Sweet Potato Soup for One

If you leave this soup thick, it makes a nice mashed sweet potato dish, perfect for dipping apples into. If you thin it out, it’s a more like a traditional soup. Either way, it’s quick, easy, and delicious, and I like it somewhere in between.

Slosh of olive oil

¼ small onion, diced

¼ shallot, diced

Sprinkle of salt

Several cracks of fresh pepper

Pinch cinnamon

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 1/2 cup water or veggie stock

1. In a small pot, heat the oil over medium heat and toss in the onion and shallot. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cinnamon and cook until it’s fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add in the sweet potatoes and water (or stock) and bring to a boil. The water should come up the pile of potatoes about ¾ of the way. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
4. Using a blender, food processor, or immersion blender, puree the mixture until its silky smooth. Return the soup to the pot, if necessary. Add a little more water if it’s too thick, and season with salt and pepper.

Try it with various colors of sweet potatoes for fun! 

Lachanosoupa (Cabbage Soup) for One

It’s starting to feel like I’ve had this cold since the dawn of time. What will make me feel better? A quick bowl of Lachanosoupa, a hearty Greek delicacy, if you ask me.

1 TBLSP olive oil

2 TBLSP chopped yellow onions

1 TBLSP diced garlic

Pinch of salt

A few grinds of black pepper

Pinch of dill (fresh is best, but use dried if that’s all you’ve got)

Pinch of dried thyme

3 TBLSP shredded or diced zucchini

3 TBLSP shredded or diced carrots

1 cup chopped cabbage

1 ½ cup water (you could use stock, but it’s more flavor than you need)

2/3 cup cooked rice

Squirt of freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. In olive oil, sauté the onions over low heat until they’re translucent. Add garlic and cook for one minute more.
2. Add the salt, pepper, dill, and thyme, and cook on low for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the zucchini and carrots. Cook on low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the cabbage, and cook until it begins to wilt, perhaps 5 minutes.
5. Add the water, and stir to combine completely. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes until the veggies are fork tender.
6. Add the rice and cook 5 minutes more, until the rice is heated through.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. 

Great with crusty bread, a salad, or as a starter to a heavy meal. But you won’t need that heavy stuff. You’ll be ready to go plow the fields after this little bowl of treasure. 

Phở for One (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

If eating with both hands is wrong, I don’t want to be right! This simple and delicious soup is great all year ‘round—just use whatever is in season for the toppings and crunchies, and you’ll be a two-fisted eater in no time.

For the Broth:

1 whole clove

Sprinkles of cinnamon (or a half stick)

1 star anise (or ¼ teaspoon anise seeds)

½ teaspoon coriander seeds

½ an onion, chopped roughly

1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped roughly

2 cups water

1 TBLSP tamari or soy sauce

2 carrots, coarsely chopped

For the Noodles:

¼ pound dry flat rice noodles, fettucine noodles, or buckwheat ramen

For the Toppings (choose some or all):

Baked tofu

Bean curd skin

Seitan

Mushrooms

Bok choy

Cabbage (Napa would be nice, but any of it is good)

Broccoli

Zucchini

Spinach

For the Crunchies (choose some or all):

¼ of a large onion, sliced thinly

1 green onion, diced

½ lime, wedged

¼ cup mung bean sprouts

2 TBLSP fresh cilantro, leaves only

1 TBLSP fresh mint, leaves only

Soy sauce or tamari to taste

Make the Broth:

1. In a pot large enough to hold 4 cups, dry roast the clove, cinnamon, anise, and coriander over medium heat, stirring constantly. When it starts to smell fabulous (after about 30 seconds), add the onion and ginger and a slosh of the water, just enough to keep things from burning and sticking.
2. When the onion is starting to soften (about 4 minutes), add the rest of the water, the soy sauce, and the carrots.
3. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
4. Strain it into your favorite bowl, or, if your pan is treacherous, into a 2-cup measuring cup that you can pour out of.

