Vegetable Soup with flavour

[rach71]

Hi all,
I was wondering if anyone had a simple recipe for a good vegetable soup and how to make (cooking time, spices to make it taste good, oil, etc.). I tried to make some soup from scratch years ago and it was such a mess I haven't tried since. I do remember cooking it for hours and hours and hours, but it still didn't have much flavour. Any suggestions? Thanks:)

[Cumin]

Hi Rach,
I've been experimenting with soups too, and I find that a little barley miso, or wakame added early on can really help. Go careful with the wakame though as it's pretty strong and can take some getting used to. Swede (not sure if you get that there) is also is a great veg for a nice sweet soup.
The other thing that I find really important is to cook it slooowww. Don't boil, keep it _just_ off simmering. I tend to do this on and off for about 6 hrs, with the rest of the time a really low temp.

A typical process for me would be:
leeks & celery gently sauted in a little olive oil for about 10mins
add herbs (sage, rosemary maybe) & black pepper
stir into coat veg.
Add chopped carrots, swede, potato , little cabbage + stir in
water to cover twice over
bring to simmer
add 2 tsp barley miso, or a small handful of wakame
a handful of dried red lentils and a handful of rolled oats
cook slowly as detailed above.

Good luck!

[herbwormwood]

Hi all,
I was wondering if anyone had a simple recipe for a good vegetable soup and how to make (cooking time, spices to make it taste good, oil, etc.). I tried to make some soup from scratch years ago and it was such a mess I haven't tried since. I do remember cooking it for hours and hours and hours, but it still didn't have much flavour. Any suggestions? Thanks:)


Soups are easy and once you know how you will probably find you cook them at least once a week.:)
I find the right stock makes all the difference. I use Marigold Veggie Boillion.
Make sure it is the vegan one not containing lactose as lactose is milk sugar. Check the ingredients list.
Also a trick is that you can use a potato masher to make them soft once you have cooked them a while. Don't add salt or stock till near the end as it inhibits the cooking of pulses including lentils.
http://www.vegan-food.net/index.cgi?soup
for vegan soup recipes

[Pob]

The green Marigold stock is not vegan! It contains lactose.

I use the purple reduced salt one that is vegan.
http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/579366.html

The orange organic one is vegan too.
http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/579618.html

[herbwormwood]

Hi all,
I was wondering if anyone had a simple recipe for a good vegetable soup

Saute 2 onions in a tablespoon olive oil;
Add a cup washed red lentils and 2 chopped carrots;
Add about a pint and a half of water and bring to simmer;
cook on medium till lentils are soft; (should be about 30 minutes)
season to taste with stock or salt and pepper; cook for another 5 or 10 minutes; mash with a potato masher and serve. Leftovers store well.

[pat sommer]

Tom Yam paste is a (usually) vegan Thai sour/spicy soup base for noodle and veg. Quick and easy for 1 or more.

Masaman is another thai paste (check for prawn) that makes a dreamy pumpkin soup. Boil chunks, throw in some cashew for richness, whiz it all up

Got a slow-cooker or heavy-bottom pot? Split pea is silky divine if the soaked peas are allowed a very low temp over a long time, 4-6 hours.
Barely a bubble coming to the surface is the rule... doesn't need much tarting up after that perhaps fine chopped carrot and celery salt pepper

Smoky bean: tinned or homemade beans (pinto, borlotti best) wizzed up with either smoked paprika, or chilpotle chillie, or even fake bakon bits, along with soya and a bit of tom puree (paste).

[rach71]

Thanks for the ideas! I dont think the marigold is available in Canada, I haven't seen it and I checked online and it was all in UK prices. I will definitely try the other recipes - 6 hrs simmering sounds familiar. I'll experiment and see what I can come up with.

[Seaside]

Some good things to have on hand for tasty soup:
Liquid Smoke, which is especially good in sweeter soups like corn chowders.
Wines, red or white, depending on what your soup is made of. Don't worry about the alcohol, it boils off and just leaves the flavor.
Garlic and onions!
Sauteeing freshly cracked peppercorns before you add your other ingredients really makes a difference in the flavor.

[Bunny]

I recently discovered that a tablespoon (depending on size of soup made) of whole grain mustard adds a fantastic flavour to soup. It makes it kind of sweet. I don't really like mustard on its own, but added to soup is fairly wonderful.

