I was leafing through the VegNews issue at B&N a few days ago and came upon a vegan broccolli cheddar soup recipe. It took me back to my road trip to Canada, reminding me of stopping at every Horton’s to Prince Edward Island. Their broccoli cheddar soup was perfect for chilly weather. Below, is an impressionistic version of several recipes of the vegan version of the soup. Alter it as you wish to make it yours.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• 3 cups of water
• 3 spoons of nutritional yeast
• one package of vegan cheddar, daiya (I may have gone overboard with this, try smaller amount)
• one frozen package of broccoli from trader joes
• one fresh stalk of broccoli, diced
• two russet potatoes diced
• paprika, pepper, salt and other spices to taste
• 2 spoons of butter, earth balance
• one onion
• 2 spoons of miso paste

To prepare:

• In a large pot, combine 3 cups of water, 4 cups of veggie broth, miso paste, diced potatoes, nutritional yeast and boil for 20 minutes until potatoes are nearly ready. Add broccoli.
• Add sauteed in olives onions to the above
• Use a food processor (I use magic bullet) to puree all of the above solid items and add them back to the soup.
• Add a cup of fresh broccoli and continue heating for a few more minutes.
• Add daiya cheese and additional spices.

To say that my mama’s borscht is the best would be an understatement. Nothing like visiting home and getting a fresh bowl of soup prepared just for you. For years she’s been describing her easy-to-make borscht recipe, and of course I would forget the details being a hands-on learner. Finally, inspired by the unusually cold Spring, I made it last night. It turned out pretty authentic (yay!) even though I added my own tweaks (and short cuts).

Add the following to a large soup bowl:

• 3-4 cups of water
• 5 small beets, skin peeled
• 2 potatoes, cubed
• can of black beans (or really any beans)
• one onion, quartered
• Salt/Pepper to taste

While the above is happening, sautee the following:

• 2 grated carrots in olive oil or earth balance
• When properly sauteed, add to the bowl above

Next:

• Once the beets are soft, remove them from the bowl, let them cool down and then grate them back into the soup
• Remove & toss the onion from the water, adios!
• Add 3 minced garlic cloves
• Add one spoon of lemon juice
• Add 1/3 of thinly sliced green cabbage few minutes before you turn off the soup (makes it crunchy)

ENJOY! And shout out to my mama for her awesome recipe!

It’s the end of March and it still feels like winter in NY.  I was inside all day playing a losing battle of work email tetris and took a long walk before the sunset finding myself at Natural Commodities in East Village, my favorite local supermarket. I got some veggies and black eyed peas and made way too much soup..and then ate too much soup. Why do I always cook for 5? Boom boom pow.

Quick shout out to my little cousin, Mila, who has been a secret fan of littlemissvegan. Happy Birthday!

Ingredients for a Black Eyed Peas Vegan Soup:

• Veggie Broth – 1 cup
• 2 carrots – chopped
• 1.5 celery – chopped
• .5 rutabega
• one small onion – chopped
• .5 parsnip – chopped
• spices: black pepper, basil, red pepper
• salt
• .5 lb of pre-soaked black eye peas
• one spoon of butter – earth balance
• few drops of olive oil
• fake bacon- 1 spoon
• 1 garlic clove whole
• fresh parsley bunch