Celery, along with onions and peppers, is often referred to as the holy trinity of vegetables. These vegetables often take on a supporting role in enhancing the flavor and texture of dishes but seldom take on the leading role. The distinct flavor of celery – slightly sweet, savory and aromatic – is not only the star performer in this soup but wins an academy award hands down!
Celery is comprised of fibrous ribs and darker green outer leaves. The ribs are readily incorporated in culinary dishes, but sadly, the leaves are often discarded. From a nutritional standpoint, it is the soft delicate leaves – not the ribs – that are packed with nutrition. From a culinary standpoint, it is the leaves – not the ribs – that are packed with an intense punchy flavor. To enhance not only the nutrition and flavor of this soup I use both ribs and leaves.
The health benefits of celery, once considered hokey pokey folk medicine, has been scientifically proven. Celery contains coumarin which has calcium antagonistic properties. Coumarin prevents calcium from depositing on the walls of the coronary arteries disrupting blood supply . Celery contains a phytochemical called phthalide which relaxes the tissues of artery walls increasing blood flow and decreasing blood pressure. Celery also has a diuretic effect so it can help to remove excess water from the body. Lastly, with only 10 calories per rib celery is an excellent low-calorie food to snack on.
Ingredients:
7 ribs of celery (including leaves) chopped
1 onion chopped
4-5 cloves garlic minced
1 medium potato cubed
4 cups vegetable broth (no or low sodium)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
Directions:
Sauté the celery and onions in 1/4 cup water until translucent (about 5 minutes)
Add the garlic and stir for 1-2 minutes until fragrant
Add the vegetable broth, potatoes, thyme, black pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and gently simmer until the potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes).
Sir in the almond milk and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves then blend well using an immersion or high speed blender.
Serve piping hot and garnish with homemade Ezekiel bread croutons, sautéed onions, celery leaves or hemp seeds.
It all started with a bunch of rainbow heirloom carrots I snatched up at Trader Joes. I mean I literally snatched up the last doggone bunch! The feeling of joy. Excitement. Happiness. To me it was like winning the freaken lottery or something. Immediately, notions of roasting those babies with warm spices and pureeing them into a comforting pot of soup raced through my head. Is this going to be a perfect Saturday or what?!
You might say – come on – get a grip on it – it’s just a bunch of carrots. Not so. Do you have any idea the blood, sweat and tears that farmer went through growing those carrots? It’s true. Heirloom carrots come from seeds that are at least 50 years old. Those seeds were handpicked by that farmer for specific traits. And heirlooms are much harder to grow which is why you rarely see them at the supermarket.
Carrots 101
In ancient times all carrots were white and grown for their leaves and seeds – much like parsley, dill and coriander are. They contain 32,000 different genes and two recessive ones contributed to a build up of carotinoids. It is believed that early farmers grew colorful carrots quite unintentionally.
All carrots are extremely nutrient dense with each color having a different nutritional profile. Orange carrots are so brightly colored because they have the highest amount of carotenoids. Red carrots get their color from high amounts of lycopene. Yellow carrots get their color from high amounts of lutein. Purple carrots get their color from high levels of anthrocyanin. White carrots are albino and not a source of carotine but contain high amounts of polyacetylenes which is an organic anti-cancer compound.
Daily consumption of potassium and sodium rich carrots can prevent plaque build up in the arteries (don’t confuse the sodium found naturally in whole foods with table salt). With their high content of carotenoids, vitamin A and C, and polyphenols, carrots help regulate cholesterol. Studies show a direct link between carrot intake and reduced risk of prostate cancer and the polyacetylenes found in carrots protect against leukemia and colorectal cancer.
Ingredients
1 large bunch of heirloom carrot (tops removed)
3 sweet potatoes (peeled and cut in pieces)
4-5 garlic cloves
1 large sweet onion chopped
2 cups chopped celery
3 tbsps. peeled and chopped fresh ginger
2 cups unsweetened plant based milk
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsps garlic powder
3 tsps Italian seasoning
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp rosemary
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground ginger
1tsp ground cayenne pepper
Red pepper flakes(garnish)
Instructions
Place carrots, sweet potatoes and garlic on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Spritz with water. Season with garlic powder, cinnamon, rosemary, paprika and ginger. Roast in oven set at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
Put onions, celery, ginger, plant based milk, vinegar and cayenne pepper in a large pot and cook on medium heat stirring intermittently until vegetables are soft.
