Onion Soup

Not a clear-broth type, but interesting.

5 onions, cut in half, then sliced thin
1/4 cup olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon paprika
4-5 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon miso
1 tablespoon soy or tamari sauce
freshly ground salt and pepper

Sautee the onions in the olive oil over medium to medium-high heat, covered, until softened. Then remove cover and continue to sautee until lightly browned. In a small bowl, mix garlic, flour and paprika. Sprinkle over onions and mix. Slowly blend in vegetable stock; then add miso and soy/tamari sauce. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings with freshly ground salt and pepper. Serve with croutons and vegan cheese, if desired.

Parsnip Chowder

1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2-4 large parsnips, cleaned and diced
3 cups vegetable stock
1 to 2 cups soy or other non-dairy milk
3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped
freshly ground pepper and salt, to taste

Heat oil in large soup pot. Add onion and sautee over medium heat until golden. Add potatoes, parsnips and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer; then cover and simmer gently until potatoes and parsnips are tender, about 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove about half of the potates and parsnips to a bowl. Mash well and return to the soup. Add the non-dairy milk, parsley and dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer over very low heat for about 10 minutes, until heated through.

Portuguese Spicy Kale Soup

Once more, a visit to Robin Robertson's cookbook Vegan Fire & Spice: 200 Sultry and Savory Global Recipes has yielded an incredibly rich and warming yet easy to fix dish. My adaptation is below, but definitely get your own copy of her book, easily one of my favorite vegan cookbooks.

1-1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 to 4 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 to 2 tablespoons minced garlic

3 to 4 potatoes, cut into one-inch pieces

1 teaspoon salt

vegetable stock or water -- about 4 to 6 cups

1 head kale, stems removed and leaves torn into small pieces

1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

two cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook coverd until softened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, potatoes, salt and enough vegetable stock (or water) to cover by about an inch. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the kale and hot red pepper flakes. Cook for 30 minutes more. Add the beans and simmer for about 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Vegetarian Chili

Adapted from Vegetarian Pleasures. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled, and the ingredients can also easily vary depending on what you have on hand.

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
dash cayenne pepper
1/4 cup bulghur and/or 1/2 cup cubed seitan turkey loaf
one 28-ounce stewed tomatoes, with their juice
one 14.5-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 bottle of beer
1 tablespoon soy sauce
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

In a large pot, heat the oil. Add onions and garlic; sautee for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and bulghur. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes (with their juice), kidney beans, soy sauce and beer. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes or until thick and fragrant. Add salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, add the 2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter, stirring until melted. Garnish each serving with the chopped red onion.

Celery Soup

Although we have had a reprieve from the rains, the colder weather inspired a revisit to Nava Atlas' Vegetarian Soups for all Seasons, which inspired this adaptation:

14 large celery stalks (save about 1/4 cup celery leaves aside)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
1 small jalapeno pepper, minced
2 tablespoons flour
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
water or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon each, basil, oregano and thyme
1/4 teaspoon dill
1 teaspoon miso paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 to 1-1/2 cups unsweetened MimiCreme or soymilk, as needed
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Trim celery stalks and dice; divide 1/4 cup and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large soup pot. Add onion, garlic and jalapeno pepper; saute over medium heat until the onions are lightly golden. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to mix. Add the larger portion of celery, the potatoes and enough water or vegetable stock to cover. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Chop celery leaves with fresh parsley and add to the pot along with the dried spices/herbs. Simmer over low heat for about 25 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat. With slotted spoon, transfer solid ingredients to blender and puree. Return to soup pot over very low heat. Add enough MimiCreme or soy milk to achieve a slightly thick consistency. In a small skillet, heat remaining tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Add reserved celery and sautee until golden. Add to soup and season with salt and pepper.

Corn and Ginger Soup

Adapted from Vegan Fire & Spice by Robin Robertson.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1-1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 cups water
1 cube vegetable stock
1 cup unsweetened MimiCreme
1/2 to 1 cup string beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
2 teaspoons curry paste with lemongrass
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and ginger and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the corn, water, vegetable broth cube and string beans. In a small bowl, blend cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Add cornstarch mixture to saucepot. Simmer about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the MimiCreme, curry paste and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Cool slightly. Using a slotted spoon, transfer solid contents to a blender and puree; then return pureed mixture to saucepan to reheat before serving.

Sage Dumplings

We still had a significant amount of leftover Minestrone Soup, so to dress it up I decided to prepare some dumplings using fresh sage from the garden. Here is the recipe I used after reviewing a variety of online examples. This brought enough dumplings to the soup that it will make at least one if not two more meals, a real bonus in crazy economic times like these.

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

small bunch of fresh sage leaves, to taste, minced

freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste

4 tablespoons EarthBalance butter

1/4 to 1/2 cup soy milk

soup or vegetable stock

In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, sage, salt and pepper. Cut in the butter. Add just enough soy milk (a little at a time) until the mixture comes together to a soft dough. Tear off pieces and shape or roll into small balls. Drop into soup or vegetable stock that is simmering at a near-boil. Cook the dumplings about 10 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until the dough is no longer raw.

Minestrone Soup

Although the weather today was quite mild for October, there was just enough chill in the air to inspire soup for dinner, which wasn't such a bad choice because we were able to use several items from the garden in this delicious version adapated from Nava Atlas' Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
3 medium celery stalks, diced
handful of celery leaves, chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
one 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup red wine
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
one 14-ounce can chickpeas or red beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup peas
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large soup or stock pot. Add onion and garlic and sautee over medium heat until onions are golden. Add carrots, celery, celery leaves and potatoes, along with just enough water to cover. Add tomatoes, wine, oregano, basil and thyme. Bring to low boil/simmer; cover and let simmer until vegetables are done, about 40 to 45 minutes. Add chickpeas or beans, peas and parsley. Add more water to adjust consistency, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for another 20 minutes.

Potato and White Bean Soup with Olive Puree

The weather has been chilly and today the rains returned. It's officially autumn and time for one of my favorite soups. The puree of beans and potatoes make the texture so rich while the rosemary and olive oil bring on the flavor (not to mention the spike of olive puree). This recipe was adapted from a cookbook called The Basque Kitchen.

1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, thickly sliced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 to 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
one 15-oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 to 3 small potatoes, peeled and coarsley chopped
4 to 5 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper
25 to 30 green (or kalamata) olives pitted

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add onion, garlic and rosemary; saute for five minutes. Add the beans, potatoes, vegetable stock, salt and pepper; add water, if necessary, to cover. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Remove rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer soup to blender and puree. Return to saucepan to reheat. Put olives in blender and food processor to puree. Ladle soup into bowl and garnice with swirls of olive puree.