The Chef: Aurelia, with an assist from Sarah PremoThe Menu: Sweet potato and peanut soup, courtesy of Ms. Sarah Premo. This rich and savory blend of sweet potatoes, red potatoes, red bell pepper, ground peanuts, and stewed tomatoes, was just a little bit spicy and a whole lot delicious. Dare we say super? You know that we do. The cheezy little pizza triangles you see alongside came fresh from the freezer—that's right, they are Amy's Non-Dairy Cheeze Rice Crust Pizza. The rice crust was surprisingly sweet and hearty, and the cheeze melted to perfection. A big salad of romaine, orange bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes finished off the totally satisfying meal.
The Goods: Yep, sometimes people just stop by and bring us tasty meals, and really, who are we to argue? Sarah doesn't even work in-house, she's just that nice of a lady. In the spirit of giving, we are officially announcing the first-ever monthly Café VegNews giveaway contest!
Here's how it works: on the last day of every month we'll be awarding some awesome goodies. Oh, you would like to know how said goodies could become your goodies? Each month we'll pose a question, and the person who posts the best comment answer will be the winner. (Best by VN editors' standards, of course.) This month, we'll be sending out a fantastic VegNews tote bag chock-full of swag. Cookies? Yes. Stellar vegan products? You betcha. More surprises in store? But of course!
The Question: What's your favorite comfort meal on a cold, rainy day? Of course, we're only interested in vegan dishes!
23 comments:
On rainy days, I love to eat spicy food. My favorite is a rich, green curry with tofu, carrots, peppers, potatoes, broccoli, peanuts (really just whatever is in my fridge), all served over basmati rice. Pair that with some cool spring rolls and hot tea and you've got one great rainy-day meal.
My favorite rainy day meal is a big bowl of escarole and bean soup! Cannelini beans, escarole, veggie broth and white wine. With whole wheat homemade croutons on top! Cooked all day of course!! Just like my Naunne use to make!! YUM!!
I live in Humboldt County so we have lots of rainy days where I need comfort. Soup is really the only thing that warms me up and gets rid of the chill. I like to make a veggie soup with onion, garlic, veggie bouillon, celery seed, red lentil, potato, carrot and chard or kale. I also like a minestrone with spelt, topped with pesto (local Nonna Lena's vegan summer pesto) and a slice of crusty bread. Yummm! It's a rainy day now and I'm ready for dinner...
favorite rainy-day meal: baked falafel wrapped in kale or collards, with a side of brussels sprouts, broccoli, and baby carrots. divine!! in fact, I enjoyed this exact rainy-day meal today :0)
Ooh, fun contest! While I do think your sweet potato & peanut soup would be more than adequate in the comfort-food department, I would have to say a grilled almond butter & banana sandwich would be my personal pick on a rainy day. (Almond butter is just 10 times more exciting than peanut butter!) And some pumpkin cookies wouldn't be a bad dessert...
On a cold rainy day, all I really want is a gigantic warm brownie and a blanket
Peanut butter tomato soup.
Canned crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, peanut butter, vegetable broth, garlic, brown rice, salt and pepper.
Makes a great soup. It thickens as it cool.
top if off with green onions.
Delicious.
Oh my, it's so hard to narrow down my favorite cold weather dish!
Tonight's Red Chard & Chickpea curry was perfect to consume while nestling under a blanket with the husband & cats. We followed it up by baking Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles!
Roasted veggies, especially Brussels Sprouts, always go over well too!
Well, today in Cleveland is gross and cold and rainy. I can barely convince myself to leave the house let alone actually attempt to make something. So my comfort food lunch today was a rather large and plain salad with Annie's goddess dressing and an Amy's bean and rice burrito. The best part about this lunch (besides it's ease) was that it consisted of items called "Amy" & "Anne" (that's me and my twin sister!).
When it starts to get a little chilly outside (which, for Los Angeles, means anything below 65 degrees) the only thing that can warm me up is a fried soy-chicken steak with a side of mashed potatoes (dripping with vegan gravy of course!). I've found that Native Foods' vegan cornbread is an excellent compliment to this dish. Then I heat up some chocolate almond milk and bury myself in blankets for the rest of the day. Not the healthiest meal, I admit, but I'll go back to salads once the sun comes out again.
Here in North Carolina, winter consists of day after day of wet. cold. rain. So, I like to bake some corn muffin tops (using a muffin top pan) to go along with a can of Health Valley's Organic Chunky Chili. Add a side of steamed spinach, and I'm a happy (warm) camper.
I crave comfort food on rainy days, so mac n' "cheese" is the clear winner. It has been my favorite food for as long as I can remember. As a child I despised all things green and only ate mac n' cheese out of a box. My grandpa, the chef, once tried to spice it up by putting some parsley on my mac. I broke into tears over the "green things" and refused to eat it.
