All-Veggie Dinner

Vegetable Power Protein Soup

Yield: 4

Ingredients:

Stock

• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 3 stalks of celery, sliced thinly
• 3 x onions, thinly sliced
• 4 x carrots, diced
• 1 x small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1 cup of button mushrooms, quartered
• 4 x garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup of white wine
• 8 cups of cold water
• 3 sprig of thyme
• 3 x bay leaves

Soup

• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 3 x carrots, diced
• 2 x celery stalks, diced
• 2 x onions, diced
• 8 cups of vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup of brown rice
• 1/2 cup of lentils
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen corn
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen peas
• 1 bunch of flat leaf parsley

Directions:

Stock

1. Heat olive oil and sauté the vegetables until they begin to brown slightly. This will brighten and deepen their flavours. Add the garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. It’s always best to add the garlic last because it burns so quickly. Add wine, water and herbs and simmer for 30 minutes. Unlike meat stock – which would take much longer – this is plenty of time for the vegetables to release their flavours. Strain and use immediately, refrigerate or freeze.

Soup

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot, then sauté the carrots, celery and onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. Add rice and lentils and continue to simmer until they are tender, about 30 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the peas, corn and parsley then heat through. This way they will retain their bright fresh flavours and colours. Taste, then season with salt and pepper.

Asparagus Red Onion Salad

Ease of Preparation: Easy
4 Servings

Asparagus is my son Gabe’s favourite vegetable so I’ve invented a lot of ways to serve it to keep him from getting bored. Here it stars in a tasty salad that grown-ups will love too!

Asparagus Red Onion Salad

Two large bunches of asparagus
The juice and zest of a lemon
A generous splash of extra virgin olive oil
A handful of fresh dill
Pickled red onions
A sprinkle or two of salt and pepper

Trim off the tough woody bottoms of the asparagus spears and cut the remaining top pieces in half. Steam them until they’re bright green and tender – but not mushy. Immediately run them under cold water to stop them from cooking further. Drain well.

Toss the asparagus with the remaining ingredients then season them and enjoy!

Pickled Red Onions

Ease of Preparation: Easy
2 Cups

These tasty onions lose all their pungency in the pickling process but gain a sweet sharpness that makes them a great last minute addition to any salad. They’re a multi-purpose condiment and are delicious with any type of fish.

Pickled Red Onions

Two large red onions
A cup of sugar
A cup of red wine vinegar
A sprinkle or two of salt and pepper


Slice the onions as thinly as possible. You may find it useful to first slice them in half and lay them on their cut side before slicing them further. Cram the sliced onions into a large mason jar.

Pour the sugar and vinegar into a small pot and bring to a boil with the salt and pepper. Pour the hot syrup over the onions; cover them and let rest overnight in the refrigerator before use.



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