Week 41 -- Mushroom Miso Soup

When I was out travelling in California and the western US this summer, I mostly ate from my food supplies I brought with me.  I cooked a few meals in hostels and occasionally ate some brown rice cakes.  On my last night in San Francisco, I went walking to explore the mission district with a new friend I met on the trip.  We tried to eat an Ethiopian restaurant with vegan options, but when we got there I found out they made their injera with wheat flour, so that was out. 

Disappointed, we started walking back toward the hostel, and on the very next block my friend spotted an all vegan Japanese restaurant!

With my allergies, I need to be very careful with what I order, but generally vegan miso soup is safe for me.  This restaurant not only had miso soup, they also had a mushroom miso soup, and I took a chance on it.  I didn't have an allergic reaction, and the soup was delicious!

This is my own version of the soup.  The soup in the restaurant was simple and good, but for religious reasons most of their recipes were made without garlic or onions.  I just couldn't resist adding some onion into this. 

I bought the dried wakame in an Asian grocery store, but you can usually find it in the organic or ethnic sections of large grocery stores.  This uses just two tablespoons and it expands quite a bit, so don't get overly exuberant. 

Look at the beautiful oyster mushroom sitting on top!

Mushroom Miso Soup

1 small red onion, sliced into strips
3 cups mixed sliced mushrooms (I used 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, 1 cup oyster mushrooms, and 1 cup baby portobello mushrooms)
2 Tbsp dry wakame
1/2 block tofu, cubed
2 Tbsp miso
About 6 cups water

1. Saute the onion in a little water until soft.  Add the mushrooms and let them also cook until soft.  

2. Add the water, wakame, and tofu.  Let simmer until wakame expands and softens (it will happen fairly quickly.
3. Add the miso, mixed with a little water.  Try not to let the soup boil after you add the miso.

Makes 3 meal-size servings or about 6 small servings to go with a meal.

Week 38 -- Cream of Mushroom Soup

This week's soup almost didn't get made.  It was super busy at my new job, and I am missing my own kitchen (along with my soup equipment: slow cooker, stock pot, immersion blender, etc.).  And then I wasn't feeling well this weekend. 

So late at night Mom helped me make one of her regular soups.  She uses this cream of mushroom as a base for green bean casserole, stroganoff, and other casseroles, but it's also good on its own, even though it's pretty rich.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 onion, minced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
about 1/2 lb mushrooms, diced
2/3 cup cashews
1 tsp each savory, sage, and thyme
1 Tbsp miso
1 tsp molasses
1 Tbsp arrowroot
2 cups water
1 Tbsp parsley

1. Saute the onion and garlic in a little water until cooked.  Add mushrooms and cook until dark and softened.
2. Put cashews, savory, sage, thyme, miso, molasses, arrowroot, and water in blender and blend until smooth.
3. Pour cashew cream over mushrooms.  Heat until arrowroot thickens.  Add parsley.

Makes about 4 small servings.

Week 26 -- Creamy Vegetable Soup

I was in the mood for peas and carrots, but I didn't want a tomato-based soup.  It was a little on the cooler side today and I was home sick dealing with seasonal allergies, so I was craving something hot and comforting.

This soup reminds me of the creamed tuna on toast my mom used to make when I was little, just without the tuna.  It would be very good served over toast or cooked grains. 

This took a while to simmer, but it wasn't very difficult and that gave me time to get this week's baked oatmeal in the oven. 

There's the finished soup.

And here's what it looked like before blending.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

Creamy broth:
1 red onion diced
2 large cloves of garlic diced
1 1/2 carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
1/4 cup dried mushrooms, broken into pieces
1 can cannellini beans with liquid (or 1 1/2 cup cooked white beans)
4-6 cups water to taste
1/2 tsp each sage, thyme, parsley
1/4 tsp celery seed
pinch black pepper

1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1 1/2 cup diced carrot

1. Water saute onion and garlic until soft.  Add other broth ingredients.  Simmer about 45 minutes.
2. Blend broth.
3. Thaw peas.  Steam diced carrots.  Stir into broth.

Makes about 4 servings.

Week 23 -- Lemon Millet Soup

I was at my Mom's house for the day, and Mom mentioned she wanted to try a whole-food plant-based version of Greek lemon and rice soup.

We try to avoid rice because of arsenic concerns, so we decided to use millet.  I thought it worked out well, but Mom says she would try using already cooked millet so it falls apart more in the soup.

