Cooking for the Clueless

When you are as culinarily challenged as me, any new recipe has to fulfill three important requirements:
1) It has to be so easy, even an idiot can make it
2) It has to be healthy
3) You have to be able to make it in a crock pot or toaster oven

This week, I pulled out a recipe I've been eyeing for a while because check, check, and check.

Adapted from How It All Vegan, Ginger Peanut Soup

1 1/2 cups broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 cups cauliflower, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tsp fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tsp olive oil
3 cups vegetable stock or water
1 28 can diced tomatoes
5 Tsp natural peanut butter

Pour olive oil in crock pot. Add broccoli, cauliflower, onions, ginger, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cover and set crock pot on high. Then go get involved in some other project. Completely forget about the soup until your entire apartment is overpowered by the smell of onions and garlic. Then look up from your piles of stuff with a deer in the headlights look upon your face.

Go back to the crockpot. Turn it to low. Add stock, tomatoes, and nut butter. Open a window and light a scented candle. Close the window 5 minutes later because its 22 degrees outside and you are about to freeze your sweet tuckas off. Let the entire thing simmer for a few hours, until the vegetables are soft.

I you are one of those people who cannot stand even the word "vegan" and need meat with every meal, the flavor of this soup would lend itself well to sausage. You may want to add that.

Of course, I thought it was delicious the way it was. Except that it was freezing cold this week and I felt like the soup needed to be a bit heartier. So I added some brown rice and it was quite tasty.