Vegan Black Bean Soup

Hearty and delicious, the perfect end of summer soup. I had a bit of taco tofu left over from the night before, and added that in. But I left it out of this recipe. You can add in soy crumbles or tofu, if you like.

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked blackbeans, divided, (reserve 1 cup for blender)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 pinch black pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
1 ear fresh corn, kernels sliced off (or one cup frozen or canned corn)
4 sprigs of cilantro
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes





1.Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, celery, carrots and garlic for until soft. Season with chili powder, cumin, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute. Stir in vegetable broth, 2 cups of beans, and corn. Bring to a boil.


2.Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, process remaining  beans, cilantro and tomatoes until smooth. Stir into boiling soup mixture, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips or rice.





Asparagus and Potato Chowder

Let me preface this post with a caution: There is no photo on earth that could do this recipe justice. It was "the best soup I've had in a long time" according to the Mister.

I use two methods to make vegetarian and vegan soups thick (not liking to use cream, myself).

1. Make a roux

2. Blend 1/4 of the soup in the blender before serving

It really does make a difference, and I usually use both methods in the same soup, although the blender is the most successful, the roux adds a bit of flavor.

Let's Dive In!

Ingredients:

2 cups diced red potatoes

1 pound fresh asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 or 6 cups of vegetable broth

1.5 cups of plain soymilk

1 to 1.5 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 cup of butter or substitute

4 tbsp. flour

1 tsp fresh thyme

1/4 tsp sage (or two leaves fresh)

1 cup finely shredded cheese of your choice (optional)

1/2 tsp. liquid smoke  (optional)

Saute the onion, celery and garlic in a large pot, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add in the broth, soymilk, salt, pepper, asparagus, potatoes, and herbs and bring to a simmer.

Roux: In a skillet, melt the butter and then add in your flour, mixing with a spoon or whisk until the flour is incorporated and no chunks are left. Be careful to do this  over low heat and not to burn. (You cannot just add the raw/cold flour to the soup, it will only result in lumpy clumps of flour.) Add the roux to the soup, and the liquid smoke, if using.

Continue to simmer the soup until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Then transfer, carefully, about 1/4 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Add this back into the soup, mixing well.

If you want to add cheese, do so now, and cook another two minutes, stirring constantly.

Viola! Asparagus Chowder!

We served ours with a fresh garlic baguette from the local bakery. Heaven.