I recently made this soup from page 144 of Vegan Homestyle, with a few little additions.  I enjoyed it so much I thought I’d share my variation.

White Bean Soup

2 c. dry cannellini or great northern beans or small white beans

1 T. olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

3 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped

2 bay leaves

3 c. boiling water

2 t. paprika

1 1/2 - 2 t. salt

1 t. basil

1 pinch thyme or savory

(New variation:  I also added 2 c. chopped cabbage and 1/2 c. dehydrated zucchini)

Soak the beans, drain and cook with water to cover about 1 inch.  (I put the beans in the crock pot on low overnight so they were all cooked when I was ready to make soup).  Saute the onion, garlic, carrot and celery in the olive oil.  Add the tomatoes (I used 1 qt. jar of tomatoes, drained and chopped).  (I also added about 2 c. chopped cabbage and some dehydrated zucchini).   Add about 2 c. of water and the bay leaves and simmer until carrot is tender.  About 10 - 15 minutes.  Place 1/2 of the beans in a food processor with the liquid and 1 more cup of water.  Blend until creamy.  Add the remaining beans to the soup.  Add the creamed beans and the remaining seasoning to the soup.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve with your favorite bread or crackers.  Very yummy!

My husband’s birthday came again this year.  I’m glad mine doesn’t come so regularly.  But, wanting to celebrate I thought about making a cake.  But, I really didn’t want to eat cake for a whole week.  So I used the Dumpling recipe in Vegan Homestyle and made a special breakfast treat - Cherry Compote with Apple Dumplings.  Fabulous and oh, so simple!

First prepare the fruit.  I used 1 quart jar of home canned pitted cherries.  But you could use 4 - 6 cups of any kind of fruit with the juice.  If you use fresh fruit, add about 1 c. juice for every 4 c. fruit.  Thicken with a little arrowroot powder.  I used about 1 tablespoon per cup.  Place in a nice wide pan, so you have about 1″ or more of depth in the pan.  Heat to thicken and turn to a low heat that will keep the liquid simmering.  Mix up the dumplings and spoon nice big spoonfuls onto the simmering fruit.  Cover for 10 minutes and don’t peek.  Serve with a little soy creamer - makes a delicious breakfast or dessert treat.

Apple Dumplings

1 c. flour (1/2 whole wheat pastry and 1/2 unbleached, or use all whole wheat pastry flour)

1 t. Rumford Baking Powder

1/2 scant teaspoon salt

1/4 c. applesauce

2 T. organic cane crystals

3/4 c. soy milk

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Just before spooning onto hot fruit, mix together the applesauce and soymilk.  Then stir into the dry ingredients.  Spoon over simmering liquid and cover for 10 minutes.