soup – Page 4 – The Vegan Love Project

Early Fall #NOFAIL Vegetable Soup

All of the vegetables are happening now, everything was either from my garden or local from the farm market. I had made the chickpeas earlier in the week so I had some in the fridge- another bean would fare well. I had sprouted the rice the day before and cooked it to have it in the house. This recipe would be a great way to use up simple leftovers you may have on hand. Any combination of vegetables would be delicious in this, the addition of sautéed greens versus adding them fresh is a boost of flavor for the soup.

Early Fall Vegetable Soup

1 carrot, sliced on the diagonal

½ onion, medium dice

1 stalk celery, sliced on the diagonal

1 clove garlic, smashed, minced

1 small thin skinned potato, medium dice

1/4t cayenne pepper or ¼ of fresh hot pepper

1/2c chickpeas, cooked

2T extra virgin olive oil

½ ear corn off the cob

2c kale, sautéed or raw

1/2c brown rice, cooked

4c boiling water

2T fresh herbs *optional

Salt

Pepper

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 carrots, celery, salt, black and red pepper. Continue to sauté until the veggies turn bright, stirring often. Add the chickpeas, potatoes and the rice, mixing them into the vegetables. Add the boiling water and bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the fresh corn and kale.

Adjust the seasonings before serving.

Simple Red Lentil Soup

Simple Red Lentil Soup

Seriously fool proof- red lentils are a mainstay in my vegan lovin diet. They cook really fast and you can have a gorgeous meal in 20 minutes flat from start to finish. Today I literally grabbed some kale and parsley from the garden and put it into the soup after the heat was turned off to let it steam/cook/mingle. DELICIOUS. Going into the colder days, I always have this soup in the house, I eat it for breakfast!

1 medium onion, *coarsely chopped

1-2 stalks celery, *coarsely chopped

1 carrot, *coarsely chopped

1c red lentils

2” piece of fresh ginger, *coarsely chopped

1 vegan bouillon* optional

1/4t black pepper

1t pink salt OR smoked salt (nice change) or more to taste

1/2t cayenne pepper flakes

1t turmeric (cause it’s just so awesome for you)

3T extra virgin olive oil

4c boiling water

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, carrots, celery and ginger until golden and soft. Add the red lentils, and black and red pepper. Continue to sauté until the lentils are well coated in oil. Add the boiling water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes partially covered, stirring occasionally. When the lentils are completely cooked, add the salt. In a blender, puree the soup until completely smooth (Or not!!!). Adjust your seasonings as needed.

*Coarsely chopped – if you are not going to puree this soup, then cut your veggies more uniformly to fit on a spoon!

OPTION-Add fresh greens like fresh spinach or kale in the last minutes of cooking if you like.

Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and fresh black pepper. YUM

Lentil Vegetable Soup

Whenever I am need of warming up, this is the soup I make. Being a million degrees and humid, today was not of those days- however, just back from New York city where I ate out for all of my meals (bagels, margaritas, processed vegan food, etc..), I was in need of some serious homemade vegetable love. Everything is local and organic, be it from my garden or from a local farm. It is so simple and so very satisfying. I ate this with 3 seeded cultured bread that I lightly oiled and then grilled with a side of my sweet, lovingly made Kombucha. Fricken delicious.

Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free

prep: 10 minutes cook time: 30-40 minutes

Vegetable Lentil Soup

2c brown lentils, cooked, washed and drained

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 stalk celery, medium dice

2 carrots, diced

1 potato, medium dice

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

1t turmeric

1/2t ground cumin

1/4t black pepper

1/2t cayenne pepper flakes or 1/2 of a fresh chili or jalapeño

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

2-3T extra virgin olive oil

4c 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, hot pepper and garlic until golden and soft. Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, salt, turmeric, cumin, black and red pepper. Continue to sauté until the carrots turn bright orange, stirring often. Add the lentils, mixing them into the vegetables. Add the boiling water, the bouillon cube (or powder) tamari, and Ume. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli.

Adjust the seasonings before serving.

Quinoa Vegetable Soup

This soup was made to feed my soul. Every vegetable in it was locally procured, if not from out of my own garden……food is healing, food is medicine.

