It's a Soup Kind of Day

On a crisp Michigan day like today, when most of the country is focused on football and bonfires and hayrides and the like, I am back in my kitchen stirring the soup and toasting the bread. I have pulled out the slow cooker and put on a little Mary Chapin Carpenter. I dance and converse with myself and just mentally check out. I am in a place where others are not welcome. This is my place and I won't be long, I will be back, but for now it is my place and only mine.

The welcoming of friends and family back into my world will happen when the light on the cooker says "READY". The time will come when I ladle and plate and garnish and serve. I will say things like, "Wash your hands," and "Not until everyone sits down!" and "For pete's sake, some manners." I will ask about days at school and at work and about life in general. And I will no doubt discover at least one interesting previously unknown to me fact that may not change my life at all, but was fun for the sharer to share. And I will shoo away dogs begging for crumbs, begging actually for the entire dish, but settling for crumbs.

I have found two recipes that I absolutely must share. These actually began in for real recipe books but have morphed into the soups that appear here. I can never seem to follow word for word any recipe, even those that I write. And I always serve my soups with plenty of oyster crackers and Dreena Burton's Jumbo Croutons from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan (basically, giant cubes of bread--I like sourdough--sloshed around in a bit of olive oil and sea salt, then toasted in the oven until crunchy).Whatever is left goes in the fridge for lunch the next day or in the freezer for a special quick treat later in the month. So here's hoping that you find your own crisp autumn day happy place............have fun and enjoy!


White Bean Soup

(adapted from Dreena Burton's White Bean Rosemary Soup with Jumbo Croutons and Fresh Basil in Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan)

1 T. olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
1 1/2 c. celery, diced
4 lg. cloves garlic, minced
1 t. sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb. dried Great Northern beans, soaked, drained, and rinsed
1-32 oz. box Imagine brand No-Chicken Broth
2 c. water
few fresh rosemary sprigs, chopped
2 T. fresh lemon juice

Throw all of this in a slow cooker and cook all day. Just before serving, remove most beans into large mixing bowl. Slightly mash with electric mixer, leaving somewhat chunky. Return beans to soup and stir to mix.


Potato Leek Soup

(adapted from Devra Gartenstein's Potato Leek Soup in The Accidental Vegan)

2-32 oz boxes Imagine brand No-Chicken Broth
4 c. water
6 lg. peeled potatoes, quartered
5 leeks, halved lengthwise, cleaned, and sliced in thin strips
3 lg. cloves garlic, minced
2 t. dried dill
2 t. sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Throw everything in a slow cooker and cook all day. Before serving, remove potatoes into large bowl or stock pan. Mash with electric mixer or by hand until slightly lumpy (the goal is to mostly mash, but leave some chunks of potato). Spoon potatoes back into soup and gently stir to mix. Enjoy!