Vegan Recipe: Potato and Leek Soup with Basil Oil

I love soup! Do you? Of course you do, you're not crazy. I don't mean to brag, but this soup is really good. Pair it with some crusty bread and a light salad...or do whatever you want. I'm not the boss of you.


My family really loves this soup. There are no chunks so the texture-fearing children in your life will probably find this acceptable as well.

2 T vegan margarine
3 stalks chopped leeks, soaked in water, loosely separated and drained
4-6 cloves finely chopped on pressed garlic
3 T dry white wine (omit for gluten free version)
3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
4 c vegetable stock
1/4 tsp fine grind sea salt
* Basil oil for garnish (1/2 c cleaned basil, large stems removed + 1/3 c extra virgin olive oil. Whirl in blender until fully incorporated.)



1. In a medium soup pot over medium high heat melt the vegan margarine. Add the leaks, olive oil, and garlic. Sweat it out for a about 7 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
2. Add the white wine and cook for another minute.
3. Add the potatoes, broth, and salt. Lower heat to a simmer and cover. Let it go for half an hour or until the potatoes are tender.
4. Pull out your blender and blend all of the soup, in batches (remember to cover and not to overfill the blender or you will burn yourself), until all of the soup is creamy and smooth.
5. Return to pot and let it warm back up. Serve hot with a little swirl of the basil oil. Enjoy!



Serves 4-6

~Maria Rose

Vegan Recipe: Butternut Squash Coconut Soup

Here is another recipe that I am moving over from Rooted Vegan.

2 T olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 quart vegetable broth
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 apples, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
1 can coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tsp curry powder

1. In a large soup pot over medium heat add the olive oil and sweat the onions and garlic until just beginning to become translucent.
2. Add the vegetable broth, butternut squash, carrots and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add the apples, coconut milk, salt and pepper, curry powder. Stir and simmer for 5-10 minutes
3. Using a food processor, immersion blender, regular blender blend until smooth and creamy. Serve hot with some crusty bread and a salad!
Enjoy!
~Maria Rose

Vegan Butternut Squash Curry Soup

Things have been cooling down here and with the onset of cold weather come roasted root veggies and soups. This recipe combines those two elements in a simple and delicious soup.



Ingredients
Olive oil, a tablespoon...or so
1 butternut squash
1/4 c. chopped onion, save the rest for later
1 1/2 c. veg broth
2 c. soy milk
1 1/2-2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt (more if you like)
pepper to taste
*anything else that sounds good to you (carrots, rice, whatever)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Cut your butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard; I use an ice cream scoop and it works like a charm. Brush your halves with olive oil and place, cut side up. Pop them in the oven for about 45 minutes or until the flesh is tender.

Once the squash is roasted remove the flesh from the shell, again an ice cream scoop works well. Put it into the blender with either some of the milk or the vegetable broth or both. Blend until creamy, unless you like chunks, then by all means.... You will have to do this in a couple of batches. As you finish each batch pour it into a large soup pot.

Next you will add everything else to the pot in totally random order, it must be random--because I want you to feel like you have control over the situation. Stir everything together and heat over medium high heat until the onion (and anything else you may have added) is tender. Enjoy with some crusty bread. I added some homemade croutons (cube bread, season how you will, toss with a little olive oil and bake until crisp).