Recipe of the week: Winter Soup and Polenta

Monday night I hosted a crafting circle, which meant preparing a main dish for the hungry crafters. I decided that soup would be a good bet, given the time of year and the convenience of soup for large groups. My friend Alisa was there to help me prepare ahead of time. The soup came out great and we had a lovely time. Here are the recipes:

Winter Soup
I got this recipe from my roommate's vegetarian cookbook. I doubled the ingredients for a larger group of people. I added more tomato paste than called for, so my soup was a bit more tart than it was supposed to come out. But I still enjoyed it.

2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 Leeks, thinly sliced
2 Zucchini, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
2 - 14 oz Cans Chopped Tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
3 3/4 cup Vegetable Stock
14 oz Can Garbanzo Beans
8 oz Spinach, Finely Shredded

Saute the leeks and zucchini in the olive oil over medium heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.

Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, vegetable stock and garbanzo beans. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat, simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the spinach and boil for 2 minutes.

Polenta
I bought a tube of plain polenta from the grocery store. I cut it into 1/2" thick slices and flavored them with a mixture of cumin, garlic powder, ground pepper and grated parmesan cheese. Then I fried the slices in some olive oil.

My friend Barbara also brought some appetizers that were really good! Luckily I got the recipe from her.
Roasted Red Peppers, Chopped
Kalamata Olives, Chopped
Garlic, Minced
Basil
Olive Oil
Mozzarella Cheese
Baguette

Mix the vegetables, garlic, basil and olive oil.

Layer the mixture on thin slices of the baguette (toasted if you prefer). Add slices of mozzarella and put under the broiler to melt.