Tortellini Tuscan Stew

My office manager photocopied this recipe out of Good Housekeeping for me. She said it was delicious. I haven't tried it yet, but I always lose photocopied pieces of paper.

1 (2 lb) butternut squash (peeled, seeded, and cut into one inch cubes)
1 large zucchini (one inch cubes)
1 large yellow summer squash (one inch cubes)
1 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 oz green beans cut into 2 inch segments
1 can crushed tomatoes
12 oz veg broth
2 T. fresh oregano, chopped (or dried... whatEVER!)
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
1 t. salt
1 package frozen tortellini/ravioli (Rising Moon Organics has several vegan varieties to choose form in the freezer section)
1 bag (5 oz) baby spinach

Throw everything except the raviolis and the spinach in the crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours (or high for 3). When you get home form work, it should look awesome. Turn it on high and stir in the raviolis and spinach for 10-15 min.

OM NOM NOM NOM.

Best Vegan Food in Detroit, according to me

So, I'm originally from Metro Detroit, but haven't lived here in about 7 years. Been having a hard time adjusting to the lack of vegan options/difficulty eating out, so I have rarely strayed from my comfort zone (hot bar at Whole Foods).

1. Blue Nile (9 mile near Livernois): All-you-can-eat Ethiopian (with a veg option)... it's pretty spendy, but nice.

2. Tokyo Sushi (2 locations that i know of: Squirrel and Walton in Rochester, and next to Noir Leather in downtown Royal Oak). I always get an order of "air conditioner rolls" (asparagus, cucumber, avocado), an inari pocket, and miso. To me, best sushi in town.

3. Mind, Body, Spirit (on Main St in downtown Rochester)... I haven't been here yet, and it's had mixed reviews. Restaurant.com has one of those cheap coupon things, I bought one, but haven't gotten around to going yet.

4. Inn Season Cafe: (4th street, just east of Main Street)... it's good, sorta spendy and always obnoxiously busy. I don't go there a lot, but it's a nice place. Everything is vegetarian, and pretty much everything can be made vegan.

5. Chipotle and Qdoba: i love burritos and hav yet to find a delicious non-chain with vegan options. I guess there is one in Ann Arbor/Ypsi, but I haven't been out there yet.

6. Palm Palace (everywhere, I go to the one on Squirrel and University).... these places have popped up in all the vacant La Shish buildings after they shadily shut down all overnight... nowhere near as tasty as the $16 million dollars of tax evasion that probably funded terrorism, but still delicious because Middle Eastern food is the most delicious. Nothing will ever be as delicious as La Shish.

7. AJ's Music Cafe (on 9 mile in downtown Ferndale)... coffeeshop that has a lot of vegan options. The vegan philly cheesesteak sounds and looks disgusting, but is actually tasty. The mexican tofu wrap thing was meh, but the dudes there are always super nice.

8. Zoup (I go to the one in Somerset mall): finding vegan mall food is so difficult, but Zoup is really delicious. Soup is actually my favorite food. The pea soup is AWESOME. The sourdough bread is vegan (I checked). They mark things as vegetarian or dairy free, but not vegan, but have a binder of all the ingredients behind the counter and are really nice about it.

ok. that's all i feel like writing. I am still in search of a brunch place.

Stew

Haven't tried this yet, but I'm posting it to remind myself to try it. Looks delicious.

fat free vegan's winter stew

Crock Pot Minestrone

Copycatted of the Minestrone from Lelli's in Detroit, MI. My weird exbf from when I was 18 (that found jesus so we broke up) made this for me once, but I've altered it to be vegan.

-1 large onion, chopped and sauteed until translucent in some oil
-1 clove garlic, chopped
-2 16 oz cans of veg-all (or a bag of frozen veggies)
-2 cans/28 oz of veg broth or fake chicken broth
-20 oz of great white northern beans
-1 can chick peas
-1 can (14 oz.) whole tomatoes, chopped
-1/2 pkg. frozen spinach
-2 T. tomato paste
-2 T. garlic powder
-2 T. chopped parsley
-1 t. salt
-1/4 t. pepper
-1/2 t. basil
-1/3 c. cooked small macaroni
-1/3 c. almond/soy/rice/hemp milk in the plain flavor (i use almond or hemp)

1. Saute onion and garlic
2. Put Veg-All, chicken broth, northern beans, whole tomatoes and all liquids from cans into the crock pot
3. Add spinach, tomato paste, garlic powder, parsley, salt, pepper, basil, sauteed onion and garlic.
4. Cook slowly for at least 2 hours (on high, or all day on low).
5. Take 1/2 of the soup and blend in food processor.
6. Pour it back in the soup pot.
7. Add macaroni and milk.
9. Stir.
10. Cook slowly 1/2 hour.

A google search told me this recipe is from he book "Best Of The Best From Michigan", published by Quail Ridge Press.