Fabulous recipes from Fire and Earth Kitchen: roasted carrot curry noodle soup

I often come across appealing recipes that I want to make. Sometimes I bookmark them, but rarely do I ever get around to actually cooking them. Recently I discovered a Web site that was so compelling we made several of the recipes in quick succession — and loved them all. I found the site while reading Vegan Score, a blog that spotlights people and events of special interest to Seattle-area vegans. In this case, the recipes on Fire and Earth Kitchen would be a super find for anyone — but especially for vegans who love delicious food. And it's all gluten-free for those of you who must avoid gluten. But gluten-eaters won't miss a thing. Trust me.

Renee, from Fire and Earth Kitchen, is a chef, food coach and cooking class instructor in and around Seattle and Whidbey Island. And she shares recipes on her Web page. I've made four dishes so far and plan to try more of them. The first thing my husband made was roasted carrot curry noodle soup, and the taste was exceptional — fragrant and rich. He didn't use the optional noodles, and he reduced the salt to about 1/2 teaspoon, but otherwise followed the recipe to create the perfect warming soup for a winter eve.

Next he made homestyle "meaty" tomato sauce with lentils and walnuts. It was so good I couldn't believe my husband had actually made it himself. I used some of the leftovers instead of straight-up lentils to make the beet burgers I recently posted about, and I'm sure it elevated the burgers into something really special.

I made broccoli and onion pakora, which are small, oven-baked chickpea flour pancakes that were wonderful. And so easy to throw together. I couldn't stop eating them.

I'm on the Fire and Earth Kitchen email list and the last recipe I received was for waffles. I've gotten pretty good at waffle-making, and the recipe was very similar to what I've been doing, but I gave it a shot — you know, measuring and all. My waffles were excellent — tender and light — and I'll probably stick to measuring next time I whip up a batch. Maybe.

I've saved the most exciting part for last. Renee is going to teach a cooking class in my kitchen! I had a list of menus to choose from, and I hope I get my first choice, but I won't reveal it until I know for sure. The class will be Sunday, April 27, if you're in the neighborhood. More information will be available on Fire and Earth's Web page. I can't wait.

Renee is very generous with her recipes and has given me permission to share a recipe here. (Of course you can find all the ones I mentioned and more, on her Web site.) I'll give you the original that my husband made, and then tell you how I changed it to accommodate my lazy self when I made it. Mine was delicious, though my husband's was even better.

Roasted carrot curry noodle soup
Vegan & Gluten-free
Serves 6-8
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min

• 5 cups carrots, peeled
• 4-5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 2 " ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 Tbsp salt*
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 6 cups vegetable broth (about 2 cartons)
• 1 can coconut milk
• juice from 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp coconut aminos (soy sauce substitute), or tamari
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (or any vinegar)
• 2 cups of bean thread or rice noodles, cooked (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly oil baking sheet or use parchment paper, and spread carrots, onion, ginger, and unpeeled garlic cloves onto it. Sprinkle with salt, cumin, and cayenne. Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes until carrots and onions are starting to brown.

2. In a large pot combine vegetable broth and coconut milk over medium-low heat. When veggies are soft, squeeze garlic from it's papers and add all veggies to pot along with lemon juice, coconut/aminos or tamari, and vinegar. Blend well with an immersion blender or regular blender. Add noodles if using and serve.

*We thought a tablespoon of salt sounded like too much salt for us, so we reduced it to about 1/2 teaspoon.

Although the recipe is extremely easy to prepare as written, I made a lazier version of the soup by cooking the ginger and cut-up carrots in my pressure cooker for a few minutes, and blending everything with 1/2 cup of cashews, dehydrated onion and garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in my Vitamix. I didn't use the coconut milk.It was creamy and wonderfully delicious.

Go have a look at Renee's recipes. You'll probably want to try a few.