Another cold day. Another bowl of soup.

Who would have thought?! This is a new favorite recipe from an old favorite cookbook. Cookbooks...remember those ancient things? The things we used before Google came along to spit out 100s of versions of the recipe we needed faster than we could even flip to the recipe index in the book. Well, I had a whole stack of them collecting dust and I decided it was time for the dust to collect elsewhere...at least some of the time. This mushroom tomato tofu stew is adapted from a book that I actually cooked from a lot while I was growing up. I'd forgotten all about it, until I was browsing a used bookstore and happened upon a barely used copy for only a couple dollars. I was thrilled (to add it to my dust-collecting collection)! Being in detox-from-the-holidays mode I figured it was better to reach for the low-fat cookbook before I tackle (and proceed to gain 500 pounds) from Julia Child's book. And boy does this stew deliver on the detox level. It's packed with vegetables and pretty much only vegetables, making it 1,000 times healthier than anything else I've eaten in the last month, although I'm pretty sure eating french fries (potatoes=veggies!!!) would be healthier than anything I've eaten in the last month. Per usual, I can never truly "follow" a recipe so I have made a few adjustments. Feel free to do the same. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 cups chopped onions (about 3 medium-sized onions)

• 3 cups sliced celery (about 1 bunch, or 8 stalks)

• 4 cups sliced mushrooms (about 12 baby bella mushrooms or a 10 ounce package)

• 1/2 cup water or broth

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root

• 1 28-ounce can of undrained chopped tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter

• 1/3 cup of Bragg's, soy sauce or coconut aminos (more or less, depending on taste preference)

• 2 teaspoons salt (more or less, depending on taste preference)

• 12 ounces of firm tofu, drained, patted dry and cut into bite-sized pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large pot, set over a medium burner, heat the olive oil for a few minutes. Then toss in the onions, celery and mushrooms. Sauté for 7-10 minutes, or until the vegetables start to cook down and the onions become slightly translucent. Add in the water or broth and continue cooking the vegetables down, for another 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the vegetables begin to stick to the pan, simply stir in a little more water or broth.

2. Once you've cooked the vegetables down, turn the heat down to low, stir in the remaining ingredients and continue simmering until everything has warmed through. Discard the bay leaves and serve.

NOTES

• This recipe is low-fat, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian.

• I recommend serving this with a salad and some crusty bread.

• This soup can be made ahead then kept warm in a crockpot, or simply reheat it for 5 minutes over medium heat before serving.

• Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites Cookbook