Vegan Get Well Soup

When omnivores get sick, they eat chicken noodle soup.   Up until now, our vegan version of chicken noodle soup has been Top Ramen, so inexpensive and it always hits the spot!  (The Oriental Flavor Top Ramen is vegan.  Don’t buy the Maruchan oriental flavor, it contains beef broth!).  The problem with ramen is that the seasoning packet is not only extremely high in sodium, but it is full of chemicals and preservatives.

So this week when my husband and son became sick with the flu, I decided to try a healthier version of our favorite ramen!  I threw out the seasoning packet, used my own broth, added some fresh garlic, and kale for the grown-ups, and it was a hit.  Garlic has anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, and kale is a powerhouse of nutrition, containing large amounts of vitamin K, vitamin A, and calcium, as well as smaller amounts of many other vitamins and minerals.  What more could you want when you are sick?

Next time I might try making this soup with another type of noodle, such as soba noodles or whole wheat linguine, and toss out the ramen altogether!  But here’s the recipe I used this time around:

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 large bunch of kale, de-stemmed and coarsely chopped*
• 5-6 cups water
• 4 tsp vegetable bouillon**
• 2 packages Top Ramen noodles
• salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and sautee for a minute or two.  Add kale and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes to allow kale to wilt.  (You might want to add a splash of water while kale is cooking).  Add the rest of the water and bouillon (or prepared broth, if desired).  Bring to a boil, and add ramen noodles.  Cook for 3-5 minutes.  If you use an unsalted or lightly salted broth, you may need to add salt at this point.  I didn’t add any with the bouillon that I used.

* I made this soup in two pots, one with kale, one without.  My kids are not fond of kale and I wanted to prepare a nice comforting soup that my sick 5 year old would enjoy.

** I used Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base for this soup.  It makes it really taste like the Chicken Noodle Soup I remember.  Better Than Bouillon also makes a basic vegetable base as well.  This is my favorite kind of bouillon – it is a paste rather than a powder, so it dissolves wonderfully.  The ingredients are wholesome and recognizeable as well!

Butternut Squash Soup

Fall seems to be officially here in the Pacific Northwest, and I am so excited! Fall is my favorite season, hands-down! One of the many reasons I love fall is winter squash. Pumpkins, acorn squash, butternut squash, you name it! Butternut Squash was one of the first foods I pureed for my kids when they were babies, and I frequently snuck bites for myself. I’ll post the recipe for butternut squash soup that I made today, but I have to admit that I rarely make it the same way twice! All you really need is a butternut squash and some vegetable broth – it can be as simple as that, delicious in its simplicity. Or you can experiment with different spices — here I used traditional nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon, but sometimes I’ll go with cumin and red pepper. I’ve added soy milk and Earth Balance margarine here for an extra rich and creamy soup. Snuggle up inside on a cold day and enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium to large butternut squash
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup soy milk (optional)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
• 2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Place halves face-down on a baking sheet or casserole dish, and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate halves face-up, prick with a fork, and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until tender.*

Set squash aside until it is cool enough to handle. With a spoon, scoop the squash out of the skin and into a large soup pot. Add vegetable broth and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.  Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth.** Stir in spices, soy milk, earth balance, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Enjoy!

* You can bake the squash a day or two in advance and store it in the refrigerator until it is needed, for a faster prep time.

** If you don’t own an immersion blender, go out and buy one! Seriously, though, you can blend this soup in batches in a traditional blender. You will need to be very careful while handling the hot liquid, and may want to wear oven mitts while blending, just in case of any splattering! An immersion blender is generally not too pricey and will be well worth your money if you enjoy smooth and creamy soups – it will take only a minute to blend and is much less messy than using the regular blender!

Lentil-Rice Soup

After posting the time-consuming Spanokopita recipe, I figured I should share something that doesn’t take 2 hours to assemble! Here’s a basic lentil soup recipe that is simple and easy to prepare. I was in the mood for cumin today, but you can substitute any spices you want, such as oregano, sage, thyme, or basil. Also, pearl barley is a delicious substitute for the brown rice! Here’s the basic recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups dry brown/green lentils
• 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 large shallots (or 1 medium onion), finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp ground cumin (or whatever spice you are in the mood for!)
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup dry white wine
• salt* and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3-4 cups loosely packed baby spinach (or chopped spinach)

Preparation:

Rinse lentils and brown rice, and set aside. Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, cumin, stock, water, and wine and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 1 – 1 1/2 hours. Add salt and/or freshly ground black pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir in raw spinach. Let stand 2 or 3 minutes before serving, giving spinach time to cook slightly. Enjoy!

*The amount of salt required will vary greatly depending on what kind of broth you use. I like to use a bouillon called “Better Than Bouillon” – 5 tsp bouillon paste mixed with 5 cups of water to make the 5 cups broth in the recipe. This is very salty and I never need to add salt at the end. However, if you make your own broth or buy liquid broth in a carton, you will probably need to add salt at the end.