soup – The Vegan Love Project

Hearty Lentil Farrow Vegetable Soup

Hearty Lentil Farrow Vegetable Soup

Whenever I am need of warming up, this is the meal I make. It is so simple and so very satisfying. Torn bread with olive oil or vegan butter makes this a perfect spread. Brown lentils are reminiscent of a beef stew while the lighter lentils make it more of a European 1^st course. Experiment!

2c lentils, cooked, washed and drained- can use yellow, green or brown- ALL DELICIOUS

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 stalks celery, large dice

1 carrots, large chop

3 small yellow skinned potatoes, large dice

1c-cooked farrow

1-2c broccoli florets, cauliflower, diced and/or chopped leafy greens

1/4t black pepper

1/2t cayenne pepper flakes

1T fresh parsley, minced

2-3T extra virgin olive oil

6c boiling water

1t salt or to taste

Bring 6c of water to a boil, in case you need more

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onions, until golden and caramelized over medium high heat. Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, salt, black and red pepper. When the edges of the vegetables begin to brown, lower the heat and cook covered for 3-5 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add the cooked lentils and the cooked farrow, mixing them into the vegetables. Add the boiling water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli.

Adjust the seasonings before serving. Serve with crusty bread and drizzle with olive oil.

Roasted Kobocha Squash Soup

Any squash can be used for this delicious creamy, and simple soup. Kobocha squash has got such a lovely, sweet but not too sweet taste that pairs perfectly with ginger. I picked a beauty up at the local farmer’s market this past weekend and roasted it and have been putting it in to many meals since. As a time saver, the squash can be roasted in advance. If the squash is already roasted, this soup literally takes 8 minutes start to finish. The roasting step may even be omitted and the squash simply peeled, cubed, and cooked along with the other vegetables. Roasting draws out the most flavors and brings the sweetness of the squash to life, but it is not a necessity.

roasted-kobocha-squash-soup

Roasted Kobocha Squash Soup

Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2c roasted Kobocha squash*

1/4t chipotle powder *optional

1 fresh jalapeño or cherry bomb pepper, chopped

1t cinnamon

1/4t nutmeg

3T coconut oil

6c boiling water

1 vege bouillon

1t salt or to taste

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1/4-1/3c cashews

1″ piece of fresh ginger

1T raw agave

Bring 6c of water to a boil.

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Roasting the Squash: Clean the outer shell of the squash with cold water and pat it dry well with a dishtowel or paper cloth. With a sharp knife, split the squash down the middle, creating two halves. Seed the squash using a large spoon, scraping the stringy flesh and seeds from the center. With the cleaned halves, rub with oil and salt. Place face down on a cookie sheet or roasting dish and place in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until the flesh of the squash is tender, yielding to the touch. Let cool. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the roasted squash.Place the cashews, ginger, agave and fresh hot pepper in a blender and set aside.

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In a large soup pot, add the oil and sauté the onions and garlic until golden and soft and aromatic. Add the yellow squash, the boullion (or powder) and the salt. Continue to sauté until the squash softens and turns bright yellow- about 3-4 minutes. Add the boiling water to cover. Bring to a rapid boil and reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 more minutes.

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In batches, in a blender or vitamix*, transfer the soup pot contents into the blender and puree the soup with the contents in the blender. Adjust the seasonings if needed.

*Caution: blending hot liquids can be extremely dangerous. Fill the blender only half way and proceed in batches if necessary.

Gingered(end of)Summer Squash Soup

So tasty!!!….I am still fighting this crud! I needed something warm and soothing for my throat, spicy enough to kill whatever’s left, and delicious enough to keep me happy. Sick all week meant there was only what was left after 10 days in the fridge and that was one lonely little Summer Squash and some cherry bombs…this soup came together SO QUICK…. Easily a new favorite irregardless of summer OR sickness.

