Slow cooker olive pork stew

This is winter weekend cooking improv' at it's best. Try it and let me know what you think!

INGREDIENTS (4 people):
- 2 lbs country style pork ribs
- 3 carrots
- 2 russet potatoes
- 1 shallot
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup dried tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 thyme sprig
- 1 cup olives (I used a mixture of kalamata and green olives with lemon)
- 1/2 cup white wine (I used the rest of flat champagne I had from a dinner a couple weeks ago)
- 1 cup vegetable broth


RECIPE:
- peel and chop the shallot, garlic, potatoes and carrots

- put everything in the slow cooker

- cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 10 hours

Note 1: if it gets a bit too dry during cooking, you can add more wine, broth or water
Note 2: you can also cook this on the stovetop over very low heat until the pork is fork tender (about 4-5 hours)
- yes, it's that easy

- enjoy!

Vegan sun-dried tomato soup

Another cold day, another soup.

In this wintry weather, there's nothing I like more than homemade tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich on the side.

This is one of my go-to recipes for lazy days. I usually just use fresh tomatoes and chicken stock, but I decided to keep this one vegan, use plain water for liquids and add flavor units with sun-dried tomatoes.

Here's how to make this soup.


INGREDIENTS (4 people):
- 10 medium tomatoes on the vine, diced
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, grated or finely diced
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (or you can make your own oven-dried, click here for a recipe), sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsps sugar, not pictured
- 3 to 4 cups of water or broth, not pictured
- salt and pepper to taste, not pictured


RECIPE:
- in a deep pot, fry the diced onions and garlic in the olive oil on medium heat until translucent (2 to 3 minutes), then add the dried and fresh tomatoes and cover with water (or broth)

- bring to a boil over high heat, lower the heat and simmer until the tomatoes are cooked (about 20 minutes)

- turn off the heat and blend with a stick blender until smooth. Add a little water or broth if you like a lighter consistency

Note: if you want a very smooth soup, I recommend peeling and seeding the fresh tomatoes before adding them to the pot. 
- serve hot alongside a grilled cheese sandwich or sprinkled with roasted chickpeas for a totally vegan meal
- enjoy!