Vegan Ambrosia

Leeks and red potatoes arrived in my Boston Organics bin on Friday.  We're at about five feet of snow today Naturally, potato leek soup ensued. 1 medium leek 1 medium onion 3 garlic cloves 2-3 pounds potatoes 1 tablespoon olive oil 1-1/2 teaspoon salt 4-6 cups vegetable broth 3 cups unsweetened soy milk Chop garlic and onion into small pieces.  Cut end of leek off, slice in half, wash thoroughly, and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Cube potatoes (I used red potatoes) in 4-6 pieces each.  Leave the skin on to keep the nutrition and taste. Heat olive oil in a large pot and add the onion, garlic, and leeks.  Sautee until soft but not browned. Add potatoes and salt and stir to coat.  Add enough vegetable broth to cover the potato mixture - about 4-6 cups.  Bring to a boil and then turn heat down to simmer for about 30 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Liquefy in blender in batches with soy milk.  Add water to make desired texture.  Serve...

Here's another soup I like to store in the freezer for the winter.  (When defrosting, it just needs to be stirred well, and the nice texture will return.)  I blend the mushroom stems (whose texture can be woody) with silken tofu  to make a creamy base.  (A non-dairy milk can be used instead of the silken tofu but would make a slightly thinner stock.) Half pound white mushrooms Half pound crimini mushrooms Half ounce dried mushrooms One onion 3 tablespoons chopped garlic 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons vegan margarine 1 Quart veggie broth 2 tsp Better ‘n Bouillon (or 1 bouillon cube) 2 cups hot water 2 tablespoons flour ¼ cup wine (optional) ½ package silken tofu ½ teaspoon cumin 1 bay leaf (optional) Salt and pepper to taste Soak dried mushrooms in hot water for about a half hour.  Remove and keep mushroom stems.  (With many mushrooms, just squeeze the stem and pop it out from the cap; I used kitchen shears to snip off the stems of the recons...

This is a version of a soup I make almost every year, out of whatever winter vegetables (squashes and root vegetables) I have on hand from my Boston Organics bin.  Sweet potatoes can also be a nice addition, but I didn't have any this year.  This recipe isn't precise because I make it up as I go along.  This time I added silken tofu for some protein and a creamy texture. 2 Butternut squashes, cubed (about 1" square) 3-4 carrots, cut in 1-inch chunks 2 onions, cut in 4 sections 2 tablespoons chopped garlic 2-3 tablespoons olive oil 2 quarts vegetable broth 2-3 tablespoons agave syrup, to taste (maple syrup or honey would probably also work okay) 1 package silken tofu salt paprika cayenne pepper (leave out if you don't want it hot-spicy) 1-2 bay leaf cumin Preheat oven to 450 F and coat a large roasting pan with olive oil.  Add squash, carrots, onions, and garlic to the pan, sprinkle with olive oil and mix to coat.  Shake salt, paprika, ...