by Mayv 'SpearBourne' Amaia

Created on: December 23, 2011

Vegan Dream Vegetable Soup

This recipe for meat-free vegetable soup is simple and very easy to adapt, depending on your tastes. It is ready in about an hour. It is great to warm you up on those cold winter nights when you want something that isn't heavy but that is still filling.

4-5 cups water
1 heaped tablespoon bouillon (I prefer Osem Chicken-style Consomme)

1 heaped tablespoon seasoning (I make my own seasoning mix which is a combination of thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil, marjoram, garlic powder, and onion salt)
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast, optional
1/4 cup lentils, split green peas, or a combination of the two
1/4 cup brown rice (or whichever type of rice you prefer)
1 large potato
2 turnips
1 stalk of celery, leaves removed
2 carrots

In a 2 quart (or larger) saucepan, bring four cups of water to a boil. Add the bouillon, seasoning, nutritional yeast, rice, and beans and/or peas.

Scrub and rinse the potato, turnips, and carrots. Peel the potato, if desired. Coarsely chop the potato and turnips. Slice the celery and carrots. Add these to the boiling water. Gently stir.

Reduce heat to low so that the soup comes to a slow simmer. Allow to cook for forty minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed so all vegetables are covered.

To serve, just ladle into bowls and serve alongside warm bruschetta, garlic bread, or rolls.

For a bit of variety, add a cup of corn, peas, green beans, or a cup of mixed vegetables. If you use frozen mixed vegetables, add them to the soup during the final fifteen minutes of cooking. You could also add half a cup of cubed, sauteed tofu, a chopped grilled "chik'n" patty (I like the Morningstar Farms variety), or a chopped Boca burger during the final five minutes of cooking, if you like.

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