Soups

Stock for Vegetarian French Onion Soup
Split-Pea Soup
Cauliflower Bisque
Farmer's Market Soup
Mushroom Vegetable Soup
Potato Leek Soup
Miso Soup
Mushroom Barley Soup
Golden Potato Soup
Lentil Vegetable Soup

Stock for Vegetarian French Onion Soup

Ingredients
· 1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
· 1 cup hot water
· 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 onion, chopped
· 4 oz. fresh crimini mushrooms, chopped
· 2 carrots, chopped
· 2 stalks celery, chopped
· 1/2 cup leek greens, chopped
· 6 branches thyme
· 2 bay leaves
· 6 branches parsley
· 3 sage leaves
· 2 cloves garlic, chopped
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 9 cups water

-Reconstitute dried mushrooms in hot water.
-Heat oil in a soup pot, add onion, and cook it until it has caramelized, being careful not to allow it to burn.
-Add remaining ingredients, including reconstituted mushrooms.
-Bring to a boil.
-Simmer for 45 minutes..
-Strain and use, or reduce further to intensify flavor.

Split-Pea Soup

Ingredients
·2 stalks celery, diced
·1 - 2 carrots, diced
·1 medium, or 2 small potatoes, peeled & diced
·1 onion
·3 bay leaves
·Salt and pepper to taste
·1 tsp. marjoram
·1/2 tsp. thyme
·1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
·3 - 4 Tbsp. red vinegar
·1 1/2 cups split-peas

-Saute onion, celery, carrot, and bay leaves in water (or oil) until soft.
-Add marjoram and thyme, salt, pepper, split-peas, and 7-8 cups water and bring to a boil.
-Lower to medium-high and cook until split peas are soft, 50-60 minutes.
-When soup becomes too thick, add additional water to prevent it from burning (and to keep it a soup rather than a stew).
-Add potatoes and parsley and cook 10 minutes.
-Remove from heat, add vinegar, mix well, and serve.

Cauliflower Bisque

Ingredients
·1 medium head cauliflower
·1 small zuccini, chopped
·1 medium carrot, chopped
·1 large yellow onion, chopped
·4 Tbsp. vogue veggie base
·2 tsp. salt
·1 - 2 Tbsp. mild yellow miso (opt.)
·1/2 tsp. white pepper
·5 cups water
·2 boxes silken tofu
·1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill (opt.)

-In a large pot, saute onion, carrot, zucchini and cauliflower in oil until slightly cooked, about 5 minutes.
-Add water, tofu, seasonings, and bring to a boil.
-Cook 5 minutes more, or until cauliflower is soft.
-Blend well (in 2 or 3 batches).

Vogue veggie base is powdered vegetable broth seasoning. Most health food stores will have it. Substitute other vegetable broth powders if unavilable.

Makes 6 - 7 large bowls

Farmer's Market Soup

Ingredients
·1 Tbsp. margarine
·Handful mushrooms
·2 onions
·2 carrots
·6 cups water
·1/4 cup soy sauce
·1 Tbsp. vogue vege base (or broth)
·1/4 cup white wine
·1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
·1/2 lb. green beans
·2 potatoes
·1/2 bunch Chinese broccoli
·2 zucchini or 4 small summer squash
·1 bunch spinach
·Salt & pepper to taste

-In a large soup pot, melt oil.
-Slice mushrooms and chop onions and carrots.
-Saute vegetables in oil for 5 minutes.
-Add water (or broth), soy sauce, vegetable base (do not use with broth), wine, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
-Cook for about 20 minutes.
-Clean, trim and cut green beans.
-Add beans to soup and cook 15 minutes.
-Chop potatoes, leaving skin intact, and cut the stems off the broccoli.
-Add potatoes and leaves to the soup, cook 10 minutes, and add chopped zucchini and the leaves of the spinach, once they have been cleaned.
-Cook 5 minutes more, adjust seasonings, and serve!

Mushroom Vegetable Soup

Ingredients
·2 carrots, sliced thin
·1 onion, diced
·1 - 2 stalks celery, diced
·2 cups aromatic mushrooms, sliced
·1/2 - 2/3 cup hulled barley
·1/2 cup peas
·1/2 cup corn
·4 canned whole tomatoes, plus 1/2 cup juice
·2 tsp. basil
·1 tsp. oregano
·1/2 tsp. garlic powder
·2 Tbsp. soy sauce
·Salt to taste
·1/4 - 1/2 tsp. pepper
·5 cups water

-Chop mushrooms into small pieces.
-Saute mushrooms, onions, celery with 1 cup water (or a 3 Tbsp. oil) for 5-10 minutes.
-dd barley, carrots, tomatoes, spices, soy sauce and water.
-Bring to a boil, cover and simmer at a low boil for 1 hour.
-Add corn, peas and salt (if any).
-Adjust seasonings and cook for an additional 1/2 hour. Serve!

