On the way home from work last night a quick pit stop was made at the local Bio shop, where I picked up everything a good vegan needs to fix a autumn evening pot of soup and salad, which is what, in the early hours of the morning, was decided would be on tap for the evening's fare.

The soup preparation and ingredients were merely only suggested by me, and concocted while I was spinning my heart out to Dead or Alive's one and only hit (I admit to still only being able to see visions of Jason M all tied up in that multicoloured ribbon when ever I hear this song).

I came home to a bubbling pot of goodness that needed only the tender love of my emulsifying hand blender and the creation of accompanying salad....lucky me.

The soup was fantastic, and I am positive that the zucchini played a big role in this otherwise root heavy dish. Give it a whirl, I promise you won't be disappointed, especially if you are one of the lucky souls living in the wet and wild weather of Brussels.

Ingredients pour le lentil pumpkin soup

6 carrots (washed, hacked in half)
2 shallots (diced)
1/2 a pumpkin (peeled and cut into largish pieces)
2 zucchinis (washed and cut into chunks)
lentils
really expensive wild rice (5 euros 30!!!!)
curry powder
oregano
pepper

My instructions were thus:
(though not sure if they were followed)

1. Wash the veg
2. Hack them into the biggest bits the pot can manage
3. Heat up the spices in a little bath of the spices
4. Throw everything (including the lentils and rice) into the pot.
5. Add 5 cups of water
6. Simmer for one hour
7. When spin crazy girl comes in let her take over
8. Add chili flakes
9. Emulsify
10. Serve in cute little white bowls that you need to get on a step stool to retrieve
11. Whip up a salad of red lettuce, grated carrot, pine nuts, sliced apricot (dried), tomato, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
12. Enjoy while listening to I Like Trains and Sun Kil Moon
13. Have a really hot bath after you drink your wine
14. Fall fast asleep and don't wake up until 4 30 am when the screaming transvestite wakes you up screaming: "You don't love me because I am a man!" Excellent.


2 days left until I take on the Holy Roman Empire! Can't wait. Happy Cow tells me that there are many a veggie restaurant in Vienna. Must have been the Congress. We can redraw the map of Europe with a couple of well placed vegan restaurants!