Nothing beats a bowl of soup! If you’re in a rush, Chef Nancy Berkoff offers some creative simple soup suggestions in her Vegan Cooking Tips column from a previous issue of Vegetarian Journal.

Nancy states, “Soup meals are comforting and convenient meals. One way to ensure that there can always be soup on the table is to make a basic soup to use as a base for other types of soup.

For example, create a basic vegan vegetable soup. Use your broth or stock of choice, add diced or chopped seasonal or frozen veggies, allow to simmer, and you have a basic soup. Use your favorite fresh or dried herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, basil, sage, thyme or rosemary, to create your own flavor profile. Next…add some cooked beans, purée, and you have a creamy soup.”

Another idea she offers is: “You might want to try a soup with an interesting flavor and texture such as a West African-style soup. Mince and sauté garlic and onions, stir in tomato paste, stir in peanut butter (or soy nut butter), stir, and allow to heat, then add in broth or stock, add in shredded greens, and allow to simmer. This soup is ready to go, or you can add in veggie crumbles, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, raisins, leftover cooked veggies, cooked rice or couscous, etc. This soup lends itself to being served over cornbread, steamed breads, or potato pancakes.”

To read the entire column including many more soup ideas, go to: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2018issue1/2018_issue1_cooking_tips.php

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