Summer isn’t really hot soup season but it is cold soup season – gazpacho any one?
My intent was to make this soup tasty chilled or warm, but it was my first go at this style and I preferred it warm. Not such a bad thing, as it turns out, because while summer is certainly hot outside, it is all too often FREEZING inside thanks to the A/C.
Inspired by this recipe, I put my sad, somewhat soggy, Spring Mix to good use. Upon further inspection, I found several other veggies who had seen better days. Throwing caution to the wind, everything on it’s last leg was added to the soup.
Being dairy free has expanded my culinary skills and creativity. How to make a soup rich and creamy without cheese or milk? Cashews, of course. And in this case, cashews and a few Brazil nuts. Cashew cream (soaked then pureed cashews) are often used to replace cheese and cream in vegan recipes. I’ve used it in several dishes and love the rich, creamy nuttiness it adds. I’m beginning to experiment with other nuts to see how they compare.
An emulsion blender or high-speed blender is required for this recipe. I made the soup super creamy, but if you prefer more texture you can always blend half and leave the other portion unblended.
The type of greens and veggies you use will affect the color of your soup. My spring mix was full of dark greens and deep purples, that in combination with the other vegetables gave my soup a rather unappealing brownish color. However, once the cashew cream was added, it became a light mossy color. Perhaps not the prettiest, but it was flavorful and kept me from throwing away food. Win, win in my book.
{Wilted Greens Soup}
[Ingredients]
- ~2 cups wilted greens
- 2-3 carrots
- 1 summer squash
- 1 fire roasted red pepper or bell pepper
- 1/3 cup cashews + 2-3 Brazil nuts
- 2-3 stalks celery
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 red onion
- 1 can chickpeas, undrained
- 1 carton vegetable stock
- 1 TBSP fresh basil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- ~1/2 TBSP herbes de provence
- 1-2 TBSP olive oil
- 2 TBSP tahini
[Directions]
- Add cashews + brazil nuts to a deep bowl. Cover with water, soak for at least one hour.
- Rinse and coarsely chop veggies.
- Add olive oil to pan, heat over a medium flame then saute onion until tender and translucent.
- Add summer squash, bell pepper, and carrots. Salt & pepper to taste. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
- Add greens, chickpeas along with the fluid from the can, garlic, and stock.
- Stir in basil and herbes de provence. Cover and allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes.
- Once nuts have soaked for at least an hour, drain most of the water from the dish then add the nuts and remaining water along with the tahini to a food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Using an emulsion blender or regular blender, blend soup until smooth. Add cashew cream and stir until well incorporated.
Note: my husband added a dash of Sriracha to his to give it some spice.
Cheers,
Danielle
Plates on Park Street 