Soup For Breakfast Is My Fav! Also, Kudos To The People Who Stage Food For Photographs

For as long as I can remember I have liked odd things for breakfast; cold chicken, raw potato wedges, brie, hamburger patties with melted cheese, cold pizza, you get the idea. In recent years, soup has been my absolute favorite, and I have it most days of the week. Yes, even when it's hot. When I started my nutritarian (mostly) journey, I originally thought it would be impossible to keep up my breakfast love affair since most of my favorites were sky high in sodium, had meat in them, and/or used dairy as a base.

 

This is a good place to say that really I thought everything would be far more difficult than it has been. As geeky as I am about planning anyway, changing the way that I eat has not been that bad. My poor eating habits were really just that, habits and habits can be broken. I'm not successful 100% of the time but I am improving and I adore not feeling overly full at every meal and having my ass dragging about 3 in the afternoon every day! So, now I make my own soup and it's even more delicious than the overly processed, what's-really-in-this-anyway, supermarket choices from before.

 

Back to the soup. It didn't take digging that deep into Pinterest, other nutritarian and vegan blogs, recipe books, and my own mind to discover lots of ideas. This is one of the best soups I have ever had, hands down. It was inspired by some ideas I found on Pinterest and I filled in the blanks with my own personal had-to-haves. 

 

I went to graduate school in Boston and clam chowder is practically the house wine in many restaurants there. I adore clam chowder but started thinking: is it the actual clams which are usually tiny chunks anyway, or the heartiness of the soup that I love so much? I think the answer is in this bowl. I didn't miss the clams a bit, or the cream, or the oyster crackers!

 

Vegan, Nutritarian (mostly) New England Style Chowder

New England Style Chowder

1 Tbsp water (you can use olive oil if you prefer)

1 small coarsely chopped onion

1-2 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced to your preference

1-2 tsp Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos

Black pepper to taste

6-8 ounces mixed mushrooms, sliced to your preference

1 celery stalk, thickly sliced

1 medium potato, cut to 1 inch cubes

2 sheets finely chopped nori (roll to make easier to slice)

1 1/2 C vegetable stock

1 1/2 C  cashew cream (see below)

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Lemon wedges for serving (optional)

 

Set a large, deep pot over medium heat. Heat the water and add the onion and carrots with about 1 tsp of Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the carrots begin to soften. Add the mushrooms, celery, and another Tbsp of water if you need or if pan is too dry. Cook another 3-4 minutes, or until the mushrooms begin to soften. Add the potatoes, another tsp of Dr. Bragg's liquid aminos and black pepper, nori, and stock. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Simmer, covered for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the cashew cream, tomato paste, and lemon juice and heat gently for about 7 minutes, until thickened. If the mixture too thick for your taste, add water 2 tablespoons at a time until it is the consistency you like. Serve with lemon.

You should end up with 4 servings.

 

Cashew Cream (You can use this to thicken anything!!!!)

1/2 C cashews, presoaked for at least an hour

1 C vegetable stock

2 teaspoons arrowroot or cornstarch

 

Drain cashews. Combine cashews, stock, and arrowroot for 2-5 minutes until smooth.

 

I like my chowder thick so I didn't add any additional water to thin the consistency but it won't harm the final product if you do. Nori gives the soup the most deliciously oceany flavor. What a great tip from Veganomicon. I can't wait to use it in a million other dishes! Cashew cream is going to be a new staple for me. The vegetable broth and arrowroot temper it enough that it doesn't taste like cashew soup when you add it in. I had previously tried ground cashews to add bulk to soups that needed a creamy consistency but without add-ins it just tasted like cashews. Another great tip. Thanks Pinterest!

 

I realize the picture I took doesn't do the soup justice. I am working on my food photography I swear. The taste will make up for the look I promise!!! I've eaten it all week for breakfast and intend to make another batch this weekend! Now to find a rustic, gnarly vegan bread to eat with it. Stay tuned.