Peter is Heroes' most powerful hero - and he doesn't have a lot of time to cook.
Every Monday for five weeks, I will post a recipe inspired by a Heroes character. The five recipes together will make a day’s worth of meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner with an appetizer, entrée, and dessert). For week 3, this fast and easy soup is inspired by the time-crunched Peter.
If Hiro and Claire are good people fighting to the save the world, Peter is theoretical leader, the most powerful hero, of the good side. Before he realized he had powers (way back in Season 1) he was a nurse, dedicating his life to saving the lives of others.
As season 4 begins, he is a paramedic, this time using his powers – Peter absorbs the power of any hero he touches – to save as many people as possible. He works double and triple shifts, and the only decoration in his bare apartment is a wall of newspaper clippings about major New York City accidents, tragedies where he quickly arrived on the scene to save the victims. He remembers the names of everyone he has saved.
In Jump, Push, Fall, the second episode from the fourth season, Peter offers refreshments to a guest who visits his apartment: water or mustard. With all of his heroic activities, Peter does not have much time to cook.
And, although I’ve never seen Peter eat, his desire to save the world might just extend to the animal kingdom and the farmers who grow our food. For Peter, I made this vegan Thai Coconut Corn Soup, buying all of the vegetables from the Farmers Market.
Peter’s Thai Coconut Corn Soup
Adapted from Vegan Express by Nava Atlas
As printed on Vegan.com
This Thai Coconut Corn Soup is vegan, and quick and easy to make.
Nava Atlas’ recipe for Thai Coconut Corn Soup was a Vegan.com Top 10 Recipe in 2008. In respect for Peter’s love of humanity, I bought the scallions, red pepper, cilantro, and corn from the Farmer’s Market (using fresh corn instead of the frozen corn called for in the recipe).
The recipe also calls for light coconut milk, which I could not find at my local Safeway or Super Fresh. To lighten regular coconut milk, I diluted it with water, a substitute you can use if full-fat coconut milk is your only option. However, if you can find light coconut milk, you are still better off using it, from a health perspective.
Finally, you can use fresh or frozen corn, depending on your time constraints. If using fresh corn, two to three ears should equal two cups. Boil the corn for 5 to 10 minutes until soft, cut from the cob, and use in the soup.
You can serve this soup as an appetizer or a main meal. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon light olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 to 5 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into short, narrow strips
1 13.5-ounce can regular coconut milk
13.5-ounces of water (use the coconut milk can to measure)
1 ¾ cups rice milk
2 cups fresh corn, cut from the cob, or one 16-ounce bag frozen corn
2 teaspoons good quality curry powder
¼ teaspoon Thai red curry paste, more or less to taste
½ block of tofu, chopped into cubes
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons tamari
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice or vinegar, or more to taste*
½ cup minced fresh cilantro
Directions
Heat the oil in a small soup pot. Add the garlic, the white parts of the scallions, and the bell pepper. Sauté over medium-low heat until softened and golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, water, rice milk, corn, curry powder, the green parts of the scallions. If using the curry paste, dissolve it in a small amount of water before adding to the soup.
Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Add the tofu, then season with salt, soy sauce, and lime juice or vinegar and remove from the heat.
Top with cilantro and serve.
Yield: 6 servings.
*Lime juice would be my acid of choice for this soup. However, I only had white vinegar, which also provided that bite I was looking for.