Delicious.

gingered-summer-squash-soup

Gingered (end of) Summer Squash Soup

Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large yellow summer squash

1/4t chipotle powder *optional

1 fresh jalapeño or cherry bomb pepper, chopped

1/2″ piece of fresh ginger

3T coconut oil

6c boiling water

2t raw agave

1 vege bouillon

1t salt or to taste

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1/4c cashews

handful fresh parsley

Bring 6c of water to a boil.

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Place the cashews, ginger, agave and parsley in a blender and set aside.

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In batches, in a blender or vitamix*, transfer the soup pot contents into the blender and puree the soup with the contents in the blender. Adjust the seasonings if needed.

*Caution: blending hot liquids can be extremely dangerous. Fill the blender only half way and proceed in batches if necessary.

Simple Turmeric Broth

broth

Simple Turmeric Broth for Vegetable Noodle Soup 2016

6c water

½ onion, coarsely chopped

2” fresh ginger, grated

1t turmeric

1t sesame oil

1t pink salt

Put everything in a pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large heatproof pitcher (I use my Vitamix container) or bowl. Discard the vegetables. Pour the broth back into the pot and then proceed to add fresh veggies, cooked rice noodles. This is the simplest, clear broth and it is just so easy and perfect for a pick me up or when you are not feeling full force to sip on.

Potato Leek Soup With Broccoli

So easy and really delicious, the addition of coconut oil makes it almost buttery and round in flavor. You could totally puree this and make it like a traditional Potato Leek soup but I love the chunks, especially with the broccoli florets floating around. 🙂

Potato Leek & Broccoli Soup

Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free

3 large russet or 6 gold potatoes, peeled & medium dice

1 small onion, medium dice

4 leeks, trimmed, rinsed and sliced (discard the thick tough green tops)

1 small head broccoli, trimmed and cut

1/4t black pepper

1 vegetable bouillon cube (or 1T veggie broth powder)

2T extra virgin olive oil

1T coconut oil

1t turmeric

1t smoked chipotle powder

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6c boiling water

1t smoked salt or to taste

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Bring 6c of water to a boil, in case you need more.

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onions with the turmeric and salt until golden and soft. Add the leeks and sauté until the leeks turn bright green and have wilted. Add the potatoes, coconut oil, chipotle, and black pepper. Mix well and add the boiling water, and the bouillon cube (or powder). Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

The leeks should be super soft, almost disintegrated.

Add in the broccoli in the last 10 minutes of cooking, and cook only until the broccoli is bright green and tender.

Adjust the seasonings before serving. Serve with bread or add GF pasta or grains of your choosing.

White Girl Gingered Cabbage & Corn Congee

This is an incredibly comforting and healing food. It is reminiscent of a Chinese egg drop soup, the broken rice lends a rich, starchy consistency to the soup that just feels amazing going down. I had squirreled away the most gorgeous corn this past summer and in lieu of BEING DONE WITH THIS WINTER and getting ready for the spring….I pulled it out of the freezer. Of course the ingredients can change but the combination was so satisfying plus the addition of the Beyond the Meat vegan chicken…it just a bowl of yum. I love this as a breakfast too!

White Girl Gingered Cabbage & Corn Congee

6 strips of Beyond Meat Vegan No Chicken, thawed, cut into small pieces

3/4c white broken rice or short-grain white rice

1 vegetable bouillon

1/2c yellow or red split dal

2-inch piece of ginger, minced or grated

2 stalks celery, medium dice or cut on the bias

1/4 small head of green cabbage, chopped

2 teaspoon salt + more to taste (I add ½ smoked salt, ½ pink)

½ large onion, minced

2 clove garlic, minced

1c corn niblets

2T coconut oil

1/2t smoked chipotle powder

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6 to 8 cups boiling water

In a large pot, heat up 2t of coconut oil. Add in a pinch of the minced ginger, a pinch of minced garlic and about 1T of the minced onion. Sauté the vegetables over medium high heat just until golden. Add in the chopped cabbage and continue to sauté over medium high heat, just until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside.

