A baker I am not.

This morning I randomly had the desire to bake bread. Problem(s)? I've never baked bread before and I have no yeast. So, I figured I'd try my hand at yeast-free bread. The other problem? I realized after I began mixing that I didn't have enough flour. I had a too-runny dough but the stubbornness of a mule, so I baked it anyway. The end result was something resembling biscotti in both shape and texture, but I can't say it's the worst bread I've ever had:


I cut it into "breadsticks" because I thought they'd go well with the dinner I had planned.

My newly discovered love of avocado led me to making this beautiful wrap for lunch:


Whole wheat and flax wrap filled with hummus, pea shoots, baby spinach, red pepper, avocado squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of cumin, salt, and pepper. Absolutely delicious.

But now I give you, hands down, the best soup I have ever made:


Creamy white bean soup
Serves 3

Ingredients
- 1 15-oz can white beans, drained
- 4 cups vegan vegetable broth/bouillon cubes
- 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used plain unsweetened almond)
- 1 tbsp corn starch + 1 tbsp water
- 1 rib celery
- 1 large shallot
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp each basil, oregano, rosemary and sage
- Pinch of red pepper flake
- S&P, to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp per serving

Instructions
- In a large soup pot, combine 1 tbsp olive oil with chopped celery, garlic and shallot. Saute until translucent.
- Add beans and stock. Bring to a boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Ladle mixture (one scoop at a time) into a blender. Blend until smooth. Do this until roughly half the soup is pureed. I only blend half because I like the texture of some whole beans, but feel free to puree all of it. Put back into the pot.
- Add almond milk and seasoning and stir.
- In a small bowl, combine 1 tbsp water + 1 tbsp corn starch. Add corn starch mixture to soup. Stir until thickened. Cover and simmer until you're ready to serve. Season as necessary.
- Portion into bowls and drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil (preferably extra virgin) on the top of each. Trust me, it makes a difference.

Mangia!