Soup season is upon us

When I read IIN's blog post for Terry Walter’s Autumn Harvest Soup, I mourned summer for a brief moment and then celebrated the undeniable fact that soup season is upon us. There is something soothing, comforting and satisfying about enjoying a warm bowl of soup on a cool fall day. I glanced at the weather forecast and committed to making this soup for dinner.

The recipe below is an adaptation of Terry Walter's recipe from her cookbook Clean Food. The original was a little bit too acidic for my family's tastes so I substituted walnut oil for toasted seasame oil and added nutritional yeast, vegetable broth, garlic powder, salt, nutritional yeast, and Better than Boullion vegan chicken base (to appease my son).

Autumn Harvest Soup

Ingredients:
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
6 cups water
3/4 cup vegetable broth
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 carrots, diced
4 cups chopped kale or collard greens
2 cups cooked cannellini beans
1/4 cup mirin
splash tamari
splash apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons walnut oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Better Than Boullion chicken base (vegan)
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
sea salt
ground black pepper
vegan croutons

Preparation:
Place dried mushrooms in medium pot with 6 cups water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. When mushrooms are soft, remove from broth and cut off and discard stems. Dice caps and place back in pot with broth. In large pot over medium heat, sauté onion, garlic and ginger in oil 3 minutes. Add carrots and sauté 3 minutes. Add kale, beans and mirin and sauté until greens are deep green and tender. Pour broth and mushrooms into pot with kale, vegetable broth, bouillon base, tamari, vinegar, garlic powder, walnut oil, stir and simmer 5–7 minutes. Add nutritional yeast, salt and pepper to taste and garnish with vegan croutons.

Here it is!

I chose to add kale for my leafy green vegetable because it's one of the most nutritious foods you can eat. Kale contains dietary fiber, which promotes regular digestion and curbs overeating, helps prevent cancer and helps regulate the body's inflammatory process, among many of its other health benefits.

If kale isn't currently a staple at your table, here are a few ways to start adding it this week:

• Chop it up and add it to broth based soups (like the one below!)
• Toss it with nutritional yeast, cayene pepper and olive oil and then roast it at 275 for kale chips
• Steam it
• Sautee it with olive oil and garlic
• Add it to a smoothie
• Tear the leaves into bite size peices and massage fresh squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, salt and a tiny bit of chili powder to them. Add chopped tomatoes and avocado for a tasty salad or sandwich wrap.

Vegweb.com has an extensive library of kale recipes. Browse through them, pick a few that highlight some of your favorite ingredients and give them a try!

Here's to your health and coziness!