Make the Noodles:

1. While the broth is simmering, make the noodles according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This may involve soaking them in hot water for 20-30 minutes, so plan accordingly. If they need to be boiled, microwaved, or stir fried, well, take care of that!

Make the Toppings:

1. Use the time while the broth is simmering and the noodles steeping to slice and cook/bake tofu or seitan, steam or blanch veggies that need it, and cut up mushrooms and cabbage. You won’t need to season (salt/pepper/garlic/whatever) these because the broth has plenty of flavor.

Make the Crunchies:

1. Now that the veggies are cooking away or resting quietly, prepare the crunchies.

Assemble the Phở:

1. The broth and noodles share the bottom of the serving bowl, so snug one into the other.
2. Arrange the toppings over the noodles.
3. Garnish with the Crunchies. You’ll like the brightness of squeezing the lime wedges over the whole shebang, so I hope that’s one of your options.

A great idea is to double or triple the amount of broth you make. Then you can just microwave it the next day for use with freshly supplied toppings and crunchies without soggy veggies!!

 

Broccoli Soup for One

The wind howled all night, and although it’s calm and still now, the temperature must be nearly 20 degrees below what it usually is for this time of day. You'd best make soup to warm up your bones!

¼ cup raw cashews

1 ½ cups water or vegetable broth

¼ onion, chopped fine

1 cup broccoli, chopped coarsely

Pinch dried basil

½ cup cooked white or brown rice

Salt to taste

Pinch ground pepper

1. In a blender, whirl the cashews and ½ cup of the water or broth until it’s smooth, about a minute. (You could replace this with ¾ cup of non-dairy milk of your choice.)
2. In a saucepan, add the rest of the water or broth (a cup), and add the onion, broccoli, and basil. Bring the whole thing to a boil, turn the heat down a bit, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the broccoli is tender but not mushy.
3. Add in the rice and the cashew milk and some salt and pepper. Bring the soup back to a simmer.
4. Either use an immersion blender or let it cool a bit and send it through the blender or food processor, whirling away until it’s smooth and creamy. Reheat, if necessary. Add salt and pepper, if necessary.

Shown here with chopped pistachios and a little mushroom. 

Squash and Protein Soup for One

It’s raining and the middle of a workday. What to do, what to do? Oh, here. A nice, comfort-laden soup! Ta-da!

1 cup squash (butternut, banana, pumpkin etc.), peeled and cubed

1 TBLSP coconut or vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, diced finely

1 scoop unflavored vegan protein powder (about 2 TBLSP)

3/4 cup water or vegetable broth

1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I like almond, but coconut would be delicious)

2 teaspoons brown sugar (or agave nectar)

1 teaspoon lemon zest (orange would be lovely too)

1 TBLSP lemon juice (orange would be lovely too)

Salt and pepper

Garnishes:

Cilantro leaves

Roasted pumpkin seeds

Flaked coconut

Green onion

Sliced radishes

Lemon zest

Chiffonade of spinach leaves

1. In a covered saucepan, steam the squash over water until it’s tender enough to puree in a food processor or with an immersion blender. It will take about 20 minutes to soften the squash. You could also use a cup of pureed pumpkin from a can (not pie filling).
2. In a measuring cup, combine the water/broth, milk, and brown sugar/agave with the protein powder. Don’t leave any lumps! (A whisk works pretty well.)
3. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Toast the garlic until just fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Add the squash and the water/broth/protein/sugar mixture to the pan, and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
5. Add in the lemon juice and zest, and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with any or all of the garnishes—go wild!

