Indian-Spiced Red Lentil and Veggie Soup

If you like going behind the scenes and joining in the kitchen nitty-gritty, you'll want to check out the new online "cook along" called Cook the Book with Denise and Jenni. If you've been hanging around here for any number of years, you may think this sounds familiar. That's because the name is similar to the club I've been participating in (and hosted for a couple of years) since 2009 called Cook the Books (there's an "s" on the end of that one). But they are different.

Cook the Books is a bi-monthly book club in which we read a "foodie book" and then head into our kitchens to cook something inspired by it, then the food is all rounded up on the website for everybody to enjoy together. Cook the Book is a monthly meet-up in which the recipe (or maybe more than one recipe) is featured and cooked together while streaming online. So, similar names, but each unique unto itself.

Creole Okra Corn Soup + The Easy Vegan Cookbook blog tour

Welcome to today's stop on The Easy Vegan Cookbook blog tour! I'm not sure when Kathy Hester finds time to sleep, because every time I turn around, she has another beautiful cookbook being released. If you've spent any time on my blog, you probably know that I'm not a vegan—but that doesn't mean that I don't eat meatless and vegan meals and snacks. And while my husband is very much a meatatarian, over the years I've been able to convince him that even vegan meals can be hearty and satisfying.

This Creole Okra Corn Soup from Kathy's new book totally supports my case. It may not contain any animal products and have a brothy base, but it is packed full of seasonal vegetables and a nice little spice factor (which always wins his heart in the end). A couple of days before I received this book in the mail, my old neighbor dropped more than 6 dozen freshly picked ears of corn at my doorstep. I knew without a doubt that this recipe would be the first I would make from the book.