french onion soup

How is this for perplexing: My eldest daughter cannot stand onions in anything. In fact, she picks them out if she can. BUT her favorite soup is French Onion. Go figure.

This soup is easy to make, but there is a lot of stand-by cooking, kind of like for an airplane, but not as tedious. Not necessarily food-sitting, but standing near-by to stir the onions while they cook for an hour. You can wash the dishes from last night, read a book, mop the floor - whatever, as long as you are standing by. Once the onions are cooked way down (from 8 cups to maybe 2 cups) the soup is almost done. This soup is deep, dark and rich. You can serve it with Daiya or Follow Your Heart or just a crouton.

It is no wonder Cat likes it so much.

Cost Breakdown:

onions: $2

homemade stock: $1

bread: $2

 wine: $1

tamari: $ .50

Total to feed a family of 5:

$6.50

BAKED FRENCH ONION SOUP PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

FNF - spicy cherry seitan

I am playing along with Tami's Food Network Friday challenge at Vegan Appetite. She chose Spicy Cherry Ribs to veganize to show the Food Network how easy vegan eating can be. I made a seitan using tofu and gluten which I make when I am trying for a layered seitan - you know, one that when ripped tears in layers. It turned out very tasty, but a little salty, thanks to Guy Fieri's love of salt. I am of the mind that the first time you try a recipe it should be as the cook wrote it. Then you can mess with it, assuming it is good enough to make again. Of course, it did not require the 4 hours of baking. Thank the universe.

I made some creamy cole slaw to accompany it; sort of a quintessential American BBQ. Just not. Better!

Cost Breakdown:

seitan: $3

cherries: $8!

cabbage: $3.50

Veganaise: $1.50

baked beans: $2

onion, garlic, spices: $2

Total to feed a family of 5 an American BBQ:

$21.00 (yikes)

Creamy Cole Slaw Recipe

Spicy Cherry Seitan Recipe

 Tofu-Seitan Recipe