Delectable Vegan Root Vegetable Soup

The other day, we happened upon the HOPE Farmer's Market in Austin. It was a cool day, colder than we were used to from our last stint in Austin, but with the sunshine peeking through, it was a worthwhile stroll and a charming way to spend the afternoon.

The market isn't huge by any means. It's in a quaint little corner of town and features local artisans showcasing their passions, or simply their means to make a living. We ended up buying a few things that would take us through the week as far as food was concerned. One of our most prized purchases from that day at the market was the bag of root vegetables from JBG Organics.
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For $5, we got all of those root veggies. We were shocked. It immediately got our wheels churning while we stood in their booth, teeming with rooted parsnips, Swiss chard, and golden beets. "A soup!" we decided.  And so began our creation of one of the most delicious vegan soups I've ever tasted.

The Dino kale was a happy add-on. We thought that the root vegetable soup would need some texture, and throwing in kale at the end of cooking would be welcomed. If you aren't quite sure what Dinosaur kale is, then here's a bit of background info. Dino kale is also known as Tuscan kale or black kale. It's used in a variety of Italian dishes because it retains it's hearty, and wonderfully firm texture, even when cooked. The flavor is more of an earthy, nutty variety.

So, for $8, we had our root veggie soup staples. We got to cooking, and let me tell you the results were out-of-this-world. I'm not exaggerating when I say this soup was outstanding. Perfect for those cold winter nights. Or lazy Sunday afternoons. So without further ado, here it is...the recipe that dreams are made of...
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Vegan Root Vegetable Soup

Servings: 8
Price per Serving: Around $1.40

Ingredients:

2-3 cloves garlic
1 shallot 
1 TBS vegan butter
4-5 lbs root vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, golden beets, parsnips, radishes, etc.)
2-3 TBS coconut oil
1 TBS paprika
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
3-4 cups vegetable bouillon 
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 head Dino kale (less if you aren't feeling to kale-y)
1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

Steps:

Optional pre-step. Pour a glass of wine.
1. Heat vegan butter in a pot over low heat. Could be a soup pot. We only have an electric skillet in the RV so we had to make some concessions. 
2. Chop up garlic and shallots. Add to melted butter.
3. Cook about 5-10 minutes. Don't burn. That tastes gross. Keep an eye.
4. Chop up the root veggies into small pieces, about an inch or two. We have this wonderful gadget thanks to my mom called the 1 Second Slicer. We did 4-5 lbs of root veggies in under a minute. NOJOKE. It's glorious. You can purchase one below if you'd like— I'm not lying when I say it has "cut" our chopping time by 90% for most meals.

5. Add coconut oil, all spices, and vegetable bouillon. Cook the root veggies about 30 minutes or so, at least until tender.
6. Now that your root vegetables are soft, you're going to need to puree everything. We had a magic bullet, so we did a few rounds of pureeing, and although a bit messy, it did the trick. Do what you need to, but get that soup smooth.

7.  Bring the pureed soup back into the pot. Add the almond milk. Feel free to add more almond milk, or water, in order to thin the soup out. That's a personal preference, if need be.
8. Chop up the Dino kale and add to the soup. Cook on low for another 5-10 minutes, depending on the texture you'd prefer.

And that's that. Vegan Root Vegetable Soup. You can top it with whatever you'd like—croutons, roasted pine nuts, garbanzos. That's the beautiful thing about soups, they can adapt to your tastebuds. 

Hope you enjoy. Let us know in the comments what you think!
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