Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

QUICKIE POST, once again:
I don't know why I haven't posted this recipe before now-- it's one of our perennial favorite soup recipes.  It's not only nutritious and quick and easy to make-- it's adaptable as far as some of the ingredients go, hearty, filling and tasty, and can feed you well for a few days, or feed a small crowd! We love it with vegan apple/sage sausages, but Italian-style are good, too. When I made this the other day, I had no vegan sausages (and I live on an island), so I sliced up a couple of my homemade vegan cutlets  and added that instead.  It worked out well, although I think I prefer the sausage.

About those "white beans"-- I really like Great Northern beans, but you can use small white beans, navy beans (also known as "pea beans"), cannellini beans, or white kidney beans.

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we do!


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA’S QUICK & EASY AUTUMNAL BEAN, GREENS AND CARROT SOUP WITH VEGAN SAUSAGE 
Serves 8 to 10

2 cups diced carrots
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped
3 apple/sage OR Italian vegan sausages (such as Field Roast or Tofurky), sliced
(NOTE: If you have no vegan sausage, you can substitute sliced seitan cutlets [as in the photos], or reconstituted Butler Foods’ Soy Curls, or other vegan product that you like.)
8 cups flavorful vegan “chiken-y” broth
3/4 tsp. EACH dried oregano, thyme and basil
3 cups cooked, drained white beans [see above] (OR two 15 oz. cans of white beans, rinsed and drained)
10-12 ounces roughly-chopped fresh greens of your choice, such as chard, kale, or baby spinach leaves
(NOTE: If you have no fresh greens, use a 10 oz. package of frozen chopped spinach or other greens, thawed and squeezed as dry as possible.)
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large, heavy pot sauté the carrots, onion and garlic in a little oil of choice (dark sesame oil is nice and flavorful) over medium heat until they have softened, adding a squirt of water if needed to keep things moving.  Add the garlic and vegan sausage slices and brown a bit. 
(NOTE: If you’re pressed for time, dump the carrots and onion into a microwave-safe casserole with a cover [Pyrex is good] and microwave this for about 6-8 minutes, until the onion and carrots are softened. Then dump it all into your hot, oiled pan with the garlic and sausage slices and stir over medium-high heat until you get the onions ans sausage a bit browned.)

Add the broth, herbs, white beans and greens to the pot, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer.  Cover and cook for about 5 minutes.  Taste for salt and pepper.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL STEP:  If you want a “creamier” soup, take out 3 or 4 cups of the soup (minus the sausage slices) and process it until smooth in a large Pyrex batter bowl with a hand/immersion blender, then add this mixture back to the soup pot and mix well.

Nutrition Facts for one serving:
Calories   314.68, Calories From Fat  51.95, Total Fat 5.95g, Saturated Fat 1.25g, Cholesterol 2.46mg, Sodium 1812.07mg, Potassium 1071.18mg, Carbohydrates 52.06g,Dietary Fiber 9.60g,   Sugar 3.41g, Sugar Alcohols 0.00g, Net Carbohydrates 42.46g, Protein 15.53g 
  

Enjoy!

Quick Stove-Top Cassoulet from Robin Robertson's "Quick-Fix Vegetarian"

I've been meaning to review this new book for some time now. I'm not really going to do it justice, I'm afraid! I've been super-busy testing recipes for my next newsletter, and getting started on a collaboration for a new book. But I did try three recipes from the book, and we really enjoyed two of them, which I'm sure I will make again.

Quick-Fix Vegetarian (Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less), by veteran cookbook author Robin Robertson contains tasty-sounding recipes for appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches and wraps, skillet suppers, pasta dishes, casseroles, slow-cooker dishes, sauces, and quick desserts. I like the combinations of flavors, and the variety. There is a nice emphasis on vegetables! (The title says "vegetarian", but the recipes are vegan, BTW.)

The Quick Stove-Top Cassoulet (p. 101) (pictured above) was really good. I used some frozen, cooked white beans that I had in the freezer instead of the canned beans called for, and I used Tofurkey Vegetarian Italian Sausages. It's simple, but satisfying and very tasty!

The other recipe that we liked was the Mushroom and White Bean Soup(p. 47), pictured below. It doesn't photograph well, but it is delicious! The 8 simple ingredients belie it's robust, comforting flavor.


Mushroom and White Bean Soup

This would make a nice gift for a vegan student or young person setting up housekeeping without much cooking experience, as well as for any busy vegan. I'm looking forward to trying a few more recipes from the book in the near future!

Enjoy!