As the weather cools, it is nice to have a few soup recipes on hand. Here are several that we enjoy!
Carrot Soup
This bright, warming soup is served often. It’s a forgiving recipe that allows for latitude, so adjust the quantities and tweak the spicing at the end to suit your taste!
6 – 8 Servings
Ingredients:
18 carrots, peeled & diced.
1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled & diced
1 1/2 TB vegetable bouillon (adjust at the end)
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 large onions, chopped
1/2 bulb of garlic: Separate & peel cloves, but leave them whole
1 -11 oz. can coconut milk
(Optional- 1/4 tsp ground ginger- or more to taste at the end)
Directions:
Place half the carrots and all the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan or small stock pot and cover with water. Add bouillon, bring to a boil; and then simmer on low heat until soft.
In a separate pot, cover the remaining carrots with water, cook until soft, then drain the liquid. (Reserve the water to use later if needed.)
While the carrots/sweet potatoes cook, sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soft.
Add drained carrots, onion/garlic mixture, spices, and coconut milk to the pot containing the carrots, sweet potatoes, and boullion.
Using an immersion blender, blend everything together until smooth, but slightly chunky. Adjust spices or add liquid if needed and serve.
French Lentil Soup
This is a new favorite, adapted by Ganapati from an online recipe at pardonyourfrench.com. Pureeing part of the rich, tomatoey broth makes this soup feel like a stew. Served with crusty bread and s salad, it makes a very hearty and satisfying on a cool day.
Serves: 4-6 people Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, diced (keep leaves for garnish)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 can 28-fl oz diced tomatoes
1 ½ cup French green lentils (or brown lentils)
4 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the carrots, celery, salt, smoked paprika, cumin, thyme, and pepper, and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the diced tomatoes, lentils and broth. Stir to combine and lower the temperature to low-medium heat. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 45 minutes (until the lentils are done).
Transfer about 2 cups of the “soup” to a blender and puree until smooth. Stir it back into the pot with the rest of the soup. The soup should be creamy with some “chunks” – if too thick, you can thin it out by adding ¼ cup of water at a time. Turn off the heat, season to taste with salt and black pepper, and serve.
Potato Leek Soup- Vichyssoise
This soup, from one of Ananda’s earliest cookbooks, is a classic favorite. You can make it richer by adding a little cream – to taste- at the end, or make it a vegan soup by using a vegan “butter.”
Serves 4-6 Preparation time 40-45 minutes
Ingredients
6 TB butter (or vegan butter)
5 medium leeks, minced (white part only (though some of us like to use part of the green as well- it makes the soup a lovely light green color)
1 medium-large onion, minced
4 medium potatoes. cubed
4 cups vegetable broth (or bouillon dissolved in hot water)
salt, to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
3 TB chopped fresh chives
Directions
Saute leeks and onions in butter over medium heat until tender. Add potatoes and vegetable broth. Cover, bring to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Reserve 3 cups of soup and puree the rest (in a blender or using an immersion blender) until smooth. Return to saucepan and add chives, salt and pepper. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and serve a once.
