Veganize this: cream of vegetable soup

I came back to Australia on Sunday morning and it’s freezing here (or at least comparatively so when coming from 35 degree days in France) so I decided to make soup for dinner.

Cream of vegetable soup

1 ½ cups of water

Vegetable stock (amount per package instructions)

500g seasonal vegetables

3 tablespoons of oil

¼ cup flour (omit or sub with GF flour if desired)

2 cups non-dairy milk (coconut, oat, rice, almond, soy etc)

1 cup vegan cream (coconut, soy, etc)

1 onion

1 clove garlic

Pinch of celery salt, cayenne pepper, nutmeg and thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

nutritional yeast to taste 

1. In a medium saucepan combine water, stock and vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook until tender.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, garlic and spices and cook until brown. 

3. Stir in flour, and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk and cream and then nutritional yeast. 

4. Combine onion mix with vegetables and leave to cool.  Blend in batches and push through a sieve to make the soup extra smooth (optional). Reheat when ready to eat.

I went out and bought a blender so I could make smoothies (and soup). I had a kiwi, apple, pear and spinach smoothie with oats and chia seeds today. Not so long ago I made a version of this recipe and I decided to make it again with a few adjustments (by looking in the comments section) as well as making some of my own adjustments and veganizing it. This time I used broccoli but any vegetable would probably be delicious. It turned out quite nicely, much better than the first time!

 

In order to help prevent getting a cold I think the best method is to include lots of fresh fruit and vegetables in my diet. I generally prefer to not take medication unless absolutely necessary, and firmly believe that a healthy diet as well as using herbal remedies (e.g. ginger for nausea) is the best way to prevent/combat illness. Though that being said, if I was severely ill I would not hesitate to take medication that my doctor prescribed to me, but I would try to use suitable remedies in conjunction with it to heal faster. For example, studies have shown in patients with cancer that spinach consumption can help reduce tumors while excessive red meat consumption has been linked to causing cancer. Now I’m not saying everyone should immediately become vegan, but the health benefits of reducing meat consumption are not to be ignored.