Clean Out the Fridge

With Barb's birthday dinner, we got our appetite back to cook.

We had cooked for the funeral reception for dear Jo Williams, then had difficulty mustering energy to cook, relying on assembly dishes.  So there was an embarrassing assortment of things to sort out and use this week, calling for

Hallelujah Vegetable Soup

Saute in a little olive oil with salt and pepper, in the pressure cooker:

Chopped onions and shallots

1 garlic clove sliced

3 Carrots and 2 celery stalked, chopped

Add:

1 huge heirloom tomato, too soft for eating but still good

1 hot pepper and one sweet pepper

2 baby squash that fell out of the bag when we were making Barb's Ratatouille

Green beans, chopped

corn from 3 ears

potatoes, chopped

1 cup of red lentils

5-6 cups water

salt, pepper, favorite dried/fresh herbs

a little leftover wine

Close up, bring to pressure, cook 10-11 minutes in a futura cooker, then cool and serve.

The only more virtuous feeling is to have used these veggies as leftovers, rather than rescues!

So I made up for it by taking the last of the Sullivan whole wheat dough and letting it rise (it is 3 days past due - will it make focaccia?) while grabbing 3 nearly gone bananas and turning then into Post Punk Vegan Banana Bread (except that I used WW Pastry and WW AP flour instead of white).

The kitchen smells divine.