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Satiating Summer Soups – Refreshing, Comforting, Quick, Easy, and Ambrosial Soups That Will Gratify Your Palate – by Linda Voorhis, Master VLCE

Don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen? Don’t want to heat up the kitchen using your stove and oven? I don’t either, especially during the warmth of the summer months. Yet, I still want healthy and nutritious food that is delicious. Here’s a couple of my go-to recipes that fit the bill. These are luscious and hearty soups that take moments to prepare yet taste like they took all day. And they require no cooking whatsoever and can be made with produce that is abounding in either your own garden or your local farmer’s market and ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!

Gazpacho

3 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped*
1 seedless cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped (seeded if you don’t want the extra heat)
¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar (use a good, aged balsamic for the best flavor)
1/3 cup olive oil, optional
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

  • For the optimal flavor profile, combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl 12-24 hours before processing. If time is of the essence, however, just go for it.
  • In a blender, puree all ingredients, except salt and pepper, until smooth and silky.
  • Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
  • Serve in soup bowls.
  • You can garnish with chopped cilantro, parsley, and/or roughly chopped pepitas. 
  • *For a fire-roasted flavor, roast or grill the tomatoes until the skin is charred before peeling. You could also use a high-grade organic canned tomato for a decent and quick variation; but you will lose the freshness.

Cannellini Bean Soup

2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained
1-2 cups unchicken broth
1 leek, rinsed well and chopped
1 shallot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon dry oregano, or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

  • Combine all ingredients (1 cup unchicken broth) in blender, and process until smooth and creamy.
  • Add additional unchicken broth to reach desired consistency.
  • Season with additional sea salt and black pepper to taste.
  • Serve in soup bowls.
  • Garnish with chopped fresh a drizzle of Fresh Basil Olive Oil and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes.

Green Pea and Leek Soup (Inspired by recipe by Chef Madelyn Pryor, The Vegan Taste)

1 serving Herbed Oil*
4 cups of frozen peas, thawed
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup of sliced frozen leeks thawed
1 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons White Vinegar (my favorite is raw coconut vinegar)
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

*Herbed Oil

¼ cup Fresh Olive oil
½ cup parsley
½ cup basil
½ cup mint
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

  • Blend the olive oil and herbs in the blender. Set aside.
  • Blend the peas, vegetable broth, leeks, cannellini beans, and vinegar until smooth and creamy. You can process this to a creamy consistency or leave a little bit of chunks in the soup.
  • Season to taste.

Minestra di verdura e riso (vegetable & rice soup)

2 cups cooked brown rice (leftover from last night’s dinner is perfect)
3 cups frozen broccoli, defrosted
1-1/2 to 2 cups unchicken broth
1 cup fresh basil, chopped, separated
¼ cup Olive Oil
2 shallots, roughly chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

  • Put the rice, broccoli, 1-1/2 cup unchicken broth, ½ cup basil, olive oil, shallots, garlic, salt, and pepper in blender. Process.
  • Add additional unchicken broth to reach desired consistency.
  • Garnish with remaining ½ cup basil.

Thai Corn Coconut Soup

2 cups corn (about 4 ears fresh corn, or 2 cups frozen and thawed)
1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk (full fat)
2 tablespoons Lemongrass White Mint Balsamic Vinegar
3 kaffir lime leaves, chopped (or 1 teaspoon lime zest)
1 shallot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1” piece of fresh galangal, finely minced (or 2 teaspoons dry, or 2 teaspoons Thai green curry paste)
1” piece of fresh ginger, finely minced (or 2 teaspoons dry)
1 teaspoon unrefined dark brown sugar or 1 teaspoon brown rice syrup
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼-1/2 teaspoon dried crushed chili, or 1-2 teaspoons chili sauce
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

  • Place all ingredients, except cilantro, into blender and process until smooth.
  • Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro

Linda Voorhis is a Main Street Vegan Academy Master Vegan Lifestyle Coach and Educator, a vegan culinary instructor, and founder of Veganification™ and Verde Valley Vegans Meetup group. You can follow Linda on her weekly blog and/or register for her upcoming events at www.veganification.com. Veganification celebrates the journey of becoming and being vegan by providing vegan lifestyle through education, plant-based culinary instruction and coaching that promote self-actualization, community and environmental sustainability in concert with vegan advocacy and activism. Find more of her recipes and tips in The Main Street Vegan Academy Cookbook.

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