Meatless Monday: Let’s Talk Soup
It’s coooold. Even in Los Angeles. So the other day I was hunting through the fridge in search of something to make soup with.
Supplies were low, so I reached for some frozen spinach (it’s too cold for smoothies!) and threw it into about an inch of water to let it defrost. I had green onions on-hand and little else, which I guess inspired me to go in an asian direction? Not sure but here’s what followed:
—The spinach defrosted, infusing the water with a nice and subtle spinachy taste.
—I chopped up the green onion and threw it in the mix.
—Then, as though suffering from a momentary lapse of reason, I decided to add almond butter in there. (The one from TJ’s that has flax seeds and sea salt in it too. SO good.)
I know, that sounds odd to put almond butter in soup (or whatever this was shaping up to be). But I figured, since I’m such a huge fan of asian peanut butter kale, how could almond butter and spinach not be friends? And I wanted to give a richness to this concoction.
—Next I squirted in a big shot of Braggs Liquid Aminos. Vegans as well as the gluten-free set will know this product because it replaces soy sauce in many recipes, offering a similar salty umaminess, as well as 16 amino acids. (If you don’t have any though, but feel inspired to try this recipe, soy or tamari will also do the trick).
—Up next came a squirt of Sriracha sauce.
And that’s it. I added some nutritional yeast in my bowl but it’s not necessary. Note: This entire process took about 5 minutes, and resulted in full-flavored deliciousness!
And that’s why soups are so awesome. I used to do be really intimidated by making soup, thinking that it was some long and complicated procedure. But I’ve come to learn that you can essentially throw whatever veggies you have on-hand into a pot, and as long as you have something like Braggs, or miso paste, or a vegetarian bouillon in the fridge or cupboard, it will be good.
What’s your favorite simple soup recipe? It’d be awesome to collect a few new ideas in the comments.
I’ve since remade my spinach-almond soup again, and it was great with some cubed tofu in there. Next time I’m going to try it with carrot slices and seitan.
Happy Monday, and stay warm!
My Crockpot has been my best friend! I toss in 2 cups or so of dried beans, vegetable broth, whatever veggies are in the fridge, some canned diced tomatoes, then 1/2 tsp each of dried basil, thyme, oregano. Let it cook all day, add salt and pepper. A super easy, super tasty dinner!
Oh, yum, soup! I’ll have to try your recipe. I love how easy it sounds. And since tossing in almond butter is a bit outside of my comfort zone, it’ll be a fun experiment!
My easy soup is a little more complicated that yours, but not a lot: onions sauteed in garlic oil or coconut oil; add water, delicata squash (chopped), and some garam masala spice; cook till tender (doesn’t take long) and toss in a green at the end: chard or kale are my favs, spinach would be good, too. Delicious and easy! You can throw in some garbanzo beans at the end, also; they go really well with the garam masala. Here’s to soup!!
I do mostly raw soup with chickpea miso. Miso is technically not raw but I get the unpasteurized kind and call it close enough. So it’s a scoop of miso, whatever greens are about (kale, spinach), a touch of Bragg’s or coconut aminos, some sort of hot sauce, optionally add ginger, cucumber, fennel, and/or mint. Add filtered water, or juice the solid veggies for the liquid portion of the soup. Throw it all in the Vitamix and blend til it’s warm enough, that way it’s still raw. If you don’t care about raw you can heat it on the stove. It feels really nourishing and I love the spicy so I make it quite hot. This takes minutes and there’s minimal clean up (if you don’t use the juicer).
I am just wondering, but what are the benefits of being vegan?
@Anonymous, for me personally being vegan has meant an overall increase in health, and the elimination of many problems with my hormones, skin, digestive system, and allergies. I don’t think being vegan is necessary for everyone to have optimal health, but for me it is essential. You can search this site for other opinions on the subject, and there’s plenty out there on the internet.
Mmmm…soup.
I love the dreariness of autumn and winter for this one reason!
My recent favorite has been a curried chicken with roasted pumpkin. I save pumpkins from October, roast them and freeze them for this bowl o’ amazing! It has a bit of heat from the curry, coconut milk and a touch of sweet from the pumpkins (I typically use sugar pumpkins, but jack-o’-lanterns with a bit of cinnamon are also quite delectable). The chicken is optional but makes for such a hearty dish, I can’t imagine the soup without it!
I’m also on the lookout for a lentil to die for, if anyone has a recipe suggestion. Tired of those cans of salt marketed as “soup!”
Long live adventurous soupers!
One of my favorite soups is called red soup (admittedly, it’s probably got waaay to much sodium and is not the most nutritionally dense).
Ingredients: tomato juice, spicy v8, water, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and pasta shells.
Couple cups of dry black beans, cover with an extra inch or three of water (depending on how long it’ll cook for), toss in a couple of bay leaves, and leave it in the crockpot for the day. An hour before dinner, toss in some Mexican inspired seasonings and a small can of chopped green chilies (or fresh, but canned are staples in my cabinets), and take out the bay leaves. Let it simmer until I’m ready to eat, and serve topped with sour cream and shredded cheese along side a quartered onion and hot fresh cornbread or warm tortillas, or over rice. The original called for a small can of diced tomatoes, too, but my beloved doesn’t like cooked tomatoes. Phooey on him!
Not fast, but very filling, and usually makes a lot of extra – quick meal fodder for the freezer!
If you haven’t made beans before, like, ever, then it’s worth mentioning: DO NOT SALT the beans until they’re fully cooked. If you salt them too early, they won’t soften and will be crunchy.
Dawn, if you are worried about the sodium, you may want to use crushed tomatoes (easy to make) and roasted peppers, (poblano, jalepeno and even one yellow or red pepper, sans the seeds). I make chili this way and it is de-li-cious.
Although it is Tuesday, I feel like I’m coming down with either a cold or flu, so I am in the middle of making a batch of soup: Rustic Vegetable Soup with Rye Croutons and Parsley-Savory Pistou. I got the recipe from the LA Times Test Kitchen a few years ago. It tastes like “comfort”.
My easy soup is cilantro soup. For the base, all you need is a piece of kelp and a few dried shitake mushrooms. Cook them for 20 mins, sometimes I even throw in a couple cloves of garlic. Then put in the chopped cilantro, usually one bunch from the store is good. Simple and tasty… If you have more time, you can also put in some carrots or white Asian radish to cook with the soup base.
Rebecca, how do you filter your water? High tech system or something like Brita? Thank you for your help!
@Lindz, I use a filter that attaches to my faucet (you can run regular tap or filter by pulling a little knob). I forget the brand – I think it may be Paragon – but the filters last a full year and it could also be attached under your sink to filter everything. If you have good tap water you may not need to filter. I just prefer to use filtered water in my raw foods and especially if it’s something that will get stored in the fridge a few days.
Thanks Rebecca! I’ve been wanting a filter for a long time now. We have a Poland spring unit and the boa freaks me out, but the metals in tap freaks me out too, plus I hate the taste of tap water. I’m torn because we want to move, but I’m not sure when that will happen, so I’m tryi g to decide whether to wait or suck it up. I also thought of just getting a Brita or Zero water filter. Thanks for letting me think out loud.