Appetite for Reduction (36 page)

Add the roasted peppers. Use an immersion blender to blend about half of the soup or transfer half of the soup to a blender and puree, then add it back to the pot. If you’re using a blender, be careful not to let steam build up while you blend; just do a few pulses, then lift the lid to let steam escape.

Let the soup sit for a few minutes, taste for salt, and serve.

SERVES 6 • ACTIVE TIME: 15 MINUTES • TOTALTIME: 45 MINUTES

T
his is the soup that gets me through autumn and winter. From apple-picking season until daffodils start poking out of the garden (well, everyone else’s garden), you will find a pot of this soup simmering on my stove every week. Flavored with rosemary, ginger, lime, and just a little bit of spice, it’s the perfect cold-weather pick-me-up. If you don’t have any apple cider, then apple juice works, or you can even use water and a little agave at the end if it needs it. If you like, experiment with different squashes such as acorn, dumpling, or good old pumpkin. If you use delicata, you don’t need to peel the skin, so that’s a plus. You can also use pears in place of apples for a change of pace.

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium-size onion, diced small
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
½ teaspoon salt
3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into
¾-inch chunks
1 pound red apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¾-inch slices
2 cups apple cider
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Sauté the onions in the oil for 5 to 7 minutes, until translucent.

Add the ginger and garlic, red pepper flakes, rosemary, and salt, and saute for a minute more. Add the squash, apples, apple cider, and broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat just a bit and simmer briskly for about 20 more minutes, or until the squash is tender.

Puree the soup using either an immersion blender or by transferring half the soup at a time to a food processor or blender in batches. If you prefer, you can leave the soup a little chunky by only pureeing half or so. If using a blender, be sure to let the steam escape so that it doesn’t build up in the blender.

Add the lime juice and season to taste. Serve!

SERVES 6 · ACTIVE TIME: 15 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES

B
roccoli soup is thickened with potato and peppery parsnips, and made creamy with a bit of almond milk. It’s the kind of soup that would go great with a baked tofu sandwich and a salad, and if vegan bistros existed, I bet they would serve something like this. I use unsweetened almond milk, but if you like, you can use soy. Just don’t use anything sweetened or it will taste out of place. Make it my way once, but you can really mess around with this recipe, using other vegetables—cauliflower, asparagus, and zucchini are all contenders—and spicing to your liking. I’m just using simple rosemary here, but you can try thyme and dill as well. If you don’t have a parsnip, just use extra potato or carrot. The phrase, “The world is yours!” comes to mind, only replace world with soup. Serve in teacups so it really feels like you’re eating in a bistro!

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion in the olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, rosemary, pepper, and salt, and cook for a minute more. Pour in the vegetable broth and add the potatoes and parsnips. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook for 20 more minutes.

Add the almond milk and heat through. Use an immersion blender to blend about half the soup, keeping it a bit chunky. If you don’t have an immersion blender (get one!), then transfer about half of the soup to a blender and puree, then add it back to the soup. If you’re using a blender, be careful not to let the steam build up while you blend.

Taste for salt and seasoning, and serve.

SERVES 6 • ACTIVE TIME: 15 MINUTES • TOTALTIME: ABOUT AN HOUR

T
hey don’t call Portland “Little Lebanon,” but maybe they should! There is a large Lebanese community and so many wonderful Lebanese restaurants here, all with a clearly marked vegan menu. This soup was inspired by one of those restaurants. Creamy red lentils with fragrant brown basmati make a complete meal, perfect for a weeknight where you don’t feel like having lots of pots on the stove. A healthy dose of lemon brings out the the sultry flavors of cumin. Definitely taste for seasoning at the end to adjust to your liking.

Typically these Lebanese restaurants offer baked pita fresh from the oven straight to your table. It’s the size of a giant Frisbee and the server flops it over a little cast-iron stand. But why don’t you make do with a little whole wheat pita?

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium-size onion, diced small
6 cloves garlic, minced
Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1½ cups small-diced carrots
1 cup dried red lentils
½ cup brown basmati rice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6 cups vegetable broth
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions in the oil until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, pepper, and salt and sauté for another minute. Add the spices and stir continuously for about 15 seconds to toast them a bit.

Add the carrots, lentils, rice, zest, and broth. Cover the pot and bring
to a boil, keeping a close eye on it. Once it’s boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes, until the lentils are creamy and the rice is tender. Depending on the rice you use, it could be 15 minutes, more or less. Stir occasionally to prevent the soup from burning at the bottom. If necessary, thin the soup with water. Add the lemon juice. Taste for salt and seasonings.

Let the soup sit for 10 minutes or so for maximum flavor, and serve.

SERVES 6 . ACTIVE TIME: 15 MINUTES . TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES

T
ortilla soup is one of those things that I absolutely crave, and luckily this version comes together in half an hour, so I don’t end up scratching anyone’s eyes out, as I usually do when I crave something that I can’t have. For me, the perfect tortilla soup has a lighter tomato broth (no tomato paste here) and simple but assertive spice. And here’s a PSA: Tortilla soup isn’t simply chili with some crushed chips on top of it! For a full-bodied soup, adding crushed tortilla chips while the soup is cooking is the way to go. A sprinkle of crushed chips on the top finishes it off for a perfect fiesta of flavor and texture.