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.

These gluten-free and vegan thickening agents will redefine your next creamy, decadent sauce or soup.

Often for a soup or sauce, I am reduced to making a “roux” – a mixture of equal parts butter and flour – to thicken the dish. Even after all the vegetable goodness thrown into the soup, there is that itchy overtone bringing down my dish’s nutritional integrity – the empty calories, gluten and lack of nutrition inherent in wheat flour. While it’s not the end of the world, I’d rather not mess up my plant-based flow with wheat and non-vegan butter. Fortunately, there are vegan and gluten-free thickening agents that can do the trick.

1. Arrowroot

Arrowroot is a powder-like starch that comes from the rhizomes of the Maranta arundinacea plant, commonly found in St. Vincent and Jamaica. It is a gluten-free, easy-to-digest starch that works well in sauces, gravies, pie fillings and puddings. Whisk arrowroot powder into a bit of cold water before adding to a hot liquid. Use 1/2 tablespoon per cup of liquid. Its flavor is neutral.

2. Cornstarch

Derived from the corn grain, cornstarch is already widely popular and called for in many recipes. Cornstarch is often preferred over flour to thicken sauces and soups, because it forms a translucent mixture, rather than an opaque one. However, cornstarch retains a slightly sweet overtone that may be sensed by the palate. To thicken a sauce, use ½ tablespoon per cup of liquid and let it sit for a minute before it thickens. For those abstaining from corn-derived products, arrowroot replaces cornstarch in a 1:1 ratio.

3. Guar Gum

Guar gum is the ground seeds of guar beans, which are de-husked, milled and screened before becoming guar gum. Grown mostly in India, guar gum is traditionally used as a thickener, binder and volume enhancer. It is stronger than arrowroot and cornstarch, so one cup of liquid requires only ¼ to ½ teaspoon.

4. Kuzu Root

A common ingredient used in macrobiotic recipes, kuzu root starch has long been considered medicinal by Eastern healers for more than 2,000 years. It is believed to cure common ailments, such as digestive and nervous system related problems. Use ½ teaspoon per cup of liquid. Whisk into a bit of cold water before adding to a hot liquid.

5. Tapioca

Tapioca starch derives from the Manioc root. Native to Northern Brazil, tapioca is now widely used around the world. It creates a jelly-like texture. Neutral in taste and a great thickener for low-temperature sauces or gravies, tapioca starch requires one tablespoon per cup of liquid. Whisk into a bit of cold water before adding to a hot liquid.

Aylin Erman is founder of GlowKitchen. There she shares step-by-step picture recipes of her plant-based creations. Aylin lives and works in Istanbul as a writer and editor at the country’s first-ever green-living and sustainability platform, Yesilist. Like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter to keep up with food news and recipes.

Related on EcoSalon:

The EcoSalon Gluten-Free Flour Guide

8 Substitutions for a Healthier Kitchen

Trying to Clean Up High Fructose Corn Syrup

Photo Credit: Hey Tiffany!

The post 5 Gluten-Free and Vegan Sauce and Soup Thickening Agents appeared first on EcoSalon.

 Umami, known as the fifth taste, is what makes certain foods savory and deeply flavorful.

When you taste something with complex layers of flavor that fill the mouth and satisfy the soul, it’s likely you’re tasting umami. Umami is famously present in many animal products including cheeses, aged meats like salami, salted fish like anchovies, and fresh meats and seafood that have been caramelized at high temperatures. Luckily for vegetarians and vegans, umami exists in any food that contains the amino acid L-glutamate, including many plant-based foods.

Great vegan and vegetarian cooks know how to use umami-containing or umami-friendly ingredients to their best advantage to unlock the flavor in their dishes. Read on to learn their secrets.

Soy Sauce or Tamari—Fermentation is one way to develop umami in food. Soy sauce and tamari, both made from fermented soy beans, are rich in umami and salt. A tiny dash in salad dressings, drizzled into soups or veggie stews, or onto plain steamed vegetables can intensify the flavors of the other ingredients.

Bragg’s—Bragg’s Amino Acids is another fermented soybean product. Popular in raw food preparation, Bragg’s contains 16 of the 20 amino acids needed for balanced health. Use it as you would soy sauce or tamari.

Ume Plum Vinegar—A Japanese condiment that is derived from traditional Japanese pickled plums, this vinegar is salty, and a little bit sweet, with lovely floral characteristics. When you taste a dish and think that it just “needs something,” this might be the something it needs. Much more complex than Bragg’s or soy sauce, it can be used in the same ways suggested above. Don’t be afraid to tweak a Western vegetable soup with this Eastern condiment. It works.

Nutritional Yeast—Available in health food stores -and hip, independent theaters that sell popcorn- nutritional yeast is beloved by vegans for its nutty, cheesy flavor. Sprinkle it on popcorn, add to mashed or baked potatoes, or stir it into vegan casseroles.

