Three Vegan Blender Soups for Fall & Winter

Loving Fall-color vegetables? Feeling cozy with the promise of snow in the air and the desire of a steaming potage to go with it? Well then, let us get started with some inspirations (and instructions) for some hearty, easy, spicy blended thick soups. Remember, you could absolutely use your intuitions and creativity with the types and amount of vegetables and seasoning. Here is my take though.

Tomato-turnip-cauliflower Potage (for a spicy red blender soup)

Ingredients:

3 large tomatoes, skinned and diced
1 large turnip, skinned and diced
3-4 cup butternut squash puree (find instruction at the end of this post)
½ cup ideally orange cauliflower (white would do too)
1 clove, garlic minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. fresh minced parsley or ½ tbsp. dried parsley
½ tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon fresh lime juice
Salt and black powder pepper to taste

Method: In a small pot, cook turnip with a pinch of salt and 1-2 glass of water until it is soft but not mashed. Make sure that by the time turnip is soft enough, you still have about ½ juice left in the pot. Steam cook cauliflower.

Add the following items to the blender: Cooked turnip and cauliflower, butternut puree, diced tomatoes, minced garlic, olive oil and ½ glass of turnip juice. You could add vegetable juice instead, if you so prefer. Secure the lid and press to blend for less than a minute, or until all vegetables are mixed. Transfer the content of the blender in to a small pot and add parsley, lime juice and salt and pepper. Simmer for ten minutes and taste for adjustment before serving.

Broccoli-Spinach Potage (for a fruity, orange blender soup)

Ingredients:

2 medium turnip, skinned and diced
1/2 cup butternut squash puree
1 ½ cup steam-cooked broccoli
½ cup ideally orange cauliflower (white would do too)
½ cup fresh spinach
½ teaspoon cumin
½ tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon fresh lime juice
Salt and black powder pepper to taste

Steam cook broccoli and cauliflower.

Add the following items to the blender: Cooked turnip, cauliflower, broccoli, butternut puree, spinach, olive oil and ½ glass turnip juice or chicken broth. Secure the lid and press to blend for less than a minute, or until all vegetables are mixed. Transfer the content of the blender in to a small pot and add half of your cumin + lime juice and salt and pepper. Simmer for ten minutes, taste for adjustment and sprinkle the remaining cumin on the top the serving pot to preserve the aroma. You could also garnish with green garlic.

Butternut Squash-Apple Potage (for a hearty green blender soup)

You would need

1 medium butternut squash to get 1 ½ cup of butternut squash puree. And HERE is how.
1 stalk carrot, chopped
1 large Granny Smith apple, to get ½ apple puree, by following THIS instruction
½ cup chicken broth – I always make this at home to ensure a healthy essence.
½ tsp curry powder
½ tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1⁄4 tsp dried rosemary
Salt and black pepper as needed.

Method: Steam cook carrot. Add butternut puree, apple puree, carrot, curry powder, olive oil and chicken broth in to an electric blender. Secure the lid and press to blend for less than a minute, or until all vegetables are mixed. Transfer the content of the blender in to a small pot. Taste for adjustment and if necessary add salt and pepper. Simmer for ten minutes and add rosemary just before serving.

All the three potages above could be topped with 1-2 tbsp. of sour cream just before serving if you are not vegan. Make them richer and visually more appealing to some of us!