[maya]

Vegetable Soup


1 med yellow onion, sweet yellow prefered
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cloves of Fresh garlic
1 can swanson veg broth
2 cans crushed iltian stewed tomatoes
1 can reg stewed tomatoes
20 oz water
2 tbsp of raw sugar
2 large carrots peeled chopped
4 to 5 med Potatoes peeled chopped
2 cans green beansIn non stick stock pot add olive oil and chopped onion saute until translucent and tender add veggie stock 2 cans iltian tomatoes and 1 can of reg stewed tomatoes, water and garlic, bring to a boil over med heat with lid for about 30 min add potatoes and carrots lower heat to med low and cook for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

[rach71]

All these ideas sound great, thanks - and I love mustard, I never thought of using that for flavour.

[foxytina_69]

i always add mustard, soy sauce and liquid smoke for flavour. aswell as nutritional yeast. and organic vegetable boullion cubes if we have them. and lots of spices, sea salt and pepper. and then whatever veggies i fancy aswell as anything else such as beans, lentils or brown rice.

[tabitha]

Foxy - what is liquid smoke?

[Seaside]

A liquid seasoning made from Hickory Smoke concentrate which imparts a distince smokey flavor to foods. Use sparingly as liquid smoke is very concentrated and a few drops can go a long way. You can buy it in most grocery stores in the barbeque and steak sauce section.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/brand_pic_wrights_1.jpg

[foxytina_69]

mmmm im making a vegetable soup right now. its got celery, kale, onion, carrots, tomato, water, a vegetable boullion cube, liquid smoke, mustard, beans in tomato sauce, green beans, tomato sauce, brown rice and lentils. ill add thyme, marjoram, garlic, sea salt, pepper, and im not sure what other spices.

[KarmaGirl]

I make a huge pot of veg soup each week so that I have it on hand for quick lunches (saves on the food bill, too). This what I typically put in it:
1 jar soup base (this is a tomato base with bell peppers, onion and italian seasoning that I can from my garden veggies. You could use a half cup tomato paste, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 TBS italian seasoning and 1/2 chopped bell pepper instead)

3 carrots, sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

5 red potatoes, chopped

1 small rutabaga, diced

1 cup fresh green beans

1 head cauliflower

3 cups (cooked) mild beans (like kidney beans, garbanzo, etc).

2 Vegan bullion cubes

2 cans stewed tomatoes

I sauté the carrots and celery until they begin to soften. I then combine them in a stock pot with the potatoes and rutabaga. I pour in the jar of soup base, add the bullion, then add enough water to cover the veggies. Once they all start to get soft, I add the rest of the ingredients, add enough water (or broth if I have it) and cook until the cauliflower is soft.

I also like to add a 1/2 cup of sweet wine and fresh herbs to the soup now and then to "dress" it up. It's great with a nice piece of crusty bread. You can also make it into a "stew" by reducing the amount of water added.

[rach71]

Thanks Karma (and everyone else!), that sounds great.

[GoodbyeGirl]

all from The Art of Cooking With Miso

creamy corn soup

2 medium leeks
2 t canola or sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t sea salt
5 c water
3 c frozen or cooked fresh corn kernels
1/8 t black pepper
3 T corn miso or other sweet/mellow miso
minced fresh cilantro for garnish

cut off and discard the root and the dark green fibrous portion of the leeks. slice each leek lengthwise, cutting through only to the center (not all the way through). wash carefully to remove any soil that may be trapped between the leaves. cut the leeks into 1/4 inch slices and set aside.
heat the oil in a 4 quart pot over low heat. add the garlic and saute for 1 minute or until just beginning to soften. do not brown.
add the leeks and salt, stirring briefly to coat with oil. increase the heat to medium, add the water, and bring to a boil. reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the leeks are tender. stir in the corn and pepper, and continue to simmer for 2 minutes.
carefully ladle some of the soup into a blender until it is half full. add the miso and blend until pureed. (blending hot soup can be dangerous. don't fill the blender more than half full) pour the puree into a large bowl, and continue to blend the remaining soup.
return the pureed soup to the pot, and simmer over medium-low heat until heated through. garnish with cilantro before serving.

[Tigerlily]

Where do you find all these recipes, Goodbye Girl?

