Lazy, easy, interchangeable cheap vegan crock pot soup recipe

You could call this "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" soup recipe. Or you might call it: "let's raid my non-gourmet, cheap, mostly vegan pantry because I need soup to pack for lunch" recipe. You would also be justified if you wondered if this even will count as a recipe because I'm not going to give out very specific measurements. Those kinds of recipes from other people make me crazy because I don't have mad domestic skillz and need less ambiguity. However, I've found that this recipe is easy to modify to one's tastes and available ingredients. I'd say go easy on the ingredients with strong tastes; you can add more seasonings or vinegar later. By the way, let's talk about the vinegar: holy heck, is it ever awesome in this soup! Along with a small helping of the red chili flakes, it helps give this soup a taste slightly reminiscent of hot and sour soup from Chinese restaurants, without all the greasiness or overly sour taste.

Lazy, easy, interchangeable cheap vegan crock pot soup recipe

-Cut and peel some vegetables; I used carrots (3) and onions (1/2 of one)
-Add some uncooked lentils (I used about a cup)
-1 packet of Knorr® Vegetable recipe mix* or vegetable bullion or stock (to taste)
-Red pepper flakes or sambol oelek, to taste, starting small (optional, but it helps amp up the flavor)
-Red wine vinegar, to taste (I used 2 Tbs)
-Some form of non-meat based oil; I used 1 Tbs olive oil and 1 Tbs sesame oil

Throw all of this in a large crock pot, and add enough water to cover everything with an inch above the ingredients. Cook until the vegetables and lentils are tender.

I cooked mine on low heat for 8 hours, but that was because I was lazy and let it cook while I was sleeping. You could try cooking it for a shorter period with higher heat. Experiment (and don't get ticked at me if it doesn't work to your liking; I'm not a food blogger by any means ;)



*I absolutely promise that this post is NOT sponsored by the company. I just happened to pick up a ton of these packets on the clearance shelf and had to do something with them.

My Week: February 1 ed.

-I gave a training at work earlier in the week, which made me happy (though a little bit stressed because I was having both a coughing, hiccuping, and asthma flare just before I had to give it! What the heck?). I enjoy helping others learn and it was meant to be a major component of my job. We had been short staffed for a year and a half so I didn't do much training at all during that time as I was taking on the job duties of the person who had left. That was fine, too; I added quite a bit to my job skills and knowledge with the new duties. Now that the other position is filled, I'm able to focus on my original job's duties.

-I made some delicious crock pot vegetable soup and kicked up it a notch by adding some red wine vinegar and a small amount of red chili pepper flakes. I didn't use an exact recipe; I was scrolling through some vegan soup recipes and just couldn't find anything that suited my fancy at the time. However, one recipe mentioned adding red wine vinegar and I was intrigued so I added it. That worked out great! The soup tastes a little bit like hot and sour soup from Chinese restaurants, but with a thinner consistency and not so slimy. I wrote up a description of how I made the soup here.

-In German class, we discussed what products we missed from our home countries. It was very interesting to hear what people missed and why. I'll have to write more about that later.

-My friends are so awesome, and so helpful, too. I'm truly thankful for that. One friend came over and helped me replace a part on my car. Well, he actually did the work; I just handed him the tools. We had watched a video online on how to do it and I thought I'd be the one replacing the part while he passed the tools. I was quite happy that he took over because I don't enjoy doing mechanical things. It was cute because he brought tools over and even wore a headlamp since we were working outside; he looked ready for an expedition and was so proud of himself!

-I attended a party/game night at a friend's place and played the game called Werewolf for the first time. It was definitely interesting, but I'm such a weirdo: I feel awkward during bluffing games because one has to lie and I felt a bit guilty about lying (even though it was a game). Yes, I'm weird.

-Some friends and I attended the Staubsauger (vacuum cleaner) museum near Miseau. It was charmingly eclectic and the museum's owner/guide was so enthusiastic about vacuums that it was adorable.

-I had a wonderful house guest for the weekend. We had some great conversations and it was a very pleasant visit. Moo was thrilled with all the extra attention and I was thrilled to be invited to Hannover to visit, where I will be taken on a personalized tour by bicycle and shown all of the local favorites. I'm excited; I think it will be quite lovely.