In the same pot, add the remaining coconut oil. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and celery and sauté over medium heat just until golden. Add in rice and the split peas and the vegetable bouillon. Cover with about 4-5 cups of boiling water and mix well. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Allow the mixture to cook partially covered for at least 45 minutes, stirring frequently, adding water if necessary- there should be plenty of water for the porridge to ‘grow’ into. After about 30 minutes, add in some of the salt and chipotle and check for seasonings. It should be thickening as the rice and the dal start to break down. Add water in as necessary to achieve the desired consistency- I prefer mine on the thicker side, but still very much soup like. Overall, it should be ready after about an hour of cooking but will only get softer over time.

In the last minutes of cooking, add in the corn, the vegan chicken, and the sautéed cabbage.

I like to also add in some fresh ginger at the end to give it a fresh kick.

Salt and pepper to taste…this IS comfort food.

Easy Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup

Black beans are an exceptional source of vegetable protein as are all beans. This soup is absolutely delicious served on its own or with steamed basmati rice, or tortilla chips and a side of salsa.

Wheat-free, Gluten-Free

3c cooked black beans (2- 15oz cans)

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

2 clove garlic, minced

1t chili powder

1t chipotle powder

1t ground cumin

1/4t black pepper

1/2t cayenne pepper flakes

1 vegetable bouillon cube (or 1T veggie broth powder)

3T extra virgin olive oil

4c boiling water

1t smoked or pink salt, or to taste

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Steamed brown or white rice *optional

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Bring 6c of water to a boil- in case you need more.

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic until golden and soft. Add the chipotle powder, chili powder, cumin, black and red pepper. Sauté for 3-4 minutes and then add the black beans, stirring them into the vegetables.

Add the boiling water and the bouillon cube (or powder). Add the salt in toward the end of cooking and adjust seasonings.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

At this point, the soup is delicious as is or can be pureed to make a traditional smooth soup. I ate this with a heaping scoop of steamed basmati rice in it.

For a smooth soup:

In batches, in a blender or vitamix*, puree the soup. Adjust the seasonings before serving. Add 1c hot, cooked white or brown rice before serving.

*Caution: blending hot liquids can be extremely dangerous. Fill the blender only half way and proceed in batches if necessary.

Creamy Potato Leek & Kohlrabi Soup

My friend Kim handed me a kohlrabi today and said “HERE”. She had gotten it from her winter CSA and didn’t know what to do with it. I didn’t know what to do with it….What the F is a kohlrabi? A turnip? Cabbage? She challenged me to make something with it….She also handed off her leeks to me so I knew there was a soup waiting to happen, especially on such a cold and gray day…IT. IS. PHHHHEEENomenal…..MAKE it.

Creamy Potato Leek & Kohlrabi Soup

Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free

2 large russet or Idaho potatoes, peeled & quartered

1 small onion, medium dice

2 leeks, trimmed, rinsed and sliced

1 medium kohlrabi, peeled, & quartered

1/4c fresh parsley – *optional

1/4t black pepper

1 vegetable bouillon cube (or 1T veggie broth powder)

3T coconut oil

1t turmeric

6c boiling water

1t salt or to taste

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1 recipe cashew cream (1/4c cashews, 1 c filtered water blended until smooth)

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Bring 6c of water to a boil, in case you need more.

In a large soup pot, add the coconut oil and sauté the onions with the turmeric until golden and soft. Add the leeks and continue to sauté until the leeks turn bright green. And have wilted. Add the potatoes, kohlrabi, salt, and black pepper. Mix them well until the onion/leek mixture and then add the boiling water, and the bouillon cube (or powder). Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Add in cashew cream and blend in the Vitamix for a smooth soup or partially blend with an immersion blender. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the fresh parsley if using. Adjust the seasonings before serving. Serve with crusty bread and a salad or add GF pasta or grains of your choosing.

Coconut Curry Lentil Soup with Vegan Sour Cream

This soup is DELICIOUS! Just a perfect balance of savory, coconut curry love, and sweetness. The lentils provide a powerful punch of vegetable protein- I will be making this all the time from here on out. The sour cream offers a plain yogurt tang that completes the flavor profile- especially if you make it on the spicier side like I do! I used the beautiful little french lentils but any lentils will work magically.