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients
·2 large leeks
·6 red potatoes, peeled and chopped
·1/4 tsp. white pepper
·1/8 tsp. black pepper
·2 bay leaves
·7 cups water
·1 tsp. dill
·3 sprigs fresh tarragon, minced
·Salt to taste
·1 - 2 Tbsp. margarine

-Cut bottoms off leeks, slice in half (the long way).
-Rinse well under running water to remove any dirt hiding in between the layers.
-Slice thinly and saute in a large pot with the seasonings and spices and margarine until translucent and soft.
-Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and reduce to medium-high.
-Cook until potatoes are cooked.
-Puree half or more of the soup to give it a creamy base.

Makes 4 - 5 servings

Miso Soup

Ingredients
·3 cups water
·3 scallions
·1 piece wakame seaweed
·1/2 tsp. hot sesame oil
·1 - 2 tsp. soy sauce
·Black pepper to taste
·1 1/2 generous Tbsp. miso

Any type of miso can be used in this recipe. Red miso is recommended or white.

-Place water in a pan and heat.
-While heating, add wakame, broken into small pieces (they will expand), hot oil, tamari, and pepper.
-When water comes to a boil, add scallions and remove from heat.
-Dissolve miso in water and serve.

It is important not to cook the miso or important nutrients may be destroyed. Serve with a green salad and a thick slice of crusty bread for dipping.

Note: you can add a small amount of very thinly sliced mushrooms or a very small amount of small chunked tofu (chinese style or soft varieties are traditional, but any kind will work). You can even add a bit of capellini pasta, broken into thirds (add while water is heating up and cook for 1-2 minutes before adding miso).

It is recommended to not use more than 2 ingredients other than seasonings: seaweed, tofu, scallions, mushrooms, pasta. This soup doesn't work very well if it becomes cluttered, which 3 ingredients tends to do. Also be careful to use ingredients sparsley - they're there to spruce up the broth. Use less than you think you'll need.

Makes 2 servings

Mushroom Barley Soup

Ingredients
·1 onion, chopped
·1 stalk celery, diced
·1 clove garlic, minced
·1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
·2 Tbsp. oil
·1/4 cup soy sauce
·1/2 cup hulled barley
·1/2 tsp. salt
·1/2 tsp. garlic powder
·1 tsp. dill
·1 tbsp. parsley, chopped
·5 cups water
·1 - 2 carrots, sliced

-In a large pot, combine onion, celery, garlic, and mushrooms with oil and saute for 5 minutes.
-Add barley, soy sauce, seasonings, and water.
-Bring to a boil, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours.
-About 45 minutes before it's done, add the chopped carrots.

Golden Potato Soup

Ingredients
·4 - 5 red potatoes, cut into large chunks
·6 cups water
·3 carrots, sliced thin
·1 - 2 stalks celery (opt.)
·2 onions, cut into long slices (red or white)
·3/4 tsp. savory
·1 tsp. dill
·1/2 tsp. rosemary
·1 tsp. garlic powder
·1/4 tsp. pepper
·1 tsp. salt
·2 - 4 Tbsp. tamari
·1 - 2 large handfuls nutritional yeast

-In a soup pot, saute onions, carrots, celery and spices in water (or oil).
-When the onions become translucent, add the rest of the ingredients.
-Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked, but not too soft.
-Just before soup is done, check the seasonings.
-You may have to add more tamari, salt, or garlic powder.

If desired, top with cooked, julianned kale as an edible garnish.

Makes 4 - 5 servings

Lentil Vegetable Soup

Ingredients
·1 - 2 stalks celery
·3 carrots
·1 large onion
·3 red potatoes (opt.)
·1 1/2 - 2 cups green lentils
·3 - 4 cloves garlic
·3 bay leaves
·1 Tbsp. olive oil
·1 Tbsp. Italian herb mix
·1 bunch spinach (opt.)
·1 tsp. salt
·7 - 8 cups water
·3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

-Chop carrots, celery, onion, and garlic.
-Heat oil in a large soup pot.
-Add vegetables and bay leaves.
-Cook on medium heat until vegetables are soft.
-Add water, herbs, and lentils.
-Cook on medium-high heat for 45 minutes, adding water when needed (2 or more cups will evaporate during cooking).
-Chop potatoes into small cubes, if using.
-Add to the soup and cook until potatoes are soft, about 10-12 minutes.
-Add spinach leaves and cook 2 minutes more, just enough to wilt the leaves.
-emove from heat.
-Stir in red wine vinegar and leave covered until ready to serve.

Note: This soup improves with time. Letting it sit for 2 hours will only make it better (if you can wait that long...I usually can't).

Makes 5 - 6 servings