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Sweet Tomato Soup

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If you want a really simple lunch, this Sweet Tomato Soup will remind you of those comforting canned tomato soups that you were served as a child–but with fewer heavily refined ingredients. This makes 2 large bowls.

Ingredients:
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
400 ml vegetable broth
2 cans (400g each) tomatoes in juice
1 tsp suitable-for-vegans sugar
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat a large stainless steel pan over a medium-low heat.
2. Add the onions and sauté until lightly coloured. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
3. Deglaze the pan with a splash of the broth. Then add the tomatoes and the rest of the broth.
4. Stir in the sugar, and crumble in the dried herbs between your finger and thumb.
5. Allow to simmer, uncovered, on a very low heat for about 10 minutes. Season to taste, and serve.

Tomato, Butterbean, and Kale Soup

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This thick and rich soup is full of interesting textures from the kale and the beans. It serves 4.

Ingredients
1 large onion, medium dice
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 cup suitable-for-vegans vegetable broth, stock, or water
500 ml tomato juice
2 x 400g tins tomatoes
2 tsp suitable-for-vegans sugar
1 tbsp Italian herbs
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 cups kale, tightly packed
1 can butterbeans, drained and rinsed

Directions

1. Heat a large stainless steel soup pot over a medium-low heat. Add the onions and dry sauté, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes until nicely caramelised. Add the garlic and sauté for a further 30 seconds.
2. Deglaze the pan with the broth or water.
3. Add everything else but the kale and butterbeans, bring to a boil, and turn off the heat.
4. Blend the soup until smooth.
5. Add the kale and beans, bring to the boil, and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Season with cracked black pepper, sea salt, and some chopped basil or parsley.

Tomato, Spinach, and Bean Soup

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This speedy, budget soup is chunky and nutritious. It serves 8 and is ready in under 15 minutes.

Ingredients

1 onion, medium dice
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable stock
3 cans chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp suitable-for-vegans sugar or maple syrup
1 tbsp vinegar of choice (balsamic is preferable, but apple cider, white wine, red wine, etc. will also work)
2 large handfuls spinach, chopped
1 x 400g can beans of choice
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 generous bunch basil
More freshly ground black pepper, to serve

Method

1. Sauté the onion over a medium low heat in a large soup pot until lightly coloured (2-3 minutes). Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup of the stock and stir to deglaze the pot.
2. Add the rest of the stock, tomatoes, purée, sweetener, vinegar (if using), spinach, beans, and the 1/2 tsp black pepper.
3. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the chopped basil and season with black pepper to taste.

Creamy tomato soup accented with sumac, sun-dried tomato and sesame

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Topped with spiral cut and roasted white potato and drips of sesame cream, balsamic vinegar and tomato passata, this makes a good sized bowl for two, but easily doubles or halves. Shown here with a light sandwich (waffles with oat, white miso spread and roasted mushrooms) and a light salad of baby arugula (2 cups packed baby arugula greens, 1T olive oil, 2t balsamic vinegar with a little sea salt).

Ingredients

For the soup
1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
2 scallions (4″ green reserved for garnish)
1T dried sumac
1t dried thyme, rubbed
1T fresh garlic, minced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (the dehydrated kind, not packed in oil)
1/2T lemon juice
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup passata (or tomato puree)
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1T sesame seed butter
2T red miso
1T tapioca flour dissolved in 2T cold water
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the garnish
2 medium white potatoes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
2t nutritional yeast
2t balsamic vinegar
2t passata
1t sesame seed butter dissolved in 1t water
Scallions sliced on a diagonal as above

Instructions

Start with the potatoes, then the soup. Preheat the oven for 450F. If you don’t have a spiral slicer, you can still grate the potatoes with a box grater with the medium holes. Toss the sliced potatoes in 1T oil and coarse sea salt. Add in an even, shallow layer to a small, lightly oiled roasting pan. Roast for about 10 minutes at 450F, reduce heat to 350F and bake for another 15-25 minutes until the potatoes are soft, but not mushy and lightly browned. Ovens vary; use the colour and texture of the potato as a guide.

While the potatoes cook, make the soup. In a large pot with a lid, bring the cooking oil and sea salt to heat on medium high. Add the scallions, sumac, and herbs and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and deglaze the pan. Add the stock, passata and soy milk. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer while the potatoes cook.

When the potatoes are done, remove from the oven, sprinkle with the nutritional yeast, and set aside. Remove the soup from heat and add the red miso and sesame see butter. Puree until the soup is smooth. Return the soup to a light simmer. Slowly and stirring continuously, add the tapioca mixture until thickened. Season to taste.

Ladle out the soup. Add the potatoes to each bowl in a thin, light layer. Add the vinegar, the passata and the sesame in small splashes, garnish with the scallions and serve.

Roasted red pepper, tomato soup with sesame and parsley

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A simple soup with a lot of bright colour. Served here with socca, but fresh bread, crackers or potatoes all make good accompaniments.

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable stock
1/4t coarse sea salt
1 red pepper, roasted, cored, seeded and peeled
1 cup tomato passata (or puree)
1/2T fresh garlic, minced (reserve a little for the garnish)
1t herbes de Provence (or similar)
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, minced (1 – 2T reserved for garnish)
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the garnish
1/2T sesame seed butter
1T white pickling vinegar
1T unsweetened soy milk
1/2t fresh garlic, minced (as noted above)
1/4t coarse sea salt (or to taste)
1 – 2T parsley (as noted above)

Optional: A tablespoon or so of nutritional yeast will add flavour and nutrition.

Method
Preheat the oven to 450F and roast the pepper until the skin is charred (or use the stove top method if you have a gas stove). Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Peel, seed and core the pepper. Chop roughly.

Bring a medium pan with a lid to heat on medium high. Add the pepper, garlic and herbs and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the stock and passata. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer about 10 minutes (or until reduced by about 1/4).

While the soup reduces, whisk together the sesame seed butter, vinegar, soy milk and sea salt until thick. Set aside while the soup finishes. It will continue to thicken and the taste will soften.

When the soup is ready, remove from heat. Add about half of parsley to the soup and stir to combine. Let stand 2 minutes to cool. Season to taste. Ladle out. Season the garnish to taste. Drip the garnish gently onto the soup and then style how you like. Sprinkle with remaining
parsley and serve.