We made our own super fast veggie stock, but feel free to replace that part of this recipe with your own veggie stock or a no-salt store-bought stock.

As with many of these soups, I never ate the authentic version, I've only eaten my own recipe, so I have no idea how this compares to the real deal.

We served the finished soup with homemade falafel, salad, and a cashew-cucumber sauce.

Lemon Millet Soup

4 cups veggie stock (1/2 a carrot, 1 stalk celery, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup onion, 1/4 cup mushrooms, parsley, simmered with about 3 1/2 cups water then pureed)
2/3 cup uncooked millet
1 can chickpeas with their liquid (or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas with 1/2 cup cooking liquid)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp miso

1.  Heat stock.  Add millet and simmer until millet is over-cooked. 
2. Ad chickpeas, lemon juice, and miso.  Let all come up to temperature but do not boil after adding miso.

Makes 4 servings.

Week 22 -- Old World Eggplant Stew

I struggled to name this soup.  I've never had anything like it other places, but it just sounded good to me.  And this soup did hit the spot.  I was under the weather with seasonal allergies and this had ginger and the gentle warmth of allspice, plus a little sweet and a little tangy.

This is not a pretty soup.  The broth is dark and rich, and the eggplant gets soft and melts in your mouth.  But it's great for when you aren't entertaining and want something hearty and warming but not heavy.

Old World Eggplant Stew

1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 inch ginger, minced
1 cup red lentils
1 medium eggplant, cubed
8 oz. mushrooms, chunked
4 cups water
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp molasses
2 tsp miso paste

1.  In large soup pot (or slow cooker), saute onion and garlic in a little water until softened.  Add ginger, lentils, and water.  Chop the rest of the veggies and add them.  Cover and simmer until lentils are cooked and veggies are tender, about 15 minutes.  If using slow cooker, just throw everything in there.
2.  Add seasonings.  Let simmer about 5 minutes to let flavors meld.  Take out a little broth.  Mix it with the miso paste and add back to the soup.  Turn off heat.

Makes 3-4 servings.

Week 20 -- Wonton Soup

When I first learned how to make my own version of wontons, I was super excited.  I grew up loving wonton soup, but I gave it up when I stopped eating animal products.  It only took me a few months being vegan before I learned to make my own wontons with tempeh and the pre-made wrappers they sell at grocery stores.

When I could no longer eat corn, I had to make my own wonton wrappers.  They weren't awful, but I didn't have any clue how to adapt once I had to stop eating gluten and wheat flour.  This was my first attempt at making gluten-free wontons.  I also had to swap out the tempeh because I'm doing a soy elimnation trial (suspected allergy).  I replaced the tempeh with walnuts and mushrooms. 

This recipe is more a cautionary tale than a recipe.  The end result was delicious, but it wasn't without hiccups.  If you're making this, please consider the amounts below to be suggestions rather than exact measurements.  If you can eat gluten and corn, you can skip the worst steps and use store-bought wonton wrappers, just check the ingredients to make sure you're getting ones without eggs.  This is not a fast or simple recipe, but it's worth the effort.

This makes more wontons than you'll probably want to eat at once.  Freeze the rest in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then transfer to storage containers.  Pull a few out whenever you want a fast bowl of soup.

I should note that this is a totally non-authentic recipe.  It is completely based on Americanized foods.  I recommend that for the actual stuffing and sealing of the wontons, you search online for real directions rather than just going off my free form photographs.

When you see it in the bowl, it's easy to forget how much work it was!

There's the filling!  The psyllium husk makes it clump together better,
but it's optional and just for texture.

The psyllium husk in the dough is not optional.  That's what makes it knead-able and roll-able
like a dough with gluten.  If you're cooking gluten free, it's worth buying to always
have some on hand.  You can add it to many recipes to make them easier to work with.

I am not a master wonton filler.  You can see mine all turned out different shapes.
They all taste good, though!

Filling:
1 cup walnuts
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1/2 small red onion
1-2 cloves garlic
2 inches ginger, peeled and sliced
1 Tbsp psyllium husk (optional)

Chop the first five ingredients in a food chopper or processor.  Then stir in the psyllium (if using).