Coconut Curry Lentil Soup with Vegan Sour Cream

Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free

2c brown, green or french *lentils, cooked

1 medium onion, small dice

1 stalk celery, small dice

1 large clove garlic, smashed, minced

1 tomato, medium dice

1” piece of fresh ginger- grated

1” piece fresh turmeric- grated

1c fresh spinach*optional

1/4t black pepper

1/2t cayenne pepper flakes- more or less as desired

1T curry powder

1T agave, coconut sugar or other sweetener

3T coconut oil

5-6c boiling water

1/2 can blended coconut milk

1t salt or to taste

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Garnish

Cashew Sour Cream

Fresh Cilantro, chopped

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Bring 6c of water to a boil- in case you need more.

In a large soup pot, add the oil and sauté the onions and garlic until golden and soft. Add the celery, ginger, turmeric, salt, black and red pepper. Add the lentils, mixing them into the vegetables. Add the boiling water, and the chopped tomatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the coconut milk and cook until brought up to temperature. Add the spinach just before serving. Adjust the seasonings if neccessary.

Ladle the soup into a serving bowl and place a dollop of the Sour Cream atop in the center and garnish with plenty of fresh, chopped, cilantro.

*To cook lentils ahead of time instead of using canned, take 3/4c dried green or brown lentils and wash, rinse, pick over and drain. In a large pot, place the lentils with 2 cups clean water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 15-20 minutes or until the water has been absorbed and the lentils are tender. Let steam for an additional 5-10 minutes. Alternatively, soak the lentils overnight and rinse prior to cooking. This will reduce the cooking time by almost 1/2.

Sick White Girl Noodle Soup

So ya…I overtrained…got sick. I walked out into the cold air on Sunday and like a slap in the face, I was sick. Just like that. So now I am eating simple foods and resting…a lot. I have made this soup for the past two days and I am convinced that practice is mastery- the more you do, the better you or it becomes- the broth in this case. It is a simple, clear broth- I didn’t want tamari or that soy sauce taste and I didn’t want the bouillon taste- I wanted that full flavorful taste of asian broths that appear almost clear, nothing floating around in it, nothing to get in the way of the taste. The first night I tried with garlic and I found that, tho it was tasty, it had that raw garlic taste that to me seemed a little bit overwhelming. Last night I omitted the garlic and stuck with the ginger and onions. I think I am in love. Scallions would be even better I suspect. The broth takes less than 10 minutes to make- less even- then I added in beautiful local veggies; nappa cabbage, carrots, fresh spinach. You could definitely expound on this premise- flavor the broth with mushrooms etc- this was me, in a pinch, sick, after work- and it was D E L I C I O U S.

Simple Broth for Sick White Girl Asian Noodle Soup

6c water

½ onion, coarsely chopped

2” fresh ginger, grated

1t sesame oil

1t pink salt

Put everything in a pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large heatproof pitcher (I use my Vitamix container). Discard the vegetables. Pour the broth back into the pot and then proceed to add fresh veggies, cooked rice noodles. This is the simplest, clear broth and it is just so easy and perfect for a pick me up or when you are not feeling full force to sip on.

Sick White Girl Asian Noodle Soup

3-4c Simple Broth

1 carrot, cut into desired shapes

3 leaves nappa cabbage, thinly shredded

1 large handful fresh spinach, trimmed and washed well, thinly shredded

1 serving rice vermicelli

1t hot sesame oil

optional: you could add tofu cubes, mushrooms, baby corn, water chestnuts etc. While I was sick, simple was best.

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Over medium heat, add the veggies except the spinach and heat up only until they carrots turn bright and are just tender. Add the noodles (uncooked if quick cooking, use cooked if it is a longer cooking pasta or noodle). Add in the hot sesame oil. Taste and adjust for saltiness.

In a bowl, place the fresh spinach in and then ladle the soup and noodles over- this will cook/wilt the spinach keeping most of the antioxidants intact.

Fricken delicious.