[GoodbyeGirl]

potato leek chowder with roasted garlic

2 heads of garlic
3 medium leeks
1 T olive oil
4 medium potatoes, diced
1/2 t sea salt
5 1/2 c water
1/8 t black pepper
1 T finely chopped fresh thyme. ot 1/2 t dried
1/4 c sweet white miso
chopped chives for garnish
croutons for garnish

with a werrated knife, cut off and discard the root end of each head of garlic, wrap the heads in foil, and bake in a 300 degree oven for 45 minutes. remove from the oven, unwrap, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. squeeze the roasted garlic from the individual cloves and set aside.
while the garlic is roasting, cut off and discard the root and the dark green fibrous portion of the leeks. slice each leek lengthwise, cutting through only to the center (not all the way through). wash carefuly to remove any soil that may be trappen between the leaves. cut the leeks into 1/4 inch slices and set aside.
heat the oil in a 4 quart pot over medium heat. add the leeks, potatoes, and salt, and saute for about 2 minutes, or until the leeks begin to soften. add the water, increase the heat, and bring to a boil. reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the pepper. cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
carefully ladle some of the soup into a blender until it is half full. add the thyme, roasted garlic, and miso and blend until pureed. pour the puree into a large bowl, and continue to blend the remaining soup.
return the pureed soup to the pot, and simmer over medium-low heat until heated through. garnish with chives and croutons before serving.

[GoodbyeGirl]

potato leek chowder with roasted garlic

2 heads of garlic
3 medium leeks
1 T olive oil
4 medium potatoes, diced
1/2 t sea salt
5 1/2 c water
1/8 t black pepper
1 T finely chopped fresh thyme. ot 1/2 t dried
1/4 c sweet white miso
chopped chives for garnish
croutons for garnish

with a werrated knife, cut off and discard the root end of each head of garlic, wrap the heads in foil, and bake in a 300 degree oven for 45 minutes. remove from the oven, unwrap, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. squeeze the roasted garlic from the individual cloves and set aside.
while the garlic is roasting, cut off and discard the root and the dark green fibrous portion of the leeks. slice each leek lengthwise, cutting through only to the center (not all the way through). wash carefuly to remove any soil that may be trappen between the leaves. cut the leeks into 1/4 inch slices and set aside.
heat the oil in a 4 quart pot over medium heat. add the leeks, potatoes, and salt, and saute for about 2 minutes, or until the leeks begin to soften. add the water, increase the heat, and bring to a boil. reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the pepper. cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
carefully ladle some of the soup into a blender until it is half full. add the thyme, roasted garlic, and miso and blend until pureed. pour the puree into a large bowl, and continue to blend the remaining soup.
return the pureed soup to the pot, and simmer over medium-low heat until heated through. garnish with chives and croutons before serving.

[qwaychou]

Yummm, these all sound so good!
My mother is coming down for a visit in a few weeks, and every time i ask her: "Would you like me to cook anything special for you?" And every time she says; "Soup."
Guess what kind I'll be making this time??
I think I'll try KarmaGirl's recipe!! Sounds delightful!!

[Tigerlily]

Did you not see my post, Goodbye Girl? :o

[GoodbyeGirl]

Did you not see my post, Goodbye Girl? :o

yes i did, i'm just a snob.
just kidding. no, i'm sorry, i didn't see it. i get all of the recipes from a bunch of cookbooks that i have. i love to cook, i do it every day, so i have loads and loads of recipes. right now i am just doing a bit of housecleaning. i am getting rid of all the cookbooks and cooking magazines i own that have big animal sections in them. i am keeping all of the good vegan recipes out of them on this site so that i can keep making them and i won't lose them like i would if i wrote them on paper. i try to post the name of the book i am using on each thread, if not each recipe, so you can look into the book if you want to find more recipes in it. i only put up the recipes that i use, so there are always a lot more that i leave out.

[GoodbyeGirl]

french onion soup

1 T olive oil
4 medium to large yellow or red bermuda onions, halved and thinly sliced into half moons
1/2 t sea salt
5-6 c shiitake stock
2 bay leaves
3 T red, brown rice, or barley miso, or 1/4 c mellow white miso
2 T chopped fresh thyme
1/8 t pepper
garlic croutons for garnish

heat the oil in a 6 quart pot over medium heat. add the onions and salt and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until soft and translucent. cover and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 40 minutes or until the onions are browned and the juices have begun to caramelize on the bottom of the pan. if necessary to prevent burning, reduce the heat to medium-low while the onion cooks.
when most of the liquid from the onions has evaporated and the bottom of the pot is covered with a brown natural-caramel glaze, add 3 cups of the stock. using a wooden spoon, scrape the caramelized sugars from the bottom of the pot and stir until it is dissolved in the broth.
add the bay leaves an 2 more cups of the stock, and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes. if the soup is too thick, add a little more stock.
dissolve the miso in some of the broth and add it to the soup. stir in the thyme and pepper, and simmer 1 minute more. remove and discard the bay leaf. garnish with croutons before serving.