Add the roasted vegetables and broth bringing to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes stirring intermittently.
Remove from heat then puree with an immersion or high speed blender. Adjust spices as needed.
The inspiration behind this soup was a beautiful Le Creuset cast iron dutch oven given to me recently by my son and daughter in law. What a perfect gift, I must say, for the soup nazi that I am! Well – I wanted to make a soup that was bold and also a complimentary color to my new pea green pot. So I’m at Rainbow Farms, my new favorite hang out market in Madison, and happened across the most beautiful bunch of red beets. That’s it! Beet soup. But it’s in the 20’s and snowy here in NE Ohio so I wanted something really hearty. Then it came to me – hearty, piping hot winter Borscht!
There are innumerable versions of this soup which is of Eastern European origin. I sieved through many recipes and ended up using Carole Clements recipe from What’s Cooking: Soups. I did tweak it up a bit – sorry Carole. Many recipes use potatoes but I ommited this only because I wanted it on the lighter side. I also debated whether or not to keep it chunky or pureed. I really agonized over this but in the end opted to puree. Maybe next time I will do a chunky / puree combination. To season borscht you absolutely have to have dill – fresh dill – and lots of it. There is something quite amazing about the pairing of beets with dill. Something I never knew, quite honestly, until making this soup.
Borscht is a sour soup. To achieve the sourness I used lemon juice but red wine vinegar works too. I tried a small sample using both and ended up going with the lemon juice which I felt was less harsh. I also noticed something interesting about the taste – sort of sweet and sour. Then it came to me. This was because of the sweetness of the carrots.
Traditionally Borsch is served with a dollop of sour cream. To maintain compliance with the plant based theme of this website, I substituted with Silk plain almond milk dairy-free yogurt.
There are so many reasons to love the star ingredient in this soup – beetroots. Beets are low in calories but super rich in nutrients. They are loaded with fiber, potassium, magnesium and vitamins B and C. They also contain folate which is good for heart health and manganese which is good for brain function and metabolism. According to Healthline, beets have been shown to lower the risk of heart disease and blood pressure (although this effect is temporary) but a good reason to make plenty of Borscht.
Now if you’ll excuse me I am going to curl up on the couch with a nice big bowl of my Winter Vegetarian Borscht and watch the snow fall!
Ingredients:
1/4 large green cabbage coarsley chopped
1 onion finely chopped
2 carrots thinly sliced
3-4 beets peeled and cubed
2 cloves minced garlic
14 oz. can peeled tomatoes in juice
6 cups vegetable stock
3 bay leaves
3 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. ground black pepper
Non-dairy yogurt
Directions:
Cover the cabbage with cold water in a pan. Boil for 3 minutes then drain.
Saute the onion in a small amount of water in a cooking pot.
Add the broth, tomatoes, carrots, bay leaf and blanched cabbage. Stir. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hr 15 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves.
Allow the soup to cool slightly then transfer, small batches at a time, to a high speed blender and puree.
Return to the soup pot, add the dill, black pepper and lemon juice and stir. Add more broth or water to desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve piping hot with a dollop of non-dairy yogurt.
Gazpacho: A light cold soup of Spanish origin made from raw fresh garden vegetables
A bumper crop of tomatoes and cucumbers were the inspiration behind this soup. Well – that and several weeks of high 80 degree days with no cooling off in sight. Cold soup on hot summer days is refreshing and hydrating. This gazpacho recipe is loaded with flavor and a super fun way to make use of your home grown produce. Picking vegetables fresh from the garden means vitamin content will be at their highest and, absolutely hands down, homegrown vegetables taste a zillion times better then grocery store produce.
Don’t have space for a garden? You can still experience the joy by growing just about any vegetable and herb in containers on a balcany, patio, deck, terrace or even rooftop. Vertical hydroponic tower gardens are the latest craze for growing fresh food year round even in the basement. This year I bought whiskey barrels and my cherry and beefsteak tomatoes are thriving along with cucumbers, bell peppers and strawberries. Too soon to tell with the sweet potatoes. I also have containers with oregano, basil, chives and parsley along with mint and spearmint in the woods flowerbeds. Tending to the gardens, even small scale ones like my own, is pure joy and using the produce to create healthy eats is sheer happiness.
