Vegan Cupcakes, Ayurvedic Soup 1-2-3

So there were two totally new recipes that I worked on today 1)Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes, and 2) Ayurvedic Tomato Spinach Soup. Details to follow as I am prepping these plus additional dishes for tomorrow evening's event in Westerly, RI.

The Tomato Soup was fast and fun to create. I took the whole vine ripened tomatoes, cut an "x" into the bottoms of each, and roasted for 25 minutes at 375 degreees with olive oil, rosemary, thyme, black pepper. Once you remove them from the oven, you peel away the skin off of each tomato, (which comes off like a prom dress). The skinned roasted tomatoes were then pureed in my Cuisinart along with some crushed red pepper - as the season is predominantly Vata, and we can all use a little heat. This mixture went into a large saucepan which already contained chopped red onion, tarragon, marjoram, fresh finely sliced basil, some nutmeg, tamari, sauteed in olive oil, 5 cups of vegetable stock and 1 large colander full of washed whole spinach.

The whole thing comes together beautifully, the spinach wilts down, just a bit. The nutmeg harmonizes with the fresh basil and voila - you'll have this amazing, cleansing soup.

I've already got the chapati dough shaped and ready to roll out, the black eye bean curry, berry compote and all natural peanut butter cups will all be prepared tomorrow. I hope that the crowd will enjoy the food; I am also giving out some recipe cards, along with sachets of tri-doshic chai which can be brewed up at home.

Ayurvedic Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup

Ayurvedic Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup

2 Cans Black Beans (Drained & Rinsed)

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

5 Bay Leaves

1/2 Large Red Onion, Chopped

1 Cup Celery, Sliced

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 Tbsp Tamari

3 Tsp Cinnamon

3 Tsp Cumin

1 Tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Red Pepper*

2 Large Carrots (Cleaned & Chopped)

3 Medium Sweet Potatoes, Diced

1 Can Diced Tomatoes (All Natural)

4 Cups Vegetable Stock

3 Cups Rough Torn Kale (Or Spinach)

Salt To Taste

Chopped Cilantro To Top

Plain Yogurt to Top (Optional)

1. Place the beans in a large saucepan with the bay leaves, add enough water to reach 3" above the beans. Bring to a boil. Once they begin to boil, reduce to low heat and simmer

2. In a separate large, deep pan heat oil, add onion, celery, Tamari & all spices. Stir constantly over medium heat.

3. Add potatoes and carrots, continue to stir and saute for 5-6 minutes. Add this mixture carefully to the boiling bean pot. Add the tomatoes, vegetable stock now bring back to a boil, stirring to prevent sticking.

4. Reduce to medium heat, and simmer 40-45 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Off heat, add the rough torn greens (I Loved the Kale, Spinach or Chard are nice as well). They will wilt in the pan, and that's that!

5. Top w. plenty of chopped cilantro and add a dollup of plain lowfat yogurt in your bowl, add more yogurt if too spicy. Enjoy!

*You may leave out the red pepper if your constitution is Ptta, or if you are having a grumpy day, as the hot pepper may aggravate your already hot tempered head. Skip the yogurt if you are Kapha. Vata can have the pepper and even add more to warm those chilly bones.