I know it's late October and we are all ramping up for Halloween...but this time of year also marks the beginning of soup season! There are so many beautiful, fresh vegetables everywhere, the chill is settling in, and warm food finally sounds good again after a summer of smoothies and salads. This vegan cream of mushroom soup with toasted seeds and sage makes an amazing Fall meal.
I personally find it nearly impossible to go wrong with pureed vegetable soups. It's the perfect way to turn a bunch of nourishing veggies into a cozy and satisfying meal. In this case, the herbs and toasted seed garnish pair perfectly with the hearty flavor of the mushrooms. The cauliflower is what gives the soup the creamy texture, making it filling, but not heavy. One spoonful, and you'll be dreaming of your Thanksgiving dinner menu!
Soup Ingredients:
1 large leek
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 cups Cremini mushrooms
2 cups baby Shiitaki mushrooms
1 small head cauliflower
1 medium yellow or red potato
6 fresh sage leaves
1 1/2 teaspoon good quality sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 to 3 1/2 cups water
juice of half lemon (freshly squeezed)
Toasted Seeds & Sage Ingredients:
small handful sunflower seeds
small handful pumpkin seeds
small handful black sesame seeds
pinch good quality sea salt
4 fresh sage leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
1/4 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions:
Chop the leek. Place it in a soup pot with coconut oil on medium high heat. Sautee, stirring occasionally, until the leek becomes translucent and fragrant. Chop the Cremini mushrooms. Add them, along with the baby Shiitaki mushrooms, to the soup pot. Roughly chop the cauliflower into florets. Add them to the pot.
Add the sage leaves, sea salt, black pepper, thyme, basil, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast to the pot. Stir to combine. Next, chop the potato and add it in. Now, add the water. Cover the pot and let it simmer until the cauliflower and potatoes have softened.
Note: You may need a bit more or less water, depending on how large the cauliflower and potatoes are. This will be a thick soup, so the water should just cover all the vegetables in the pot.
Once the soup has simmered for a bit and the cauliflower and potatoes have softened, turn the heat off and remove the lid. Let the soup cool just a little, so that you can transfer it to a high powered blender. Blend until smooth, and return to the pot. Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice, stir, and reheat as necessary.
Making the Toasted Seeds & Sage:
Add all ingredients to a small frying pan on medium heat. Stir constantly, or the seeds will burn. After a few minutes, the seeds will start to become golden brown, and the sage will begin to get a little crispy. Keep stirring! Remove from heat when the seeds have toasted to a nice golden brown. Pour them into a bowl right away so that the residual heat from the pan doesn't burn them.
To serve, ladle up bowls of hot soup, and garnish with a sprinkling of the seeds & sage mixture.
Whip this up on your next chilly evening at home! It's easy to make with very little prep required. You'll end up enjoying a cozy bowl of hearty vegan soup, complete with the flavors of Fall. Bonus: it's absolutely bursting with plant based nutrients! Enjoy!