Today was fun. I went with Jess and Jonathan to the Ron Paul rally in Townsend. We got honked at and flipped off; fingers were wagged and hands were waved in our direction. I took a few pictures. I got the tiniest piece of lint the inside of my camera. Jess made me vegetarian chili. I had a great time.

Then I decided to make soup for dinner. The Jan/Feb issue of Vegetarian Times has a bunch of soups that are pretty tasty. I’ve been looking for comfort foods and today I made myself some vegan comfort stew if there ever was one. It is very loosely adapted from the Greek Avgolemono Soup with the biggest difference being no eggs and no onions.

Vegan Orzo Stew

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 handful baby carrots, diced
• 4 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely diced
• 6 cups no-chicken broth
• 1 cup orzo pasta
• mint
• parsley
• oregano
• generic mrs. dash: garlic and herb
• lemon juice (this is totally optional and the soup is just fine with or without it)

1. Heat oil, add vegetables and garlic, sautee until slightly tender. I like my veggies to have a little tooth to them once they’re done so use your best judgment here.
2. Stir in broth. Season with salt/pepper/mrs dash. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover 10 minutes
3. Add orzo, heat for another 10 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat. Let sit 5 minutes.
5. Garnish with mint, parsley, and oregano. Add a few drops of lemon juice at this point if you’re feeling brave.

The mint was probably what did it for me and it would have been better if the mint was fresh. If someone handed me a cup of this when I was sick….i’d probably hug them and cry.

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