(Credit: Jaimee Haddad)
In the biting winter cold, nothing is quite as comforting as a steaming bowl of soup. It fills the face with steam and warms a person from the inside out, like a big bear hug. Below, we share two recipes for vegan soups celebrating the hearty pumpkin.
Recipe #1 - Pumpkin Soup with Cashews
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
5 cups pumpkin, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 ½ cups raw cashews
3 onions, roughly chopped
2 carrots, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 cube vegetable Maggi
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sage leaves
2 tsp herbs de provence (or any other herbs of your choice like rosemary or thyme)
1 tsp white pepper
2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Directions:
Place the pumpkin pieces, carrots, three garlic cloves, one cup of raw cashews and two bay leaves in a large pot. Fill the pot with water, enough to cover the pumpkin pieces. Place on the stove and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil and cook until everything is tender.
While the pumpkin is cooking, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and add the chopped onions and the three remaining garlic cloves. Cook on medium heat until the onions begin to caramelize. Add the sage and herbs de provence and let cook for a few more minutes, until the herbs become fragrant.
Remove the bay leaves from the pumpkin mixture and add the onions. Add the white pepper, Maggi cube and soy sauce, and continue to cook on a low simmer. Taste the broth for salt and add as desired.
In the same pan you used for the onions, add 2 tablespoons of flour and the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil. Stir the mixture and let it cook until the flour becomes a brown color (with the consistency of peanut butter). Remove the flour mixture from the heat and wait a few minutes for it to cool before adding it to the soup pot. Be careful because the mixture will splatter when it comes into contact with liquid. Stir until well incorporated.
Remove the soup pot from the heat. Blend the soup using an immersion blender (or a regular one) until smooth and creamy, and no chunks remain. Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired.
Toast the remaining ½ cup of cashews in a pan over medium heat, and serve the soup with the cashew garnish.
ALF SAHA!
Recipe #2 Three Sisters Soup
Serves 6-8
This soup is named after the three sisters: beans, corn and squash. In Native American culture, these crops are planted together, and they complement one another while they grow, like sisters.
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups white beans soaked at least 4 hours, preferably overnight
2 bay leaves
6 cloves garlic
2 green bell peppers, cut in half
3 onions, cut in half
2 cups pumpkin, cut into small cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Smoked paprika
1 tbsp Cumin
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp Molasses
2 tbsp tomato paste
chili paste (optional, to taste)
Salt, to taste
1 cup corn (canned or frozen)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Directions:
Place the soaked beans in a large pot. Fill with at least 6 cups of water. Add the bay leaves, 3 cloves of garlic and a few pinches of salt. Cover with a lid and boil on medium heat until the beans are tender. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
In an oven-safe pan, place the onions, bell peppers and pumpkin pieces. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and 1 tbsp of smoked paprika. Place in the oven and cook on high heat until vegetables are roasted, at least 30 minutes.
Once the vegetables are cooked, add to the pot of beans. Add the remaining smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, oregano, molasses, tomato paste and chili paste (optional). Taste for salt.
Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until creamy and smooth. Set aside.
In a separate pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add the corn, along with 3 cloves of chopped garlic. Cook until corn starts to brown and a little water remains. Season with salt and pepper (or chili flakes). Remove from heat and add ¼ cup chopped cilantro.
Serve the soup in a bowl and garnish with the corn-cilantro mix.
SAHTEN!