Vegucating Robin: Cannellini Bean Concerto Stoup

After the success of my spaghetti squash, VM was forced decided that we should join forces to make the inaugural Vegucating Robin recipe, Cannellini Bean Concerto.  If you were wondering where I get my predilection to substitute, she claimed she could make "this" soup without consulting the recipe and by using celery.  Note: there is no celery called for whatsoever; we used the recipe as written.

The actual ingredients.

white onion, kale, cannellini beans, carrots, tarragon (broth unpictured)

VM is a great eyeballer and we have extremely similar tastes and neurosis proportion preferences, so we agreed upon these minor substitutions:

• 2 cans of beans instead of 1 lb dry (ironically, VM doesn't like things "too beany")

• 7 small carrots instead of 2 (big fans of them in our matzoh ball soup too)

• 7 cups of broth instead of 5 (not ones for stingily brothed soups) [update: leftovers absorbed much of the broth so I'd recommend starting with 8 cups]

The soup turned out fantastic, with the unexpected flavor of the tarragon both subtle and unmistakable.  It was really amazing what a few, fresh ingredients could become in a relatively short time.

We are both admitted fans of Amy's canned soups, so this was not only an unusual occurrence, but an extraordinary treat.

This may be one of my new favorite soups; thank goodness there is some leftover.

Vegucating Robin Spaghetti (Squash) with Pesto

Since cooking classes are out of the budget of late, I've been somewhat hooked on Vegucating Robin, the relatively new, online, vegan cooking show hosted by Robin Quivers and Gavan Murphy.  Their recipes all seem appealing, hearty, and do-able, and I finally attacked the spaghetti squash It Looks Like Pasta recipe, accompanied by It's Not Pesto Without Pine Nuts (with slight variation).

First off was the spaghetti squash.  Be forewarned that halving it is a very dangerous feat for all fingers involved, but after that it's pretty much smooth sailing.  However, it bears repeating; halve your squash with extreme caution.

Yes, that's the floor.  I needed leverage!

Once divided, enjoy the aroma that reminds you that this is going to be no more fun to de-seed than a pumpkin.

Because I was really out of my element roasting squash I was hesitant to deviate from the recipe.  So, the only variation that occurred was that I didn't use fresh herbs on the pan.  And guess what?  The dried worked fine.

The oil & herbs on top serve no purpose; it was just transferred when I flipped 'em.

The great thing about spaghetti squash is that it requires no special skill or equipment.  All you need is a fork and nature does the work for you.

Remember to scrape all the way down to the skin.  Much like an avocado, you'll know when you've gone to far.

Eventually you'll wind up with a great big mound of vegetable spaghetti.

Unexpectedly, my basil plant has been flourishing since I brought it indoors from the sunroom for the winter and I had just enough of its giant leaves to make a nice batch of pesto using the VR recipe.

If you look closely you can see the surrender flag leftover from when I thought it was a goner.

I was all zested out, so I substituted 1/4 cup of lemon juice for the lemon zest.  I also added 2 tsp minced garlic and cut the oil by 1/3.  It was good, but I prefer my pesto creamier, i.e. even less oil and more nuts.

In general, I'm not a huge fan of pesto; so, I don't make it often.  But with the spaghetti squash it was infinitely superior than on traditional pasta.  Serving it on a vegetable rather than macaroni really cuts the richness to a tolerable and more healthful level.

For leftovers I tossed in some tomatoes and it was even better.

Tip: For whatever reason, it's much easier to navigate and print recipes from Gavan's site than directly from Vegucating Robin.