Needless to say, things have changed! Of course, today I eat a different kind of mac n' cheese, and I even put "green things" (broccoli) in it myself! I keep container of the dry ingredients for my mac on hand, so it's just as easy to make as that boxed kind. It's kinder, tastier, and healthier than my old ways!
(The recipe is from FatFree Vegan Kitchen: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/10/easy-macaroni-and-cheeze.html)
On rainy days, I like to eat bread and pickles. It is just so good. Do you know what I mean?
Sometimes, I'll have some rice or a bit of wheat. But that is if it is less rainy. It is just so good. Do you know what I mean?
Things is a great thing. Thanks everyone. Great tips. Great times.
Hope I win! Let me win!!!
Nothing like the smell of fresh baked bread to fill the house on a rainy day! Pop in a loaf of French bread ( I cheat with a frozen ready-to-bake loaf) and while it bakes, prepare a pot of minestrone soup. Enjoy the aromas with a cup of afternoon tea and anticipate soaking up the tomato-y juices of minestrone with fresh bread. Wow.
Cold, rainy days make me want to eat piles and piles of mashed potatoes...hot and creamy, with a melty pat of Earth Balance on top and drenched in gravy. Sometimes I will cook up some onion, garlic, and crispy tofu to add to the pile. If I feel a lack of green-ness, I throw in some steamed green beans on the side, which I then proceed to eat with my fingers, like a boor. This is the most comforting of comfort foods!
A truly cold and yucky day always leads me to chili. I love that it's got heat with the temperature, AND with the spices. It's the heat that keeps on giving! I'll make up a huge pot of chili with whatever produce I have from the farmer's market. One of the great things about chili is that you can work with all sorts of seasonal veggies and get many different effects - in the dead of winter I make a great chili with butternut squash & kale & root veggies. On the cold and gloomy days of fall or spring I'll throw in more fresh tomatoes and bell peppers and corn. I always enjoy the challenge and changes of eating mostly local/seasonal produce... it gets me to experiment and stretch my standard repetoire. Of course every chili worth it's weight needs loads of different beans, onions, garlic, poblano peppers, and lots of great spices. Then all you need is some delicious bread (bakery if lazy, homemade if weekend), a warm fire, and a few friends (human or fur) to enjoy the chili with. Yum! All of a sudden, it's not looking so gloomy after all! Best of all, chili's a one-pot meal... so you get all your veggies, beans, and carbs in one big bowl... and you've only got a couple dishes to watch before you jump in bed!
On a cold rainy day I want to stay put! And not just in my house...but next to a fire, cuddled in my big thick loved blanket, usually with my husband or son cuddled up beside me. So that means portable warm and comforting food. A one bowl dish.
So who wouldn't want to cuddle up with a piping hot box of chinese food and chopsticks to enjoy the experience? For us, large cut veggies/ingredients are a must: bok choy. carrots, bean sprouts, snap peas, broccoli, noodles, big chunks of tofu etc. in a thick sauce. So no need to get up for that napkin or fork to finish the meal.
All ya need now, is a pot of hot tea and a good flick to complete the night. Makes me wish every day was cold and rainy!
This is an easy one...I love soup on a cold, rainy day. We've had many of those lately in Los Angeles and my cookbooks' soup sections are getting a work out! Of course, a steaming hot cup of vegan hot chocolate is especially yummy, too. :)
My favorite comfort food on a cold day has to be lasagna, of any kind. There's something soothing about keeping the house warm with the oven on, opening up the oven to see a sizzling pan of baked lasagne noodles topped with a sweet tomato sauce in between the layers and any kind of veggies in between. And of course who could forget some nice vegan cheese melted on top. My most comforting thought is in the crispy top layer that is broiled for the last minutes of baking. Mmm.
Hmmmmm..... rainy days. Lots of time couped up inside, what better eay to spend in than to make some fancy pants vegan cupcakes, oh yeah. This is the time to pull out all the stops. Whether it's using single source chocolate, sneaking in some hazelnut liquor, or spicing it up with chili powder, they all give you a reason to stay out of bed. But the frosting, now that's where you can get creative. I could spend all afternoon decorating each little unique cupcake and the rain comes pouring down....
Cold rainy day screams Biscuits and Gravy with vegan Sausage. And to be healthy maybe a side of peas and corn. YUM.
And some freshly baked scones.
I love to whip together a batch of 'Easy Macaroni and Cheeze' from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen blog--it's so easy and fast to make, and incredibly comforting. If I have veggies on hand, I'll steam them lightly and toss them with the noodles and sauce. Yum!
The Chocolate looks delish and yummy. I can't wait to try them.
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