Dough:
1 1/2 cups garbanzo flour
1 cup millet flour
2/3 cup arrowroot
2 Tbsp psyllium
1 cup water

1. Mix all ingredients.  Knead in more flour as needed. 
2. Roll out between two sheets of parchment very liberally dusted with flour.  Cut into pieces for filling. 
3. Put about a tablespoon of filling on a square of dough.  Dip your finger in water and dampen the edges of the square, then fold the dough over and pinch to seal.
4. Freeze until ready to use or cook right away.  To cook, I put a thin layer of water in my saute pan, set the wontons in, covered, and let the water simmer until the wontons were cooked (the dough has an obvious change in visual texture and color when cooked).  You can search online for better methods of steaming, too.

Broth:
2 cups salt-free vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 tsp miso
sprinkle of parsley

I used the vegetable broth recipe from the How Not to Die cookbook, but you can use whatever broth recipe you like.  Heat the broth with water and miso over low heat.  Don't boil after adding the miso.

Put a few wontons in a bowl.  Ladle the hot broth on top.  Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley (or, to be more authentic, you could use green onions, which I do not like and so do not use).

Week 18 -- Purple Soup

I love the taste of this soup, but mostly I love how pretty it is!  The broth is a beautiful clear purple.  I like to chop the veggies ahead and throw them into the crockpot some morning.  This makes a lot of soup for very little work.

I may have already mentioned (in the cabbage soup recipe) how much I love the buttery taste and texture of slow-cooked cabbage.  It is one of my favorite foods.

I like the simple flavor of this soup, but if you're new to low salt eating, you may want to stir a small spoonful of miso into your bowl.

Isn't that a gorgeous color?

My aloe and cacti are hoping I'll share with them.
(I won't.)

Purple Soup

1 medium onion

4 cloves garlic

2 carrots

2 stalks celery

8 oz baby bella mushrooms or white mushrooms

1 small head purple (red) cabbage

1 can white beans

1. Chop all veggies.

2. Drain and rinse beans.

3. Put all in crock pot or slow cooker.  Let cook for about 8-10 hours on low.

Makes 9-10 servings.

Week 6 -- Flu Fighter Soup

It's that time of year when everyone has the sniffles, or worse.  I don't get sick often (one benefit of an immune disorder that basically means my system is always in overdrive), but when I do get sick, I make sure everyone knows it.  You know the jokes about "man colds"?  I'm not a man, but otherwise I fit the description.  I am miserable and whiny, even though my "cold" is rarely worse than sniffles, a headache, and an occasional sneeze. 

This is my ultimate feel-good soup.  Even when I'm not sick, just feeling run down, this soup makes me feel better.  It is one of my favorite meals any time, not only in flu season.

Shiitake mushrooms are especially great for supporting the immune system.  Garlic, onions, and ginger are all well known for helping fight infections.  Kale, like all cruciferous veggies, is high in vitamins and antioxidants.  Miso and tempeh both contain probiotics to help get you back on track if you've been on antibiotics (so I've heard -- I can't remember the last time I needed antibiotics).

Enjoy this soup whether you're healthy or under the weather.  I think you'll like it either way.

Look at those shiitake mushrooms!  They're hard to find in my area, but they're worth a splurge.

I wish you could smell a photograph.  My kitchen always smells amazing when this is cooking.

Flu Fighter Soup

1 large red onion

3 cloves of garlic

4-5 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

1-2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 package tempeh

6 cups kale, torn into pieces

2-3 Tbsp miso

About 4-6 cups water

1. Chop the garlic and set aside for about 30 minutes to get the most benefit.

2. Slice the onion.  In a large skillet, saute onions in a small amount of water until soft.

3.  Add sliced garlic to the onions.  To mince the ginger, cut it into slices against the grain first, then stack slices and mince.  Add to the skillet.

4. Slice the mushrooms into thin strips.  Add to the skillet.

5. Add about 2 cups of water to the pan.  Cut the tempeh into squares and add to the pan.

6.  Tear up the kale and add it to the skillet.  Stir it in and lower the heat.  The kale will soften and turn brighter green.

7. Mix the miso with some water.  Add it to the pan.  Add enough water to make a nice soup (cover about 3/4 of the veggies).  Heat just until the soup is all hot, but don't boil.

Note:  Tempeh is a cake made of fermented soybeans and grains.  I've heard it's an acquired taste, but I personally can't get enough of it.  Look for it near the tofu in your grocery store.  If you need to avoid gluten, watch the ingredients carefully as some varieties contain barley and other glutinous grains.  If you aren't up to trying it or you can't find it, substitute one can of your favorite kind of bean.