Toasted Nuts and Seeds—Toasting seeds and nuts really brings out their flavor, and truly makes a difference in the umami quotient of your cooking. Grain salads, pilafs, and green salads can all benefit from the savory addition of toasted pumpkin or sesame seeds, or nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, and peanuts.

Dried Mushrooms—Mushrooms are treasure troves of naturally occurring umami. Drying them simply concentrates what’s already there. Reconstitute some dried shiitakes and add them to a winter squash stew or a brothy Asian noodle soup. Dried porcinis make swoony risotto and will help your barley soup sing.

Miso—Adding a spoonful of this fermented soybean product is a great way to add depth to vegetarian soups. Simply stir it in at the end of cooking, when you’re adjusting the seasoning. When combined with lemon juice, garlic, and herbs and spices, it makes a great marinade for grilled or roasted vegetables. These same ingredients can also double as a salad dressing.

Nori—why is sushi so crave-worthy? Partially because of the toasty, unique flavor of the nori that it’s wrapped in. You can buy nori in sheets and use scissors to snip it over vegetarian soups, stews and salads, or purchase it in flake form in the versatile Japanese condiment furikake, which is used to season plain rice. When buying furikake, read the ingredients, as some versions contain bonito or other fish.

Tomato Paste or Dried Tomatoes—Like mushrooms, ripe tomatoes contain a naturally occurring form of umami. When dried or concentrated into a paste, the umami characteristics are amplified. Add dried tomatoes or tomato paste to beans, marinades, or vegetable stews for a more complex flavor.

Caraway Seeds—Though spices don’t technically contain umami, they can bring out the umami in certain foods. Caraway seeds add a light smokiness and have a particular affinity for cabbage and potatoes. Add them to potato salads, coleslaws, and breads or rolls.

Cumin—Toasted cumin seeds can make almost any bean or lentil dish better. They have an intense savoriness of their own that adds a meaty character to foods into which they are incorporated.

Smoked Paprika—Adding smoked paprika to a bean dish or split pea soup is a great way to make as if you’ve used bacon. Need I say more? Even if you’re not into pretend meat, you might like to stir a little smoky paprika into potato salad, your favorite vinaigrette, hummus, baba ganoush, or a marinade for grilled vegetables.

Images: Rooey, Creative Tools, thepinkpeppercorn, jmurawski, fboyd, arminflikr, jackson3, miansari66

The post 12 Umami Boosting Secrets to Making Vegan and Vegetarian Fare Tasty appeared first on EcoSalon.

This week summer came to the San Francisco Bay Area for the first time in a while, leaving fog-drenched residents blissed out but panting from the searing heat. Seems to be the perfect time to eat chilled soup for supper.

When most of us think of cold soup, gazpacho, or perhaps chilled potato leek soup, comes to mind. But a look around the web reveals a rich treasure of creative concoctions using summer ingredients and flavor profiles.

Martha Stewart Living has a giant chilled soup section with a whopping 40 recipes for chilled soups.

My two top picks are the Cucumber-Buttermilk Gazpacho with crunchy Spain-inspired garnishes and the Chilled Corn and Coconut Soup.

If you’re like me, you’re still trying to think of creative ways to use the zucchini onslaught. This recipe for Chilled Zucchini Soup from Epicurious fits the bill.

I’m not crazy about gazpacho. The kitchen sink mentality of cooking evident in most gazpacho recipes always makes me feel like I’m spooning salsa into my mouth. The different vegetables don’t seem to ever hang together into a cohesive whole. However, while this Chilled Tomato Soup with Cilantro and Yogurt Swirl from Eating Well gives a nod to gazpacho, it sounds much simpler and way more interesting, due to the addition of smoky chipotle chiles and the well considered garnishes.

Main image: Ulterior Epicure via Flickr Creative Commons. Other images from Martha Stewart Living, Epicurous and Eating Well respectively.

The post Chilled Summer Soup Recipes for Sultry Evenings appeared first on EcoSalon.

Here in sunny California, every few days during this unusually chilly May, the sky begins to spit out a cold drizzle. So while hearts, minds, and pale goose-pimply limbs are ready for summer, it still feels decidedly wintery. But alas, at the market we have an abundance of tender, green shoots. What to do? Here’s one answer: Late Spring Minestrone with Green Pea Pistou from Food 52.

If your winter cravings of deep leafy greens are still as intense as mine, I’d suggest trying this Kale and Carrot Salad from Food in Jars. It’s easy, healthy, and will pair well with just about any meal.

And now for something sweet: Berries are slowly coming into season here. And I love a simple cake with fruit. Here’s a lovely Lime Yogurt Cake with Blackberry Sauce from Smitten Kitchen.

Image: Gozalalewis

The post Three Recipes to Try: Spring Minestrone with Green Pea Pistou, Kale and Carrot Salad, Lime Yogurt Cake appeared first on EcoSalon.