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!