Quinoa Vegetable Soup

1 clove garlic, minced

1small bunch kale, de-stemmed, torn into bite size pieces

—

½ onion, small dice

1small jalapeno

1 small carrot, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

3T olive oil

1 small potato, small dice

2c broccoli florets

3/4c cooked pinto beans

1/2c cooked quinoa or brown rice or pasta

1t smoked salt

4c water, pre-boiled in a kettle

salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot over medium heat, add 1T olive oil and sauté the garlic, and hot pepper until golden and aromatic, then add the kale and sauté until bright green. Remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same soup pot over medium heat, add 2T olive oil and sauté the onions, carrots, and celery until golden and aromatic. Add the potatoes and pinto beans, and cover with the hot water. Add the smoked salt, reduce the heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Add the cooked quinoa, broccoli and cooked kale and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes until the broccoli is tender and bright green. Adjust the seasonings, salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately and top with nutritional yeast and crusty bread.

Clean Green Mexican Summer Soup

This soup is refreshing served both hot or chilled and also very simple and quick to prepare. Because the greens are added in at the blending process, you are maximizing on their green nutrients in their optimal state, not totally cooked, making this a soup high in anti-oxidants and vitamin C. This soup is literally a powerhouse of green awesomeness. Serve with a wedge of fresh lime, cilantro and accompanied by some fresh summer salsa and a side of organic corn tortilla chips. FRICKEN YUM.

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free

Clean Green Mexican Summer Soup

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 zucchini, chopped, about 2c

1 carrot, coarsely chopped

1 small jalapeno, de-stemmed

1/4t chipotle powder

2T extra virgin olive oil

1T raw agave or maple syrup

Juice from one lime

1/4c fresh cilantro

1c lightly packed fresh greens; kale, or baby spinach

fresh cracked black pepper

4c boiling water

1t salt or to taste

—

3T cashew crème/ milk *optional AND/OR 1 whole ripe avocado

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

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onions, carrots and garlic until golden and soft. Add the zucchini, jalapeno, salt, chipotle, and black pepper. Continue to sauté until the vegetables soften and turn bright. Add the boiling water, bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes.

In a blender or vitamix, puree the soup, adding the fresh kale, lime, cilantro and agave/ maple syrup and *cashew milk AND/OR avocado. Adjust the seasonings again after adding the crème/ avo/both.

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

Cream of Zucchini Soup

This is the perfect way to use the summer squash from the garden, or, if you are lucky enough to have friends grow and give them too you! This easy, delicately flavored soup showcases the squashes sweet summer flavor. I use zucchini but yellow squash would make a beautifully colored bisque as well. I have made this with and without a vegetable bouillon or a veggie broth base, I enjoy both immensely, I’d say without the added flavor in the broth, it is a lighter taste, equally delicious just a matter of preference and also convenience, not everyone keeps bouillon in the house. Roasting the squash first enhances the overall flavor but it is also an additional step in the preparation that is not necessary for an amazing and quick to prepare soup.

Prep: 5 minutes, Time: 15-20 minutes

Cream of Zucchini Soup

Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 large zucchini, chopped, about 3c

1/4t cayenne pepper or chipolte powder

3T xvo

1/4t-grated nutmeg

1T mirin or white wine (but if white wine is in the house, I am most likely drinking it, not using to to cook with!)

1t maple syrup, sucanat, or raw agave

4c boiling water

1t salt or to taste

freshly cracked black pepper

Cashew heavy crème:

3/4c cashews

1c water

Bring 6c of water to a boil (in case you need more than called for)

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onions until golden and soft. Add the zucchini, salt, white and red pepper. Continue to sauté until the zucchini softens and turns bright green. Add the mirin and maple syrup and cook for 2-3 minutes or so. Add the boiling water, the bouillon cube (or powder). Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

In batches, in a blender or vitamix*, puree the zucchini soup. At this point, the soup is delicious as is or the crème can be added to create a wonderfully elegant soup. Adjust the seasonings again after adding the crème.

For the crème:

In a blender, grind the cashews to a powder. Add the water and blend at first at low speed and finally walking it up to full power. Let run for about 30 seconds. This should create a thick nut milk, likened to heavy crème. Add the crème into the soup and stir with a ladle to incorporate. Adjust the seasonings again after adding the crème.

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