It snowed today, all day. And when it snows, soup is always on the menu.
This is a hearty vegan vegetable soup that has a nice thick base for all your favorite chunky veggies.
The last few days I’ve felt a bit off. Not sick, just achy, tired, and blah. I don’t want to eat anything, nothing sounds delicious, I have no cravings, and rummaging through the fridge makes me feel even less like eating.
When this funk hits, homemade vegetable soup is my go-to. No matter how off I’m feeling, a nice gentle, hearty soup always leaves me full and feeling better.
I’ve been experimenting with starting my soups from a roux (sounds like “roo”), and it’s exciting how thick and filling they are turning out.
A roux is flour and fat cooked together and used to thicken sauces.
-Wikipedia
I used an organic wheat flour and some vegan butter to make the roux, then added some veggie broth, the veggies, and water.
As it simmers, the base thickens and the flavors come together. I even took two ladles of the soup (chunks and all) and gave it a whiz in the Vitamix, then poured it back in to thicken the soup even more.
I made up some Ezekiel toast and threw together a small side salad with zucchini, red pepper, and some broccoli sprouts that I grew in a jar. Topped with hemp seeds and a squeeze of lemon juice…mmm.
I topped my bowl with fresh cut rosemary and a crack of sea salt and peppercorns. But if oyster crackers are more your thing, have at it.
Enjoy!
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water + more as needed
- 3 gold potatoes, cubed
- 3 carrots, chopped
- ¼ head cauliflower florets, chopped
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- ½ zucchini, cubed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- big handful kale, chopped
- salt to taste
- fresh rosemary to top
- Melt the vegan butter in a large pot.
- Add flour, and stir until they combine into a paste. Keep heating the roux for a few minutes until the color is golden.
- Add broth and water, stir roux into broth, bring to a simmer.
- Add potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, and onion.
- Keep stirring and simmer these until potatoes start to soften. About 15 minutes. Check by poking with a fork.
- When potatoes are soft to a fork poke, add the zucchini, garlic.
- Simmer for another 5 minutes.
- (Optional) Ladle out 2 scoops of soup into Vitamix and puree. Pour back into soup for a thicker soup.
- Add kale, give it a stir to mix it in, remove pot from heat.
- As the kale wilts, add salt, stir and taste.
- Ladle into bowls and top with rosemary and fresh cracked sea salt and pepper.
- Enjoy!