Forks Over Knives (19 page)

2.
Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan, add the nutritional yeast and vinegar, stir, and cook for a few minutes until hot. Season with tamari as needed. Serve garnished with fresh herbs.

ANN CRILE ESSELSTYN

THIS SOUP IS simple and so delicious with its subtle tarragon taste and the slightly sweet yams. It cooks in two stages so the peas become creamy and the yams and onions keep their texture. If available, use garnet yams, which are a deeper color and sweeter than jewel yams or the pale-yellow sweet potatoes. (don’t bother peeling them.) fresh tarragon makes all the difference.

This makes a great lunch, or serve it for dinner with a wonderful green salad and bread or toasted pita.

SERVES 6 TO 8

8 cups (2 quarts) vegetable broth or water

2 cups split green peas

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon dry mustard

1 large red onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

3 medium yams, diced (7 to 8 cups)

½ cup chopped fresh tarragon (about a ¾-ounce container) or 2 teaspoons dried

Black pepper

Put the broth or water, split peas, bay leaf, and mustard into a soup pot. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover, and simmer 40 minutes, or until the peas begin to break down. Add the red onion, yams, and tarragon and stir. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the yams are tender and the peas are creamy.

MATT LEDERMAN AND ALONA PULDE—WITH THANKS TO SHOSHANA PULDE |
KEEP IT SIMPLE, KEEP IT WHOLE

IT’S GRATIFYING THAT something so simple to make has such good flavor. We like to eat this with a green salad for an easy, healthy meal.

SERVES 4

1 onion, chopped

1½ cups split peas

2 large carrots, shredded

10 cups boiling water

2 tablespoons vegan chicken-soup-style vegetable powder

Salt and black pepper, optional

Fresh parsley, optional

Sauté the onion in a large soup pot with a little water until yellow. Add the split peas, carrots, and water and bring to a boil. Add the chicken-soup-style powder and reduce the heat. Simmer for about an hour, stirring periodically to prevent sticking. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm, garnished with a little chopped parsley.

TAL RONNEN |
QUANTUM WELLNESS
BY KATHY FRESTON

ON WARM-WEATHER DAYS a cup of this chilled soup makes for a jolt of green goodness—and the perfect start to lunch or dinner.

SERVES 4

2 ripe avocados, halved and pitted

⅓ cup peas, cooked and cooled

4 cups cold vegetable stock

Juice from 1 lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Puree the ingredients in a blender until smooth.

LEWIS FREEDMAN AND PRISCILLA TIMBERLAKE |
COMMUNITY DINNERS SERVED WITH LOVE

THIS TASTY, SIMPLE soup takes very little preparation time and is still very rich and satisfying.

SERVES 8

2 cups yellow split peas

6 cups water

2 carrots, cut into small dice

1 red onion, cut into small dice

3 leeks, white and green parts separated, diced small

4 celery stalks, cut into small dice

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons tamari

1.
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add the peas. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the peas are soft, about 2 hours.

2.
When the peas are soft, add carrots, onion, and white parts of the leeks. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Add celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add salt, tamari, and the green part of the leeks and cook for 7 to 10 minutes more. Serve.

ANASTASIA ST. JOHN | COMPASSIONATE DIET AND LIFESTYLE ADVOCATE

THIS SOUP IS very hearty … perfect as a meal in itself. A large pot of this rich and creamy soup won’t last long!

SERVES 6

6 cups vegetable stock or boullion

1 rounded cup raw cashews

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

½ large red bell pepper, chopped

2 medium unpeeled potatoes, cubed

1 large head broccoli, including stem, chopped (about 4 cups)

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1.
Puree 1 cup of the vegetable stock with the cashews in a blender until smooth. Set aside.

2.
In a large pot, cook the onion, celery, and carrot over medium heat in 1 cup of the vegetable stock for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and potatoes and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the remaining 4 cups of vegetable stock and the broccoli, thyme, salt, and black pepper, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer until the broccoli and potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.