If you don’t have a garden go to a local farmers market. Many markets like Sandy Acres Farm in Harpersfield, Ohio pick their produce the day it sells. West Orchard is my favorite in Perry, Ohio. Located on the fertile shores of Lake Erie I swear zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage and corn never tasted better. Visiting local markets is not only a great outing but you’ll be sure to bring home perfectly ripe produce that is generally cheaper then the grocery store. Additionally there’s the satisfaction of supporting community and small business owners.
Not everyone can afford to buy fresh produce especially in these times of food price over-inflation. Many cities have community gardens where residents pitch in to grow and tend to the crops and then help themselves to what is available. The Life Brand Cowboy church in Painesville, Ohio opens their doors to anyone in need of fresh fruits and vegetables the first Saturday of every month. In fact, there are many other churches that offer free fresh produce programs. So check out what is available in your community.
Ingredients:
6 large tomatoes
12-15 cherry tomatoes
1 large (or 2 small) red bell peppers
1 large cucumber
1/2 jalapeno pepper
1 large sweet onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1 lime
1/4 cup date syrup
1 tsp. ground black pepper
Directions:
Peel the tomatoes by cutting an “X” at the bottom and remove the core. Place them in a pot of boiling water for one minute. Transfer the tomatoes to a bowl filled with ice water for another minute. The peels will easily slide off using your hands.
Peel the cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and then cut in small pieces.
Chop the onions and red bell pepper
Mince the garlic and jalapenos
Place everything in a large bowl and stir together
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place in a bowl. You may choose to remove the seeds but I did not. Add the balsamic vinaigrette, juice of one lime, date syrup and black pepper. Stir. Marinate for at least 2 hours to let the tomatoes soak up the flavors.
Puree into a smooth, creamy mixture.
Puree half of the tomato / cucumber mixture in a high speed blender or food processor. Combine the pureed vegetable mixure and the pureed cherry tomato mixture with the rest of the cut up vegetables.
This Chilled Tomato Cucumber Soup has become my new summertime favorite and I hope it becomes yours too. So long as the tomatoes and cucumbers keep on growing I will continue to whip up more and more batches. The best of health to all my friends!
The inspiration for this soup was a big huge indoor basil plant gifted to me by my son and daughter-in-law and a bumper crop of zucchini. Yep we are in the thick of zucchini season here in Ohio. For weeks I have been thinking about how I would concoct a soup using these two star ingredients and decided to practice the KISS principle – keep it simple stupid. Because zucchini is high in fiber – 2 grams in one medium zucchini – it is quite filling in and of itself. So this simple little soup contains only 5 modest ingredients. Zucchini is also 90% water which is why is cooks so quickly. So making this soup takes a mere 30 – 45 minutes including prep time. The result is thin, light and refreshing while delivering mega nutrients and vitamins. There’s more good news. Zucchini is a superfood rich in the anti-oxidants lutein and zeaxanthin the majority of which is found in the skin. Both of these anti-oxidants protect the eyes from free radical damage caused by exposure to oxygen and light.
I was recently describing lean, clean, green eating to a patient who made an interesting comment, “it’s like buying an extra life insurance policy.” Well I never really thought of it that way but you are right on the money Adella!
Ingredients
3 large zucchinis unpeeled and cut in pieces
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 medium sweet vidalia onion chopped
5 cloves garlic minced
4 cups sodium free vegetable broth
3 tsp. ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
1 cup cooked whole wheat rotini pasta (optional)
Directions
Saute onions and garlic in a soup pot using 4-5 tbsp. water on high until onions become translucent.
Pour in the vegetable broth and add the zucchini. Cook until the zucchini are tender (usually about 10 minutes tops).
Add the black pepper and basil, stir on low heat until the basil is wilted.
Puree the mixture in a high speed blender or food processor small batches at a time. Note: you may like your soup hot but your blender does not. Allow the mixture to cool down a bit before blending. Fill up only halfway and please make sure the lid is on tightly. When finished, remove the center cap to allow the steam to escape then, very slowly, remove the lid. Learn from my mistakes!
Return mixture to the soup pot and heat back up again.
If you are looking for a more filling soup then add a small amount of the cooked rotini to the bowl before ladeling in the soup. I added a smidgen of dill to the rotini which gave it a nice additional flavor. I also added a tiny bit of red pepper flakes as a garnish which gave it a nice little kick.
There is something so special about this soup. It is a beautiful mix of green vegetables and herbs. It is surprizing light and delicate with an appealing color and aromatic flavor. It is earthy and speaks all things healthy. Served piping hot or as a gazpacho, this soup makes an elegant light main course.
