Soups

Directions:

1. Heat oil in pot over medium heat, add onion and a couple pinches of sea salt and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes
2. Add garlic and celery and continue to sauté for about another 5 minutes until tender.
3. Add fresh or frozen peas on top. Pour vegetable broth to just cover all vegetables, slowly bring to a gentle boil.
4. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 2 minutes until peas are tender. Remove from heat. Blend soup using blender until smooth.
5. Pour soup into back to pot, season with lemon juice, sea salt and black pepper if using. Gently simmer for a minute over low heat.
6. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and vegan creamer if desired.

Chef’s note:

Sometimes frozen peas have fibrous skin that is hard to blend to a smooth texture. Try to blend with higher speed settings. If you like a smooth silky texture, I would recommend using a high speed blender such as Vita Mix.

Make sure not to overcook peas since they can lose their rich green color. You might not need to cook for a full 2 minutes, especially using frozen peas. Once they come to a boil, they are almost done, and you should stop cooking if the bright green color starts to fade.

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium flame. Add onions and leeks with a few pinches of sea salt, and sauté for about 5 minutes until translucent.
2. Add garlic and celery, and continue sautéing for about 5 minutes until fragrant.
3. Add vegetable stock and sea salt to the pot. Over medium-high flame, bring to a boil, then cover.
4. Reduce flame to low and simmer for 20 – 25 minutes until the vegetables become really tender.
5. Remove from flame, blend into creamy texture with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until creamy.
6. Place the pot back on the stove over low heat, add coconut milk, and simmer for another 5 minutes.
7. Serve the soup garnished with celery leaves and a sprinkle of black pepper and sumac or sweet paprika, if using.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400℉. Coat the butternut squash halves with olive oil, and roast them cut side up on a baking sheet for about 30 minutes until soft. Set aside to cool.
2. Heat oil in a heavy pot, add onions with a few pinches of sea salt, sauté the onion until they turn translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Scoop out the meat of the baked squash and place on top of the onion.
4. Add about 2 cups vegetable stock to cover the squash. Sprinkle cinnamon on top, if using. Simmer for about 30 minutes until everything is tender.
5. Remove from flame, blend into creamy texture with a blender, food processor, Vitamix or immersion blender.
6. Place the pot back on the stove over low heat, add sea salt and orange juice, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
7. Serve with chopped parsley for garnish.

Directions:

1. Rinse and soak wakame until tender in a small dish of water.
2. Place wakame with the soaking water and onions in a small saucepan with 1 cup water and bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. Let boil for 3 minutes, until onions are soft.
4. Add the daikon and the rest of the water and boil for 3-5 minutes.
5. In the meantime, place the miso paste in a bowl with a small amount of soup water and mix until dissolved.
6. Turn soup to low (so it is simmering, not boiling) and pour diluted miso into the soup, mixing gently.
7. Add bok choy and simmer for 3 minutes.
8. Garnish with chopped scallion.

Directions:

1. Soak the shiitake in ¾ cup water until soft, then dice.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat, and sauté the onion until soft.
3. Add the celery and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
4. Place the sautéed vegetables, shiitake, shiitake soaking water, kombu, wakame, lentils and 5 cups water in a pot. Cover and bring to a boil.
5. Simmer for 45 minutes.
6. Add the carrots and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add the shoyu and simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat and stir in the ginger juice.
9. Served garnished with chopped parsley.

*To obtain 1 T ginger juice, grate a 2-3 inch piece of ginger and squeeze out the juice.