3.
Add the cashew mixture to the soup and stir until mixed. Remove the pot from heat and puree about half the soup, in small batches, until smooth. Return pureed soup to the pot and reheat, stirring well. Serve.

JO STEPANIAK |
BREAKING THE FOOD SEDUCTION
BY NEAL BARNARD, MD

BARLEY IS DELICIOUS, not to mention an excellent course of soluble fiber, which reduces blood cholesterol levels. The longer you cook this thick and hearty soup, the creamier and richer tasting it becomes.

MAKES ABOUT 2 QUARTS

8 cups water or vegetable stock

1 cup dry baby lima beans, soaked overnight and drained

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped carrot

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

½ cup pearl barley

1 tablespoon crushed garlic

1 teaspoon thyme

Salt and pepper

Place water and beans in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Add remaining ingredients, except salt and pepper. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until barley and beans are tender and broth is creamy, about 1½ to 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

CHEF AJ |
UNPROCESSED

I PREFER THIS soup served cold like a gazpacho.

SERVES 4 AS AN APPETIZER OR 2 AS AN ENTREE

2½ cups plain, unsweetened almond milk, chilled

2½ cups fresh or frozen organic corn kernels (thawed), plus more for optional garnish

1 small shallot

1 ripe avocado, plus more for optional garnish

Scallions or fresh cilantro, optional

Puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with scallions, diced avocado, and corn kernels.

VARIATION:

For even more flavor, add some sun-dried tomato powder and chipotle powder.

MOIRA NORDHOLT | THE FEEL GOOD GURU

THIS RECIPE BEGINS the night before, when you will need to wash your dried cannellini beans and cover them in water to soak. Start cooking them a little while before you begin chopping vegetables, and they should be ready by the time you’re ready to make your soup.

SERVES 2 GENEROUSLY

1 cup dried cannellini beans (white Italian kidney beans), soaked

1 unsalted vegetable bouillon cube

4 garlic cloves, minced

Half a red onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

3 stalks fresh fennel, or half a fennel bulb, diced

1 zucchini, diced

1 bunch of fresh spinach, chopped

1 teaspoon oregano

4 fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon parsley

Splash tamari

1 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon

1.
Drain the beans, then put them in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until al dente.

2.
In a large soup pot, dissolve the bouillon cube in ¼ cup water over medium heat. Add garlic and onion. Cook, stirring constantly, until they sweat. Add celery and fennel with a pinch of sea salt. Allow the vegetables to heat through and soften. Cover the vegetables with spring water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 or 10 minutes.

3.
Add zucchini, spinach, cooked beans, oregano, sage, parsley, tamari, sea salt, and black pepper. Simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the zucchini is cooked but not mushy. Turn off the heat. Squeeze the juice of a whole lemon into the soup. Adjust the seasonings to your liking and serve.

CHEF DEL SROUFE | WELLNESS FORUM FOODS

LENTILS, A SMALL but nutritionally mighty member of the legume family, are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. They are quick and easy to prepare and readily absorb a variety of flavors from other foods and seasonings.

SERVES 6

1 large onion, finely diced

2 medium carrots, finely diced

2 celery stalks, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, minced

¼ bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped

1½ cups green lentils

2 quarts vegetable stock

1½ teaspoons sea salt

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Black pepper

1.
Sauté the onion, carrot, and celery in a large soup pot over medium-high heat for 7 to 8 minutes. If necessary, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan.

2.
Add the garlic, tomato paste, bay leaves, thyme, tarragon, and parsley. Cook for another minute. Add the lentils, vegetable stock, and sea salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the lentils are tender, 25 to 35 minutes. Stir in the mustard and season with black pepper. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

DARSHANA THACKER | AYURVEDIC VEGAN CHEF

THE LENTILS AND grain combination make this a hearty one-dish meal. You can substitute the vegetables below with other vegetables of your choice. If you’re using barley instead of brown rice, you’ll need to start soaking the barley a few hours before.