Fresh Pea, Yogurt & Tarragon Soup Garnished with Crispy Paprika Tofu Croutons and Garlic Tahini Sauce

Usually in my posts I try to regale you (I do not say "bore you") with some sort of thematically-appropriate story or other (note I do not say "tall tale") that ties in with the featured dish or recipe. I take that extra step to show you just how much I care.

And so I certainly hope that you won't think my affections for you have waned when you discover that I have no witty, arresting, or amusing anecdote to accompany this soup. No musings about my childhood, major life milestones, gut-wrenching confessions, or elegant epiphanies lie ahead. I am not about to shamefully confess that as a young girl I had a shocking hatred of peas, and that somehow this recipe turned me around, changing my life forever.

It's just soup. That is all.

Spicy Hungarian Goulash with Egg Dumplings

This post is about my new discovery. Her name is June Meyer. Have you heard of her? Neither had I, until I started hunting around online for an authentic recipe for Hungarian goulash. I've made a yummy vegetarian version in the past, loosely inspired by my too-brief time in Budapest, but my soul had a deep down hankering for the real beefy deal. And that meant I needed to find a  recipe with no tomatoes and no flour: just paprika, paprika, and more paprika.

Very Veggie, Very Healthy, Very Spicy Hungarian Goulash

I sampled some mighty tasty treats during my two days in Budapest, but one thing I craved that I couldn't have was some really spicy, fiery, paprika-loaded goulash. I'm not complaining, but the fact is, in Hungary, there is no such thing as a meatless goulash.  For a pepper head like me, this was a sore trial indeed.