If you are under the impression that you need the cream, butter, and cheese to make a rich, velvety soup, then prepare to be pleasantly surprised with this cheesy vegan potato soup recipe.

When I consume soup, I want to eat it, not drink it. That is, I want it thick, creamy, and filling all at once. But usually those attributes are found in a version filled with high-fat, high-calorie, animal-unfriendly ingredients, which is so not my thing. I want it all – every face of comfort in a bowl that happens to be body and animal friendly. Enter: this cheesy vegan potato soup recipe.

Don’t Fear the White Potato

In this soup recipe, the white potato lends a thick, creamy consistency that rivals what is usually offered by a white flour/butter roux and cream.

The white potato often gets a bad rap because it’s considered high in carbs and glycemic index and low in nutrition – typical diet trap. This has led to the replacement of the white potato and its so-called “empty calories” with the sweet potato and its oft-proclaimed nutritional prowess. But these assumptions and righteous claims couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure, potatoes have carbs, but the body needs carbs to survive, and sweet potatoes can even be packed with more carbs (34 grams to white potato’s 27 grams). If your body is particularly sensitive to carbs, then avoid potatoes. But if you are choosing between white potato and sweet potato, don’t consider it a competition, but rather a tradeoff. Sweet potatoes have more fiber and vitamin A while white potatoes have more iron, magnesium, and potassium.

Bottom line: don’t fear the white potato with as much enthusiasm as you embrace the sweet potato. Just eat it! And in this recipe, the white potato is key to the soup’s consistency.

What You’ll Need

This cheesy vegan soup recipe is filled with a lot of other simple ingredients. Leeks also take main stage, as do the “cheesy” nutritional yeast, rich white pepper, and acidic white wine vinegar. Fresh chives and dried thyme add a dose of fragrance and earthiness to finish the dish off.

Equipment wise, all you need is a cutting board, a knife, and a pot. Now, let’s get cookin’!

Cheesy Vegan Potato Soup Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 leeks, finely chopped and rinsed
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup homemade almond milk
  
• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into one-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh chives for garnish

Directions

Warm a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in the olive oil and leaves. Stir while cooking for about five minutes. Add in the garlic and stir and cook for another minute.

Pour in the water, almond milk, chopped potatoes, and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Let the mixture simmer, uncovered, for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Remove the pot from the heat and carefully ladle the mixture into a blender. Let the mixture cool slightly before blending, or be sure to allow the heat to escape while blending, using a thick dish towel to hold the blender’s top closed while avoiding getting burned.

Once blended until smooth, transfer the mixture back to the pot and place the pot over low heat. Add in the nutritional yeast, white pepper, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir until the nutritional yeast breaks down and give the soup a lightly yellow hue.

Serve the soup in bowls and garnish with chopped fresh chives. Enjoy!

Related on EcoSalon
Immunity Boosting Winter Vegetable Soup Recipe
10 Best Winter Vegetarian Soups
7 Homemade Chicken Soup Recipes from Around the World

The post Cheesy Vegan Potato Soup (You Don’t Need the Cream to Make Creamy Happen) appeared first on EcoSalon.

This winter, try your hand at a different kind of homemade pizza. Add some seasonal vegetables to the mix and you’ll bring more excitement and diverse flavors to pizza night. This sweet potato and leek pizza recipe is just one way you can mix it up. Enjoy!

The stars of this pizza recipe are the leeks and sweet potatoes. As spring approaches, I’m trying to get the most out of my sweet potato kick and one of the ways I like to do that is to pair it with unlikely vegetables, such as leeks, and in unique ways, such as in a pizza. This recipe makes me appreciate the sweet potato — and pizza! — in an entirely different way.

Leeks reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and are helpful in fighting certain cancers, such as colon and prostate cancer, with their carcinogen-fighting quercetin content. They also contain protective antioxidants, inlcuding the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which help to prevent aging, lower high blood pressure, cleanse the blood, and heal wounds.

The sweet potato also offers incredible health benefits. It is packed with vitamins B6, C and D, contributing to healthy bones and nerves, clear skin and strong teeth. The sweet potato is also helpful in reducing stress and boosting the immune system. It is the better alternative to a white potato because it has sugars that are slowly released into the bloodstream and thus won’t cause sugar spikes. Like leeks, the sweet potato also wards off cancer.

Sweet Potato & Leek Winter Pizza

Makes one 10-inch pie

Ingredients

• 1 10-inch pizza crust (preferably whole-wheat)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (for brushing the crust)
• 2 leeks
• 1 medium white onion
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, stemmed and halved
• 1 sweet potato (baked at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes)
• 1 teaspoon chives, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Brush both sides of the crust with olive oil and place on a baking dish.

Spread the sweet potato over the crust so that it is evenly distributed.

Top the sweet potato with the leeks, onions, cherry tomatoes and chives.

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10-12 minutes, or until the crust browns slightly and the tomatoes cook to a withered look. Serve and enjoy!

Photo Credit: GlowKitchen

The post Winter Ingredient Twist: Sweet Potato and Leek Pizza Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.

Bridging seasons with soup.

As the weather is getting warmer, my appetite is warming up to lighter soups. In the winter, I  tend to stick to the starchier vegetables like parsnip, sweet potatoes, and carrots. And in the summer, I’m all about the fresh, cool soups such as Gazpacho or a fruit-based soup. However, spring is about bridging the way from fireside to poolside, and this recipe uses springtime favorites such as leeks, Vidalia onions, and asparagus while still incorporating a root vegetable – celeriac – to keep the comfort level.

The backbone to the flavor and health benefits in this dish comes from the leeks. Leeks are especially notable for their role in promoting cardiovascular health. They raise HDL (good) cholesterol and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, effectively preventing plaque build up in blood vessels and arteries. They also decrease high blood pressure and are thus helpful in shunning a stroke or heart attack. Leeks are also a powerful antiseptic and fight against infection.

The other stand-out veggie in this soup is asparagus. Asparagus juggles a lot of responsibilities. It is detoxifying, decreases the risk of heart disease, protects against cancer, has anti-aging properties, prevents osteoporosis, staves off pain and inflammation, and is considered an aphrodisiac in many cultures (but mostly for its shape than for a scientific reason).

Served warm or cold, this soup is nutritious and flavor-packed!

Spring Asparagus & Leek Soup

Serves up to 4

Ingredients:

• 250 grams asparagus
• 2 leeks
• 1 Vidalia onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 celeriac
• 1 long green pepper
• 1 tbsp butter (or oil)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Fresh thyme for garnish

Directions:

Remove the stem and skin of the celeriac and roughly chop. Snap off about an inch from the end of each asparagus spear and slice into thirds. The spears will break naturally where they need to if you bend them to snap rather than cut them with a knife. Chop the leeks into 1-inch thick pieces and soak in water to remove any sand. Slice along the length of the pepper, remove any seeds and flesh, and chop. Peel the garlic cloves and chop the onion.

In a pot over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the chopped vegetables, salt, pepper, and thyme. Mix over the heat for about 2-3 minutes.

Add 4 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid.

Let simmer covered for approximately 25 minutes, or until the onions and asparagus are soft.

Let the mixture cool. Before serving, blend the soup until smooth. You can warm up the soup in a saucepan or enjoy it cool. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.

Enjoy!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Recipe: Spring Asparagus & Leek Soup appeared first on EcoSalon.