What to Make & Eat This Week

Common budget-friendly ingredients add up to amazing meals

As I’ve mentioned here to my readers, I’ve had a trio of mishaps since the beginning of October — covid, a fractured arm, and most recently, a fractured tooth (arguably the most annoying of all). I think that my diet of produce galore and plant proteins has been helping me heal apace, and I’m determined to be as good as new by Thanksgiving!

What I’m already thankful for is how my daughter has stepped up to take care of me; her newest love languages is cooking. This is a gal who until fairly recently didn’t cook at all. As of late, she’s plunged in with both feet.

Her favorite thing to make is soup, but she’s also experimenting with ingredients not always found at the supermarket. Asian condiments, unusual noodles, etc. Now she’s growing oyster mushrooms in the kitchen, and when the mood strikes, she makes amazing homemade seitan.

It’s great to get out of one’s culinary comfort zone, but on the flip side, in this edition, I acknowledge that food is hella expensive, and so today’s recipes focus on common, budget-friendly ingredients available at any supermarket. I hope these demonstrate that it’s possible to eat well without breaking the bank.

This week, we’ll be making …

• Carrot-Ginger Soup (with a Parsnip Variation)

• Rice and Chickpea Salad with Spinach and Raisins

• BBQ-Flavored Lentil Sloppy Joes

• Pasta alla Norma (Italian Pasta with Eggplant)

Bonus recipe

• Easiest Vegan Parmesan-Style Topping

Carrot-Ginger Soup (with a Parsnip Variation)

Carrot-ginger soup is made easier by using baby carrots, eliminating the need for a lot of peeling and chopping. Naturally plant-based, this delicious pureed vegetable soup recipe can be enjoyed in the fall, winter, and spring. 

Pureed vegetable soups like this one are a concentrated source of nourishment and a perfect comfort delivery system. My daughter Alice made this for me last week when I was relegated to pureed foods, and oh my gosh, it felt so nourishing.

A carrot-y shortcut: Let’s face it—peeling and chopping two pounds of carrots is a bit of a project. Instead, here we’ll be tossing two bags of organic baby carrots into the soup pot.

Complete the meal

• Serve with fresh bread and a protein-packed spread like Chickpea Salad and Sandwich Spread or Ridiculously Easy "Tofuna" Salad or Sandwich Spread.

• Or, pair the soup with a high-protein salad on the side. Lemony Quinoa and Chickpea Salad with Fresh Herbs and Quinoa and Black Bean Salad with Corn and Avocado are two good choices.

This recipe makes about 6 servings. For more tips and the printable recipe card, see the full post.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

• Two 16-ounce bags baby carrots (or see parsnip variation)

• 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (try fire-roasted)

• 2 to 3 teaspoons grated fresh or bottled ginger

• 1 1/2 to 2 cups plant-based milk, or as needed

• Juice of 1 orange (1/4 to 1/3 cup; plus its zest, optional)

• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• Chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until both are golden. 

2. Add the carrots (or carrots and parsnips), tomatoes, and ginger. Add enough water to not quite cover the vegetables.

3. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat.

4. With a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked vegetables, along with a little of the cooking liquid, to a blender. Process in batches to a smooth consistency and return the puree to the soup pot. Or better yet, insert an immersion blender into the soup pot and process until well pureed.

5. Return to low heat. Stir in enough plant-based milk to give the soup a medium-thick consistency. Add the orange juice and optional zest,

6. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook just until piping hot, then serve. Pass around chopped fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish.

Parsnip variation: Use one 1-pound bag baby carrots plus one 1-pound bag fresh parsnips. If the parsnips are small and very fresh, you can get away with just scrubbing — especially if you'll be pureeing this in a blender rather than using an immersion blender. If the parsnips are larger and the skin looks thick and tough, go that extra step and peel them.