Ingredients
3 scallions cut in pieces (use the entire scallot)
1 large bunch of fresh broccoli (cut in pieces and disgard the hard stems)
2 cups fresh spinach
1 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup fresh basil
1 avocado (cut in pieces)
4 cups vegetable stock
1 15.5 oz. can garbanzo beans drained (I use Bush’s reduced or no sodium)
2 tsps. black pepper (or more depending on preference)
1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
Directions
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and place the garbanzo beans on top. Roast in a 425 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the beans are slightly browned and split open. Set aside.
Place the scallions in a soup pot with 1/4 cup of water and saute until softened.
Add the broccoli and vegetable both and simmer until broccoli is soft.
Add the spinach, parlsey and basil and cook until the spinach is wilted.
Remove from the stove and set aside until the mixture cools a bit. Add the avocado. Slowly pour into a high speed blender, a little bit at a time, and puree.
Pour the mixture back into the soup pot. Add the black pepper and roasted garbanzo beans and stir. Add 3/4 cup fat-free greek yogurt.
Serve the soup piping hot and garnish with a small amount of the remaining yogurt and parsley.
Just look at those colors! This bowl was leftovers from yesterday. I garnished it with a little avocado and had it for lunch on the sunny deck (even though it was only 50 degrees today).
Look at that vibrant purple color!
I love red cabbage! Aside from the fact that I love the color, it happens to be one of the most nutrient dense vegetables on this planet and with many medicinal properties. It is rich in sulforaphane (a sulfur compound) which is a powerful cancer and inflammation fighter. Yes, sulfur rich foods make farts smell like rotten eggs. Look at this as a minor inconvenience compared to the powerful preventative and healing properties of this absolutely amazing vegetable.
Red cabbage contains anthocyanins which give cabbage it’s vibrant color. Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants which lower the risk of heart disease. There are studies which confirm that regular consumption of red cabbage helps lower blood pressure and the risk of heart attacks.
Red cabbage contains calcium, manganese, zinc, vitamin C and K. These nutrients are helpful in maintaining healthy bones and protecting bone cells.
While red cabbage is good to eat it is also a great source of kitchen chemistry fun. Remember good old high school chemisty 101 and using cabbage as a pH indicator? Baking soda (base) turned it blue. Vinegar (acid) turned it pink. Water (neutral) turned it purple. You can turn making this soup with a child into an amazing little chemisty lab. It is a great source of entertainment when the vinegar is added and the soup turns from purple to red – pink (depending on how much you add) and then adding the almond milk magically turns it violet. It is a great source of entertainment with teachable opportunities for children and might also encourage little Ralphie or Suzie to love eating this rediculously healthy veggie!
Ingredients
1 medium head of red cabbage roughly chopped
1 large or 2 small potatoes peeled and cubed
1 medium onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
3 tbsps. red wine vinegar (more or less depending on personal taste)
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
1 tbsp. fresh ginger minced
1 tbsp. ground black pepper
2 tbsps. chopped fresh dill (dried if you don’t have fresh)
Directions
Saute the onions and garlic in a small amount of water until onions are translucent.
Add the cabbage, potatoes, ginger and black pepper until the cabbage softens (about 10 minutes) stirring intermittently.
Add the vegetable stock and simmer for approximately 30 minutes or until the potatoes are nice and soft.
Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool somewhat. Add small amounts at a time to high speed blender and puree. Return pureed mixture to the soup pan. Add the red wine vinegar and stir on high heat for approximately 2 minutes.
Stir in the almond milk and dill. Serve piping hot with Wasa crispbread, your favorite sandwich wrap or a salad.
The potatoes add to the creaminess of this soup and the starch is a natural thickener.
Depending upon how much acid or base you add this soup can turn anywhere from mauve, violet, lavender, grape or plum.
Well I was up at good ‘ole Lucky’s Market over the weekend and saw some baby bok choy (Chinese White Cabbage). It is not always the easiest to find. Regular bok choy is readily available but not baby. While they are basically the same, baby bok choy leaves are small, tender, sweeter and can be eaten uncooked in a salad. I remember the first time I discovered bok choy was back in my January post Baby Bok Choy with Tahini-Ginger Sauce. That guy in the produce aisle holding the bok choy like it was a prize trophy or fish or something, admiring it, smiling and telling me how beautiful it looks. And then his words of advice “it has to be baby bok choy – not mature stalks!” Some things you never forget. That is one of them.
