Meatless Monday! was a huge hit tonight. It may have been the best to date.

The soup and sandwich idea was inspired by a cold and rainy day

This meal was not just meatless but vegan deliciousness.

My kale obsession continues and I have made it kid friendly and so satisfying.

I had planned to put the white beans in the soup and serve with a gourmet toasted cheese sandwich. When I mentioned this to my daughter she turned up her nose at the cheese sandwich idea, which actually made me happy as I am all about vegan meals.

So I began “deconstructing”. What to do with the beans? What do we get from cheese that we like so much? The creamy, filling, salty goodness! I can do that with white beans!

A baguette thinly sliced and lightly coated with fragrant organic olive oil was the beginning.

I then lightly toasted them and put them aside.
I sautéed ¼ of a white onion with 5 cloves of garlic and about 2 big tablespoons of rosemary in ¼ cup of olive oil until the onions were transparent.
Then I placed the cooled mixture into the food processer with 2 cans of white northern beans and pureed and set this aside, also.
I then sliced 1 large roasted red pepper.

I also had a large bunch of fresh basil. I used 5-6 cloves of garlic and toasted about a half cup of pine nuts and combined in the food processer with ¾ cup of olive oil and set that aside to assemble right before dinner so that the crostini did not become soggy.

The kale soup was easy plus I cheated with vegan soup bullion.

In a large soup pot I sautéed ½ a white onion with 5-6 cloves of garlic and about ½ cup of olive oil.

I chopped the kale and sautéed it for a bit, then added cubed yellow organic potatoes.

I then added about 8-10 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of vegan bullion and allowed it to cook for about an hour and a half.

Parmesan cheese tops my daughters soup.

This wine was great with the soup.

This was my “cheat” ingredient!

My food processor was my best friend today. I couldn’t have done it without her! I could have but it wouldn’t have been as easy or as fun!

This pie crust recipe comes from, The Martha Stewart Cookbook; Collected Recipes for Every Day. It is called the Perfect Pie Crust because it is! The only thing that I do differently is use 15 tablespoons of butter instead of the 12 tbspn plus 3 tbspn shortening recommended; mostly because I never seem to have shortening but also because it works so well.
I, also, use crushed ice and water and let the chips fall where they may in the food processor. Yes, the food processor; secret of perfect pie crust. If you don’t have a food processor, treat yourself to one. It will revolutionize your baking range. I do not consider myself a baker and do so only when I can’t avoid it, however, with the help of the food processor, Julia Child and Martha Stewart, I have conquered some of my fears and ventured into pie crust, and even puff pastry!

Since I have been using this recipe, I have had friends who have scraped off the filling of pies and eaten only the crust! This was a first for me as I always seemed to be tossing leftover crust from holiday meals into the trash.

Perfect Pie Crust:
Adapted from Martha Stewart
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
15 tablespoons unsalted butter (or 12 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons margarine or chilled vegetable shortening)
¼ cup ice water

Put the flour and salt into the bowl of the machine. Cut the butter (shortening) into the flour. Process a few seconds until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Drop by drop add water, process a bit more. The whole procedure should take 20-30 seconds. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

Lightly flour a work surface. Divide the pastry in half. Pat each half into a flat round. Lightly flour a rolling pin. Roll pastry in one direction only, to 1/8 inch thick, turning the pastry to prevent it from sticking to the surface. Using your pie plate, measure the rolled out pastry-it should be slightly larger than the plate. Fold it in half so that you can lift it easily. Unfold, gently fitting the pastry into the pie plate, allowing it to hang evenly over the edges. Don’t trim off the excess just yet. (wrap the other half in plastic wrap and save for another pie, it also freezes well)
Hint: I place parchment paper on the bottom of the dish for flawless serving at the table. I love this pretty pie plate!

This is where I make the edge. I fold over the excess and create a nice thick crust and form the best decorative finish that I can manage. (Again, I am not a baker) Then gently poke holes with a fork to prevent bubbling.

I bake this at 425 degrees fahrenheit for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Turn oven down to 350 degrees.

Now you are ready to add the filling.

Filling:
3-4 Vidalia onions
a pinch of Tarragon
Olive oil
Salt
2 Cups Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 egg
heavy cream
a pinch of Nutmeg
1-2 Heirloom Tomato (or what ever kind you have handy, Yellow tomatoes would also do nicely)

Slice the onions in rings and sauté in olive oil and Tarragon until they are caramelized; golden brown. Fill the cooked pie crust with the onions.

To the 2 cups of shredded Gruyere, add a slightly beaten egg with about ¼ cup of heavy cream and a pinch of nutmeg and gently fold the mixture together, then pour on top of the onions.

Slice the tomatoes in nice even 1/8 inch slices and arrange on top of the pie and bake for about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees or until cheese is melted and tomatoes are starting to cook.

I served this Tart at a small dinner party and it was a hit. I would recommend this for autumn and winter meals as it is rich and filling. I would serve it with a salad of baby greens with a dressing of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Keep it very simple. A nice pinot noir or Malbec would accompany this very well.