mayo hasn't separated after a month.

Green Egg Salad

by Rebecca Edwards

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients
Dozen eggs - hardboiled (reserving 4 yolks if you wish)
1/2 bulb fennel, grated
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 Tbl green onion, chopped
2 Tbl fresh dill, minced
2 Tbl fresh parsley, minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 Tbl dijon mustard
3 Tbl algae marmalade*
3 Tbl apple cider vinegar*
1/3 cup tofu mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Mash the eggs with a sturdy fork, until the yolks are crumbled and the whites are in small pieces. Mix in the fennel, celery, dill, and parsley. In a small bowl, stir together the mustard, algae marmalade, and cider vinegar. Add mixture to the eggs. Gently stir in tofu mayonaise. Salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings according to your preference. You could use any fresh herbs or vegetables that you like. (If you're feeling particularly Seussian and you really want "green eggs", mix in some spirulina.)

* So because I'm me, I happened to have algae marmalade on hand that I had picked up at the supermarket in Peru. I figured this was as good an occasion as any to break it open. I mixed it with vinegar to substitute for the sweet relish I didn't have. It's a puree of algae and honey. Suprisingly tasty. If you wanted you could make this from scratch, or simulate a sweet pickle relish by mixing chopped sea vegetables, honey, and the vinegar. Or, just use a traditional sweet relish like a normal person.


I served this as an open-faced sandwich: Top a piece of whole grain toast with the egg salad mixture, a slice of fresh heirloom tomato, and crumble goat cheese on top. Broil until the cheese is melted and serve warm.

Eggs – Excellent source of vitamin K, B vitamins, selenium, vitamin D, and protein. Recent studies show that eggs actually REDUCE the risk of heart disease – dietary cholesterol is not as important as saturated fat intake. Betaine also promotes heart health. Choline (found only in the yolk) supports brain health – especially important for pregnant/breast-feeding women. Choose organic – conventional eggs are high in saturated fat and pesticides. Safety issues – salmonella. Limit consumption for people with kidney problems or herpes. (Murray 612)

Dill – Aids in digestion, lowers blood pressure, improves poor appetite. Has anti-bacterial properties. (Balch 150) Helps eliminate flatulence and indigestion. Detoxifies the liver, in fact it’s known as a “chemoprotective” which neutralizes some carcinogens. (Murray 483)

Parsley – Powerful diuretic. Prepare raw to preserve nutrients. (Balch 152) High chlorophyll content, vitamin C, flavenoids, carotenes, volatile oils all contribute to anti-cancer properties. Shown to limit carcinogenic properties of fried foods. (Murray 220)