Fresh Pea Soup

My sister got me some fresh peas so I boiled and blended them and it looked like that ^

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
2 small potatoes, diced
2 cups broth
1 cup water
1 cup shelled peas
S&P, to taste
sliced green onions, for garnish

Heat the oil and add the onion. Let them cook until they're soft. Add the potatoes, broth, and water. Let simmer until the potatoes can be pierced with a fork. Add the peas and cook for about 8 minutes, until soft. Turn off the heat and blend with an immersion blender. Season with s&p.

Tortilla Soup

Rumor has it that tortilla soup is supposed to have shredded chicken in it so I was trying to think of the best veggie protein for shredding and the closest I could come up with was frozen tofu. Turns out it can't really be shredded, but it can be torn and it totally works in this tortilla soup recipe. The tofu recipe is from Tofu Cookery, the world's best tofu cookbook.

1 lb tofu, frozen, thawed*
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp cumin

3 corn tortillas, cut into strips
oil for frying

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic (I leave it whole and just use it to flavor the oil but you can mince it and leave it in)
1/2 small jalapeño, chopped
4 cups veg broth
14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes

avocado, cheese, and cilantro for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350.
Whisk together the soy sauce, peanut butter, and cumin until smooth. Tear the thawed tofu into small bite-size pieces and toss with the peanut butter mixture. Spread out the tofu pieces in 1 layer on an oiled baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until crispy. Set aside and try not to snack on them.

Cover the bottom of a frying pan with oil. Fry tortilla strips in a single layer until crispy. Drain on paper towels, set aside and try not to snack on them.

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic and jalapeno in oil for a few minutes until soft. Remove garlic if you left it whole. Stir in broth and tomatoes and bring it to a boil. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Take it off the heat and blend with an immersion blender. Add tofu and heat until the tofu is hot again. Garnish with cilantro, avocado, tortilla strips and shredded cheese.

Here it is with my new favorite recipe, Seitan Fajitas.

*To freeze tofu, cut firm (non-silken) tofu into 4 equal squares (or more if you want it to freeze faster) and wrap each square separately in foil. It's best to let it freeze over night but smaller pieces shouldn't take more than a few hours. You know they're ready when they've turned into yellow tofu bricks. To thaw, put bricks into bowls of hot water, replacing the water every few minutes until you get tofu sponges. Squeeze out as much water as possible from the tofu sponges.

Broccoli Cauliflower Soup

I was hoping this would be a pretty light green like my Cucumber Radish Soup, but I guess that wouldn't really make sense with so much broccoli and yellowish broth. The taste of the broccoli kind of overpowered the cauliflower too so I'll have to try some cauliflower soup without the broccoli next time. I forgot to add the lemon juice to the soymilk when I made my soup but I'm pretty sure that would make it even better.

1 cup plain soy milk
juice of half a lemon
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 small head of broccoli
1 small head of cauliflower
2-3 cups veggie broth
2 tbs (vegan) butter
2 tbs flour
salt and pepper
green onions for garnish

Add the lemon juice to the soymilk and set aside. In a large pot, saute the onion in the oil until softened. Add the cauliflower and let it steam for a few minutes. Add broccoli and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat until veggies are soft enough to blend. Turn off the heat and blend the soup with an immersion blender. In a small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of margarine over medium heat until melted. Add the flour and whisk until combined. Gradually add the soy milk and whisk constantly until thickened and smooth. Add the soymilk mixture to the pot and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper and reheat until hot. Garnish with green onions.

Adapted from this recipe

Lentil Soup

1 tbs oil
~1/2 cup onion, chopped
~1/2 cup carrot, chopped
~1/2 cup celery, chopped

~1 cup potatoes, diced

1 chunk ginger, minced

1 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups dry lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 tbs tomato paste

4 cups veggie broth

1-2 cups water

coriander, cumin, garam masala, garlic powder, freshly ground pepper, salt

~2 oz fresh baby spinach

Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot and add the onion, carrot, celery, and salt and cook until the onions are translucent, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the potatoes and ginger and cook for about another 5 minutes. Add the lentils, tomato paste, broth, water, and spices and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, about 35 minutes. Give it a few pulses with an immersion blender, but leave it chunky. Taste the soup and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Add the spinach and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

Adapted from my mom's recipe and this one

Corn Soup

I can't remember how I made this, but I think it was pretty much just fresh corn, veggie broth, and soy creamer. The soup came out creamy, delicious, and unusually sweet and I thought "damn, this is some sweet corn" but then I ruined some lemon caper sauce by using the same soy creamer and realized that the sweetness in the soup might not have been the corn. I've used Trader Joe's soy creamer to replace heavy cream in savory dishes before, and it never used to turn them into desserts. WTF, TJs?

Cucumber and Radish Soup

1 cup soymilk

2 lemons, juiced

2 medium cucumbers

6 small radishes

1/4 cup parsley

1/4 cup dill

Squeeze one of the lemons into the soymilk and let it sit while you prepare the rest of the soup. Peel and chop the cucumbers, mince the radishes and chop the herbs. Combine everything and blend it until smooth. Pour it through a strainer to get rid of extra chunks.

Asparagus Soup

12 oz asparagus
2 small potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 small onion, diced
1 tbs vegan butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups broth
1 cup soymilk
1/4 tsp cinnamon or nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup soy creamer
1/4 tbsp dry vermouth

Clean asparagus, snap off the tough ends and discard. Chop the rest of the asparagus into small pieces, leaving the tips intact. Cook the asparagus until crip-tender in salted boiling water. Drain and rinse. Separate the tips and save for garnish. Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Stir to a roux and gradually add stock and milk. Keep stirring and bring to a boil. Add asparagus stalks, onions, potatoes, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Cook until asparagus and potatoes are very soft. Take it off the heat and blend with an immersion blender. Bring it back to a boil and stir in the cream, vermouth and asparagus tips. Cook just until heated through. Add extra salt and pepper if it needs more.

Gazpacho

Gazpacho and Grilled Jarlsberg Sandwiches

Split Pea and Barley Soup

6 cups veggie broth (plus extra water if your pot sucks)
1 1/2 cups dried split peas
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup pearl barley
salt and pepper

Put broth, split peas, onion, carrot, celery and shallot in a big soup pot.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.
Blend soup with an immersion blender. Add barley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 45 minutes or until barley is tender. Add extra water if your pot doesn't close completely like mine and all the liquid evaporates, making the soup way too damn thick.
Season with salt and pepper.

adapted from this