So I’ve been thinking about miso soup for a few weeks now. It’s been quite awhile since we had it and I really appreciate the simplicity of this soup. For those of you unfamiliar, miso is a traditional Japanese soup with the core ingredients: stock and miso paste. Miso paste is a mixture of fermented soybeans, sea salt and koji (Japanese mold). You can find it in just about any grocery store usually in the produce or tofu section. I know what you are thinking. This is a no salt website and miso paste clearly contains sea salt. Well apparently the positive effects of soybeans cancel out the hypertensive and gastric cancer effects of sodium. That being said, miso paste is the only sodium containing product that is considered green light. Here is some supporting research.
In addition to the stock and miso paste anything else you want to put in is completely up to you. Some typical add-ins are seaweed, kelp, tofu, mushrooms, scallions and bok choy. If you like you can serve miso soup with rice noodles(very thin), udon noodles (thick) or ramen noodles.
Ingredients
6-7 ribs of baby bok choy (cut in pieces)
3 scallions (cut in small pieces)
10 shiitake mushrooms cut in pieces (remove stems)
1 block extra firm and pressed tofu (cut in small cubes)
6 cups vegetable or mushroom broth
4 tbsp. miso paste
1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Rice, udon or ramen noodles
Directions
Place broth and ginger in a pot over medium heat.
Add mushrooms, bok choy, white tips of scallions and black pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Note: I remove the shiitake stems because to me they are too tough and chewy. I save them for mushroom or veggie broth.
Add the tofu and simmer for a few minutes until warm.
Turn off the heat and stir in the miso paste. Note: never add miso when soup is simmering or too hot because it will kill off the gut healthy probiotics.
Serve over rice noodles and garnish with cut up green scallions.
With the high winds, rain and chilly weather, Wednesday definitely seemed like a soup day. It was also a work day so I didn’t have time to fuss for hours over the stove. During my morning shower I went through my refrigerator and cupboards in my head taking an inventory of what I had and what I could possibly make. I remembered the red potatoes and carrots that were getting a little soft and the dried split peas I bought bulk at Lucky’s Market over the weekend. I think I have an onion. No – I know for sure I have an onion way in the back of the crisper! Decision made – split pea soup – and I’ll throw it all in the slow cooker and hope it turns out.
So this recipe is kind of like the way so many things go in my life – “make it up as I go along.” But truthfully, once you get into the swing of plant based cooking it’s pretty easy to throw this, that, and the other thing together and make something fantastic. Inventing new meals anymore is kind of my registered trademark.
Well I put all the ingredients in the slow cooker at 12 noon (during my lunch break) and by 3:00 the pleasant aroma started permeating throughout the house. By 5:30 the most magnificant pot of cream of split pea and red potato soup was ready for consumption. The added bonus was eating it during the drama of a full fledge lightening and thunder-boomer storm!
Ingredients
4 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups dried split peas
1 carrot cut in pieces
1 large unpeeled red skinned potato cut in pieces
1 large onion chopped
2 large garlic toes minced
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
For the garlic crema garnish (optional)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp. corn starch
1 tsp. garlic powder
Directions
Rinse the dried peas. This is important to rinse off any dirt PLUS, because split peas are hollow, without rinsing they will not cook properly. Rinse ever so quickly to prevent loss of nutrients.
Add the first 10 ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
Remove bay leaves. Puree mixture in a high speed blender.
Transfer to a pot, add 1 cup almond milk and simmer for a few minutes
In a small saucepan add 1/2 almond milk, cornstarch and onion powder. Stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens.
Serve soup piping hot and garnish with the garlic crema.
What?? Cucumbers in a hot soup? You’re joking right? That was my initial thought when I saw this recipe in Eating Well magazine a few years back. But there was a sale on cucumbers at my local Giant Eagle and I started thinking about that recipe. I had some pretty low expectations but made it anyhow. Boy was I wrong. I will definitely make again, and again, and again!
Ingredients
1 ripe avocado
3 cucumbers peeled and sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 sweet onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh parsley
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. fresh or dried dill
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup fat free plain yogurt
Directions
Sautee the onions and garlic in a large saucepan using water. Stir occasionally until tender. Add the lemon juice and cook for 1 minute.
Add the cucumbers, broth, black pepper, cayenne and dill. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat and cook until the cucumbers are soft 8-10 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a high speed blender. Add the avocado and parsley and blend until smooth and creamy.
Return soup to the saucepan and cook on low for another 5 minutes.
When serving garnish with roasted red pepper and a dollop of the yogurt.