Vegetarian Green Pozole

 This weekend, we were finally able to have a few friends over for dinner at our new house, but my husband came down with a cold.  I was a little torn because I wanted to make something soothing for him, but filling enough for our friends.  My favorite soup ever is Pozole and I have been dying to make the green kind so I thought may as well try it.  I made guacamole to have with chips as an appetizer and we shared a growler of Black Rye IPA (thanks Haven!), then made a simple chopped Kale and Radicchio salad with pepitas, dried cranberries and blue cheese tossed in a blush wine vinaigrette as a starter while moving on to drinking a Rangeland Syrah.

For the green sauce: Roast peeled Tomatillos, a Jalapeño, Serrano Chiles and
Garlic cloves.  While roasting, blend 1/2 cup of pepitas in a food processor.
Add the roasted veggies (remove all seeds from peppers) and blend until almost
smooth while adding a little olive oil.

On to the main event, my friend sent me her family recipe for a Green Chicken Pozole, which I used for the green sauce, but for the broth I ended up using the Trader Joe's Vegetable Broth. I don't think I completely nailed the green pozole as I wanted to roast the veggies for the tomatillo sauce before blending them, but instead simmered them in water.  Also, next time I am going to make it with chicken for more flavor than the vegetarian broth.  However, it was still very good and we had a great time!!

Once the green sauce is made, put it in a small pot and let it simmer on very low while you take the large pot and toss in diced onions, red bell peppers and garlic with a little olive oil.  Cook on medium heat for 4 minutes, then add rinsed Hominy (maize) and add cumin and cayenne pepper.  After 5 more minutes of stirring, add in vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil, then add green sauce and simmer for 20-30 minutes to let the flavors combine and settle.  Right before serving, add oregano, salt and pepper and lime juice.  

The best thing about pozole is adding all the condiments after! We used
chopped onions, radishes, cabbage, avocado, lime and tostadas!

Tomato-Basil Soup

Yesterday it was cold, dark, rainy and breezy in LA.  So on my way home from work, I decided to make something warm and comforting.  I used this recipe for the soup and made my own little mini-grilled cheese sandwiches.  It was a delicious combo and helped get us warm and cozy for the night!

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

With all this chilly weather the past two days, I have been so excited to start making soups.  I got this recipe here and let me say, this was delicious! So much so, that between my husband and I, we had none leftover.  We toasted some sourdough with the Smart Balance vegan butter and enjoyed!

I used the food processor to dice the garlic and onion.  Then I chopped zucchini, 

celery, carrots and added Anaheim peppers for a little spice. 

The chopped spinach and tomatoes I added in after the broth was broiling.

Sauteing the veggies and spices in olive oil

The end result. This was truly SOOO good!

                                                                            -Buon appetito!