Creamy Tuscan White Bean Soup

This is a very filling, easy to make soup. You probably have the ingredients in your pantry and fridge to make this delicious bowl of comfort. I served it as is but you could add some croutons, a side salad or 1/2 a sandwich with a smaller bowl of soup. I love one-pot meals with leftovers that are easy to reheat. If you made a cashew cream instead of using coconut milk this would be WFPBNO, but the oil in the coconut milk kicks it out of that category. Makes 6 large servings.

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 large sweet onion, about 1 1/2 cups, diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 large stalks celery, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic (I buy already minced in jar)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 (15-oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (or your fav white bean)
• 1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups chopped baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (or sub cashew cream or puree a can of white beans)

Heat the water in a large Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrots, celery and black pepper. Cook about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Add tomato paste, garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme and basil and cook about 1 minute, stirring.

Add the broth, beans and tomatoes. Scape up any bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a simmer. 

Reduce heat and cook about 15 minutes until the veggies are tender. If you want a really creamy soup use an immersion blender and blend about 1/2 of the soup. You want some veggie pieces in there though.

Add the spinach and cover pot for about 5 minutes until it is good and wilted.

Add the vinegar and coconut milk. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed, add more red pepper for heat, coconut milk for creaminess or spices.

Serve while nice and hot. You can garnish with croutons, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast or fresh herbs.

Enjoy!!!

Poblano Soup with Crispy Soyrizo

This is a delicious soup with lots of flavor. I did have some vegan soyrizo that I used as a garnish, although it's not in any of the pictures. If you leave out the soyrizo and cream cheese will be a WFPBNO recipe. Soup was delicious like I said, but the soyrizo added a nice heat, but a good hot sauce or an extra fresh jalapeno with the poblano peppers would increase the heat if you like spicy foods. This is also an easy recipe to halve and get 4 smallish servings. The recipe below will make 6 dinner servings.

• 2 poblano peppers, stems and seeds removed, diced
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 jalapeno, diced, seeds and membranes removed for less spice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 12 ounces Salsa Verde
• 2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes, with juice
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 6 ounces soyrizo
• 4 ounces vegan cream cheese, I used Tofutti
• 1/2 cup unsweet almond milk
• Garish, lime wedges, cilantro and above mentioned soyrizo

Add the poblano, onion, garlic, jalapeno, oregano, paprika, chili powder, cumin and a few tablespoons of water to a Dutch oven. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the salsa verde, beans, tomatoes and broth to the pot and stir. Bring to a boil, partially cover and lower heat.

Simmer about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so to be sure nothing sticks to the bottom. It should slightly reduce. You may need to turn up the heat to keep a high simmer

When the soup is ready use an immersion blender to blend about half the soup. Be sure to leave a few chunks in there. Add the vegan cream cheese, if using, and the non-dairy milk and stir well.

If using the soyrizo, cook it in a small skillet, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Cook until crispy, stirring frequently. Once soup has been added to your bowl, garnish with cilantro and soyrizo. If I had some avocado I would have added a few bite-sized cubes to this as well.

Enjoy!!!