Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Over the weekend, Matt and I had a fun little vacation with his family in the Wisconsin Dells. We stayed in a beautiful log cabin, and had a great, relaxing weekend. One of the highlights for us was eating at the Cheese Factory--a completely vegetarian restaurant! Matt ordered Huevos Rancheros (rice, beans, veggie chorrizo, a spicy chili sauce with an egg on top) and I got the amazing Manic Organic (a raw sunflower seed spread on whole grain bread with sprouts, and a little fresh salad on the side sprinkled with sliced beets, carrots and more sunflower seeds, and some blue corn tortilla chips to round it all out). It was one of the best vegan meals I've eaten in a restaurant.

Above is the vegan Maple Walnut Cookie we got to go. It was huge!

So, for St. Pattie's day yesterday, we made Shamrock Cucumber Salad (I used my new mini cookie cutters)...

...and Spicy Cabbage and Lentil Soup.
Don't let the simple ingredients fool you--this soup is awesome!

Ingredients: (for about 4 large servings)

• 1- 15 oz can lentils, undrained
• 4 cups shredded cabbage (purple, green, or a combination)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or liquid aminos
• salt and pepper
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 cups water

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add the cayenne, bay leaf, carrots, cabbage, salt and pepper and saute a few more minutes. Stir in the lentils and water, cover, bring to a simmer and let cook 15-20 minutes, until the carrots are tender.