Sunday Night Goulash

The weather teams had been telling us all week that Sunday was going to bring the coldest temperatures in a decade. Then Friday they changed their minds. I'm not complaining - it was sunny and 68 degrees! It just wasn't soup weather anymore. But I already had on the menu "Vegetarian Goulash" from Nava's Vegetarian Soups cookbook. It's her take on Hungarian goulash, made with potatoes, carrots, green beans, and seitan. I used sweet potatoes instead of white. Then I didn't want to use carrots (orange again), so I used cauliflower, which actually turned orange. I hate frozen green beans and the fresh ones looked awful, so I used edamame. The goulash is seasoned only with vegetable broth, red wine, fresh parsley, and of course paprika. It is wonderful, a real meat and potatoes type stew. I got a huge pot full, probably because of the cauliflower.



I had just made a pot of black beans, so I made a black bean, corn, and red pepper salad to go with the goulash.



Although we didn't actually watch the Super Bowl, I felt the need to make chips and dip. I had a huge bag of corn tortillas in the freezer, so I made the chips from those.


We like Alton Brown's guacamole. I made that to go with the chips. Why do I wait for sporting events to make chips and guacamole?



Chase fixed his plate and goulash like this:

For treats, I made Schoolyard Oatmeal Cookies. I used sour cherries instead of cranberries, and also added in some chocolate chips. We loved these cookies. Sugar-free, not too sweet, and I like the recipe because it only makes a dozen cookies.

I also made Native Blend Popcorn Balls from the Vegan Lunch Box blog, which I've been dying to make. I used puffed corn instead of popcorn. (I guess I made "Puff"corn Balls....) and as much as I love these, I just had all kinds of trouble getting them together, probably because cornpuffs don't have all the nooks and crannies of popcorn. I had to keep putting the mixture in the microwave to remelt the sugar, then burn my hands trying to form the balls before the sugar hardened again. But they are really really delicious and I definitely recommend you give them a try - but using popcorn!

Oh, I had thought about having Southwest Sunshine burgers to have with our meal (I made rice instead) and then I was feeling bad about having store bought burgers and buns, so I made ketchup from Real Food Daily. I had to add a little more agave nectar because it didn't seem sweet enough, but otherwise it's an easy and tasty recipe. I forgot to send some home with Chase, so I now have 3-1/2 cups of ketchup that will only keep for 5 days. Hopefully Chase will come have a burger with me later this week.

Now I get to enjoy some Sunday night leftovers and a couple more days of 70 degree weather.