Variations:

• Try it with banana squash, or really go wild and use yellow zucchini! Any of those lovely turban-shaped squashes, like kombacha, will do nicely too.
• Use coconut milk and add some curry or garum masala, and substitute lime for the citrus, and use coconut as a topper for an Indian flavor.
• You could skip the protein powder for a less filling soup if it was a first course or you have a hefty salad to chomp through.
• Instead of the veggie broth or plain water, try green tea!
• Rice would make a nice addition. You could either blend cooked rice up with the squash for a creamy and unctuous offering, or add cooked rice at the end for a few nice morsels in each bite. Probably ½ cup to 1 cup of cooked rice would do it, either way.

The picture at the top of the page is with the protein powder, at the bottom without the protein powder but with rice. It’s yummy, either way!

Broccoli and Apple Soup for One

Now that the days are short and cold, I want soup to heat my bones. This one will stick to your ribs too!

¼ head of broccoli, with stems

1 apple (of the sweeter variety, like golden delicious or Macintosh), chopped coarsely

1 TBLSP vegan butter

¼ cup thinly sliced or finely chopped yellow onion

¼ cup water, plus 1 cup water or vegetable stock

1 sprig of lemon thyme or thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ of a lemon’s zest

Sprinkle of fresh chives for garnish

1. Cut apart the florets from the stems of the broccoli. If the outer skin of the stems is tough, peel it off with a vegetable peeler. Slice the stems into rounds and chop finely.
2. Cut the apple in half. Chop and put half in a blender or food processor with a ¼ cup of water and blend until it’s got only a few flecks of skin in the creamy smoothness. This should give you about ½ cup of fluids.
3. Heat a thick-bottomed small pot on medium heat. Melt the butter and add the onion and the rest of the chopped apple (not the puree you made). Lower the heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the apples are softened.
4. Add the broccoli (all of it) to the apples and onions, which smells surprisingly good. Add the water and the apple puree. Toss in the thyme and the lemon peel. Increase the heat, bringing the pot to a boil, then reduce it again to maintain a low simmer when the pot is covered. Cook for 15-20 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and using an immersion blender, or letting it cool a bit and using a food processor or blender, puree the soup until it’s as smooth as you want it.
6. Return the soup to the pot, if necessary, reheat, and add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Pour the lovely greenness into a serving bowl and garnish with chives.

Serve with a chunk of bread or some crackers. Yum! 

Cream of Mushroom Soup for One

I love soup. I love it with chunks and I love it smooth, I love it both cold and hot, and I love it clear and I love it creamy. The earthy flavor of this quick little soup will have you dancing with joy, too!

The Vegetables:

Slosh of olive oil

¼ medium onion, chopped

½ stalk of celery, chopped

½ carrot, chopped

The Mushrooms:

1 ½ cups button mushrooms (or a mixture of mushrooms), cleaned, stems removed, and quartered

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of dried sage

½ TBLSP all-purpose flour (you can use cornstarch for gluten-free, or just leave this out)

The Broth:

1 cup water or veggie broth

2 ½ TBLSP vegan sour cream

The Garnishes:

Whole or sliced button mushrooms

Chopped chives or green onion

1. In a stock pot or deep saucepan, sauté the onions, celery, and carrots in the oil until they begin to soften.
2. Add in the mushrooms and sauté for 5-10 minutes, until the mushrooms begin to soften and brown. Keep an eye on them so they don’t get too soft and mushy, though. You want them to retain some texture. Add in the salt, pepper, and sage before they’re entirely done, just long enough for the sage to infuse everything with flavor.
3. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the flour is cooked a bit and whatever juices are in the pan start to thicken. If there aren’t any juices, slosh in a little water (maybe a teaspoon or so).
4. Add the water or veggie stock and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
• If you want a smoother soup, hit the soup with an immersion blender or transfer slightly cooled soup to a blender or food processor and give it a whirl. Put it back in the pan (if necessary) after this step.
5. Add in the sour cream and stir until it’s all bended and creamy.
6. Add in the whole or sliced garnish mushrooms so that they have a chance to heat through. You might save a couple for making it pretty later if you don’t mind raw mushrooms.
7. Garnish with chives and any remaining mushrooms, and serve.