Vegan Carrot Coconut Bisque

At last, a non-tomato post! I had a lot of leftover baby carrots and celery sticks from a dinner party and got tired of eating them raw, so I came up with this creation.
It is a simple soup to make, yet is elegant enough to serve when company comes over. This soup is very rich-tasting and the coconut and ginger give it a far-eastern flavor. I think I could have used less coconut milk and added more pepper. you can probably substitute onions for the celery and get a slightly stronger taste. I have also made this soup using pumpkin and butternut squash instead of carrots, and have used thyme and onions instead of celery. Makes about 8 cups of soup.

about 1 cup of celery, chopped
about 3 cups of carrots, chopped
a one-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 carton (4 cups) vegetable broth
1/2 can (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup) coconut milk
enough olive oil to sautee
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil then sautee the celery, ginger, and bay leaves for about 5 - 7 minutes. Add the carrots then sautee for 2 more minutes. Add in the vegetable broth, lower heat to medium, cover pot.
Simmer an additional 15 - 20 minutes until the carrots are soft.
Add coconut milk and simmer another 5 mins.
Remove the bay leaves, then puree in a blender or using an immersion blender, until smooth.
add salt and pepper to taste, then serve. You may not need to add any salt if the veg broth is already salty.

Enjoy!!

Soap-acho! (Gazpacho)

The logical thing to do when it's high summer and you have foolishly bought forty-two tomatoes, is to make Gazpacho. Much as I love this classic cold tomato soup, I have never tried to make it, because I'm always afraid it won't taste as good as the ones I get in the restaurants. Armed with my cooked tomatoes from the Great Tomato Experience, and fresh cucumbers, bell peppers, and basil from my garden, I decided to chance it.

I turned to my trusty Betty Crocker Newlyweds Edition cookbook and modified good old Betty's recipe. It was amazing and delicious. I must have eaten three bowls full.

The children loved putting everything in the food processor and they actually both enjoyed eating it. Even the child who won't eat anything runny or saucy. The three year old calls it Soap-acho! So that's what we've all started calling it too.

Here's how I made it (and I know there are hundreds of recipes out there for soap-acho):
Cut up some whole wheat bread (about 3-4 slices) or fancy bread if you have it, into cubes. Sautee in olive oil to make croutons.
In food processor, use the low setting to process till desired consistency:
4 cups tomatoes, peeled and cooked (or 2 cans of whole tomatoes)
1 small cucumber, (I peeled off the skin but you don't have to)
1 small green capsicum pepper, seeds and stem removed
about 1/4 cup very good quality olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (or more!)
2 tablespoons cooking sherry or white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
half of the croutons
handful fresh basil

That's it! I was so greedy for it I didn't even bother chilling it further - the tomatoes were already cold. I drizzled some more olive oil in each bowl, topped with a handful of croutons, and guzzled it down. Yummmm SOAP-ACHO!