I first tried this recipe when we had our friends JL and Dave over for dinner. JL’s vegan and her husband’s vegetarian so I wanted to make something they’d both enjoy, be able to eat, and tasted good enough that my husband and I wouldn’t miss our meat. There were a few things I knew about a vegan diet; like no meat, cheese, eggs, butter, etc., so what I did need to find out was, what could they eat? And how the heck do you cook without cheese or eggs? Because I wanted to make sure I was really making a true vegan meal, I went to the internet and looked for recipes that truly were vegan, sounded fairly easy, and wasn’t going to cost a lot. And let me tell you, the recipe I found was excellent! It’s rich, filling, delicious, not expensive and everyone loved it. My husband gave it his highest compliment, saying “This is restaurant worthy and I’d eat it once a week.” JL and Dave both enjoyed it too and I think they were being honest because they didn’t leave a drop.
This soup is really filling so you don’t need anything else with your meal. Not only is it vegan, it’s also gluten-free. I found this delicious dish at thekitchen.com.
If you’re a meat-lover, don’t let the “vegan” word keep you from trying this…it’s really good and a nice meal for cold nights.
PUMPKIN TORTILLA SOUP –
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: about 1 hour Serves: 6 for approx. $9.71
Ingredients:
- 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup finely chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- cayenne pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 28-ounce diced tomatoes, undrained
- 5 cups vegetable broth/stock
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- vegetable oil for deep frying
- 1 to 2 ripe avocado, cubed
Directions:
Cut 6 of the tortillas into 1/2-inch squares.
Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, cilantro and chopped tortillas and cook, stirring frequently until onion is soft.
Add cumin and cayenne and sauté for a minute.
Add pumpkin, tomatoes, vegetable stock and salt and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 1 hour.
While soup is simmering, cut remaining 6 tortillas in half and then into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Fry tortilla strips in 2 batches until crisp and light golden, about 1 minute. Use slotted spoon and transfer to paper towel to drain.
To serve; ladle soup into bowls and garnish with tortilla strips, avocado and cilantro.
If you’re interested in more vegan recipes or just want to learn more about the vegan lifestyle, my friend JL (vegan cook, lifestyle coach, educator and cookbook author) has a wonderful website you can check out http://jlgoesvegan.com/