Cooking with Erica

As a vegetarian, lentils are one of my favorite non-soy sources of protein. They are incredibly flexible; however, the staples, like this Lentil Soup, are still wonderful classics. Almost every culture has a version of lentil soup. Serve it up with a good piece of bread and you’ve got a good meal.

Lentil Soup

Lentil Soup
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I love this dish because it’s both sweet and spicy at the same time. Plus, really easy to make. Did I mention, delicious? The texture is really similar to mash potatoes, but so much better.

Savory Indian Sweet Potatoes

Savory Indian Sweet Potatoes
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This is a recipe from my friend, B. This acorn squash is very light and serves as a great change from the traditional heaps of brown sugar and marshmallow mix. This is sweet, yet not overwhelming.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Orange-Ginger Dressing
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This was a failed experience of sorts. I’ve tried in the past to make Pad Thai, and there was just something missing. So when my friend B tried the following recipe with a good review, I figured that I try it myself. Part of the problem, for me, was the fish oil. I figured that maybe fish oil was as essential to Pad Thai as beef broth is to French Onion Soup. Instead, I just made myself sick from smelling fish oil and remembering every reason why I don’t eat fish and protest fellow “vegetarians” who do.

Jason, being the omnivore in the house, did like this recipe. Which is good as he had to finish cooking it and eat it.

Tofu Pad Thai
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When we go grocery shopping, Jason always tries to buy cookies. Usually, I tell him no and he puts them back. Of course, then I bake him cookies as it’s cheaper, they taste better, and they tend to have less sugar so I can enjoy them too.

In our Halloween card, my maternal grandma included $5, saying to use the money to buy Jason cookies. Apparently, she was very offended on Jason’s behalf that I didn’t indulge his cookie-buying whim.

Grandma, here are some cookies I made for Jason. He is not deprived of delicious cookies.

The original recipe is from Melissa.

Sunshine Cookies
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I love pie and pumpkin pie is by far my favorite pie. One of my favorite things about the holiday season is pumpkin pie. (Even though all ingredients are available all year around, no one has heard my protest to make pumpkin pie a yearly pie.) Delicious pumpkin pie.

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I love Chai Tea, so I decided to try to make my own based on this Chai Tea recipe. I used an English Breakfast tea for my black tea. I think it needed a milder black tea with less flavor, but in general it turned out well. If you want more or less sugar, it’s easier to make with less and then add.

Chai Tea
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Both Jason and I think this dish is spicy enough, but not flavorful enough. Gretchen thought it was beyond perfect. But overall, it was pretty good. Plus, it’s a quick meal to make if you marinate the tofu in advance. (I ended up making a batch of cookies while I was waiting.)

Basil Tofu in Coconut-Curry Sauce
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