-I made a sweet potato/lentil/chickpea chili crock pot soup that is loosely based on this recipe. My house guest loved it and I have lunch for the upcoming week.

-A friend invited us over for dinner and to watch the German detective drama, Tatort. That totally fit with my goal of spending at least 10 minutes a day on learning German. Watching the show made me realize that I need to spend much more time on practicing German daily, and I definitely need to do some more listening activities. 

Why does corn have to be creepy in Germany?

I'm a bit obsessed with corn's role or lack thereof in German (and to be fair, European) cuisine. It seems to end up in unusual places (at least to a non-European) yet is difficult to find fresh and on the cob.

Beyond that, corn representations take on strange forms, such as the maniacal giant corn from the Wurstmarkt. When some friends and I went to the Miramar spa complex, we came across this representation of corn:

First of all, my mind was blown by the concept of a vending machine that provides freshly popped popcorn. I actually wish that I had tried some as this concept is intriguing

Secondly, my friend made a good point: she wondered why it is the corn is portrayed in such a creepy way. She knows of the Wurstmarkt corn booth too. Why do the corn cobs on this machine look so crazy? Why do they have teeth?!

The most annoying party ever

I saw an ad (months ago) for what has to be one of the most annoying parties ever: a selfie party. One of the local clubs was hosting it.

I could only imagine what that would be like:

• Duck faces galore
• No one dancing because everyone's taking selfies instead
• More duck faces
• Did I mention duck faces?

I also take issue with this ad because the women pictured had someone else take their picture, thus invalidating the selfie theme. They even thought that taking a selfie was just too lame! I do like that it appears that one woman has two heads and four arms, though. It's the most interesting thing about the photo.

Dear weird statues:

Dear weird church statues:

I know from Art History class that for a very long period of time, the only acceptable subject of art of was religious themes. I also know that almost every object in the piece was meant to be symbolic. For example, the Virgin Mary's innocence and purity was often depicted by a white lily. During a visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, I was assaulted by the full force of religious symbolism in art.

So, weird church statues on the church's facade, with this in mind, I would like to ask you: what on earth (or the sky, for that matter) is going on with you? Why is there a nude dude on a horse stuck between some buildings and a guy sitting on top of more buildings? That's not beginning to take into account the pile o' demons to the left of him. Even the sculpted men below are really confused about what's happening.

If you could just explain yourself, that'd be great. I'm sure that you have quite the backstory.

Sincerely, Around the Wherever

Detail of statues, Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

"Yeah, even we're not so sure what's happening!"

Causin' the Kopfschmerzen

There was a review on Trip Advisor for, wait for it...a German restaurant, in Germany, that had the audacity to print its menu in German. There was no English menu so the reviewer gave it a lower score. Reviewer, you caused me Kopfschmerzen. I'm just saying.

Here's a translation: das Bier = the beer. There you go.

Roadside Candy Machines: this one gets artistic

Today's entry for my Roadside Candy Machines obsession revisits a Kaiserslautern candy machine that I've photographed before.

The presentation in the machine has changed slightly. This time around, it added a metal mesh grid to corral the keychain animals that one squeezes, and, um, "stuff" comes out their backsides. I start thinking about that time I was studying Animal Science at university, which makes me worry for the health of the keychain animals.

With this particular RCM, I'm getting a vibe that plays out as Modern Art Exhibit. I'd call it Prolapsed Animals with Juxtaposition of Cheap Tiny Bottle of Liquor That Turns Out to be Way More Expensive Than Just Buying a Big Bottle and Calling it Good.

I feel as if the metal mesh thing from which they hang is a metaphor for commercial farming and the horrors that await animals as they are hung from machinery to be processed from animal/sentient being into food products. If I took this crunchiness even further, I could mention something about how the tiny bottle of liquor is a metaphor for the meat industry. Maybe meat isn't as expensive as we think it might be in the short term, but the environmental consequences of it will cost us all dearly in the end.

Or maybe it's just a bunch of squeezy animal keychains.