Fall Foliage Lemongrass Soup for World Vegan Day & Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Since today, November 1st is World Vegan Day, I thought I would celebrate by sharing a vegan soup. In addition to subscribing to Vegetarian Times magazine, (which BTW just had it 35th Anniversary), I subscribe to their email which sends different recipes to my email inbox each day. This recipe for Fall Foliage Lemongrass Soup caught my eye because of the lemongrass--an ingredient I love, and you just have to check out a recipe with "Fall Foliage" when you see it. I liked the flavor profile and the opportunity to use a couple of ingredients I don't cook a lot with, rutabaga and Brussels sprouts (I guess the sprouts are the "fall foliage"?) In addition to being vegan, low calorie and healthy, this soup is also gluten-free as long as you make sure to use a GF soy sauce or tamari. So grab a bowl of this autumnal soup and find a vegan to hug today!

You can find the recipe online at Vegetarian Times here.

Vegetarian Times says: "Lemongrass stalks have a tangy citrus flavor without the sour taste of lemon juice. Asian groceries and most natural food markets stock whole stalks or packages of frozen, chopped rings. If you can’t find lemongrass, make the soup using pieces of lime zest—just remove them before serving."

Fall Foliage Lemongrass Soup

Vegetarian Times, October 2007

(Serves 6)

2 Tbs. peanut oil, divided
1 large onion, thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups)
3 Tbs. minced fresh lemongrass
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbsp)
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
1 lb. rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (3 cups)
3 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
3 cups Brussels sprouts, quartered (12 oz)
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped, plus a few sprigs for garnish
2 Tbs. lime juice

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 7 minutes, or until browned. Stir in lemongrass, garlic, and ginger, and sauté 2 minutes. Add rutabaga, soy sauce, and 5 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes, or until rutabaga is tender.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 Tbs. oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté Brussels sprouts 5 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Add bell pepper, and sauté 3 minutes more, or until soft.

Stir Brussels sprouts, bell pepper, cilantro, and lime juice into soup. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with sprigs of cilantro.
Nutritional Information

Per Serving: Calories: 157, Protein: 5g, Total fat: 8.5g, Saturated fat: 3g, Carbs: 18g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: 693mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugars: 9g

Notes/Results: Good--I love the subtle tang of the lemongrass and I threw some kaffir lime leaves into the broth as well to further enhance the flavor. I don't have a lot of experience cooking with or even eating rutabagas, which are thought to be a cross between turnips and wild cabbage, but they cooked up well in the soup and taste very similar to a turnip. I think if I make this again, I will cut the ends off and separate the leaves of the Brussels sprouts as I like that better than biting into a hunk of it. Otherwise I liked this soup--it was great as is with some whole grain crackers and also the next day with a scoop of brown rice.

It looks like we have a busy kitchen this Sunday--let's see who is here:

Debby from A Feast for the Eyes is crazy for mushrooms this week and has two mushroom dishes to share. The first is this Mushroom Bourguignon made of Portobello mushrooms. Debby says, "Serve this with a bowl of warm, buttery egg noodles, spoon the mushroom bourguignon over the top, and garnish with a dollop of sour cream (I used lite, so it melts very quickly) and a sprinkling of chives or parsley. Craig and I really loved this dish! The sauce was rich from the tomato paste and the red wine was not overpowering at all. I think that the sour cream and chives was the perfect garnish. This almost reminds me of Beef Stroganoff, which I enjoy serving on occasion."

Then she made excellent use of a package of sliced crimini mushrooms in this Golden Cream of Mushroom Soup with Creme Fraiche & Crispy Shallots. She says, "My husband is not a huge fan of mushrooms. Me? I love them. Guess what? Craig and two helpings of this soup and said it was excellent. I was pleased to hear that, because Cream of Mushroom soup is one of my very favorites-- if it's homemade. That stuff that falls out of can in a glop... no, that I don't like at all."

Lee Ann of Mangos, Chili and Z is back this week with a soup from her favorite restaurant, Nick's Minestrone. Lee Ann says, "I made this soup this weekend and I must say, it’s delicious. Remember when I said I have an arsenal of soups, some easy and some extravaganza’s??? Well this falls into the extravaganza category and well worth it."

Egg-Lemon Soup is on the menu for Sumana at With Coffee & Tea. She says, "This soup is super easy to make with the easiest ingredients, so the shopping list is less, and the little twist of lemon in the soup gives a Thai touch of flavour which is unique… so enjoy your fall nights with this soup and maybe a crusty bread to accompany the soup…"

Kait from Pots and Plots says, "Back this week with a cold busting Garlic and Chicken Soup. Made it yesterday and I totally feel better today... Garlic is a natural antibiotic (not to mention damn tasty) and there have been scientific studies proving that there’s something in chicken noodle soup that’s good for colds, so I thought I’d combine the best of both worlds to create a soup that would open up one giant can of whoopass on this cold or crud or whatever else it is I’ve got."

It is always nice to have Christine from Kits Chow here in the Souper Sunday kitchen and this week she has a Peruvian Chicken Soup to share. Christine says, "Chicken soup is the classic comfort food. In most cultures, chicken soup is a clear broth made from an old hen. It is served with bits of chicken meat, chopped vegetables, rice, noodles or dumplings. This soup is a cilantro lover's dream soup. Cilantro and green peas are the main vegetables in Peruvian chicken soup.Perfect! My favourite food teamed with my favourite herb. Soup heaven indeed!"

Debbie from Dining with Debbie has a fall-themed Butternut Squash Soup from the New York vegetarian cafe Candle 79 this week. Debbie says, "Pears top a rich, delicious butternut squash soup in this recipe. It uses some items you might not ordinarily have in your pantry, but it really is terrific if you like pumpkin/squash type soups. It makes a nice addition to your holiday table."

Natasha from 5 Star Foodie - Culinary Adventures says, "My new Carrot Wolfberry Soup is truly a "super soup". It is loaded with nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants. It contains ingredients known to provide antiviral, antibacterial, and immune boosting activities, such as garlic, ginger, agave syrup, honey, and chicken soup itself. Both carrots and wolfberries provide a lot of Vitamin A and C. Wolfberries, also known goji berries, are a powerful source of many other essential vitamins and antioxidants. Not only is this soup super healthy, it is also super delicious, and an instant kid favorite, being sweetened with honey and agave syrup."

Here with a Crock Pot Spinach Sausage Soup is Chaya from Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog. She says, "I try to use my crock pot on Tuesdays or Wednesdays for a meat dinner. I can set it up and go to work. This week, I decided to try a new set of ingredients and it does look good to me. As I type, it is cooking."

Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies made this hearty Black Bean Chili with Avocado Relish. She says, "I have to admit, this is the first time I have made chili with stewing beef. My eyes have been opened, no more ground beef chili for me. OK, I will probably still make ground beef chili from time to time, but my point is - how come nobody told me how good it was to have tender chunks of fall-apart beef in the pot? This is a rich and spicy chili, Bobby Flay never fails to deliver in the flavour department. His is served with a toasted cumin crema, and I have included the recipe for that, but I used my lovely and creamy cottage cheese from yesterday's post."

Trying this Warm Kabocha and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing she had been seeing around the blogosphere Joanne at Eats Well With Others says, "After taking my first bite into this dish, I was super angry with myself for not making it sooner! The tahini dressing was just so good and reminded me of why I need to incorporate more tahini into my life. The super thick texture of the kabocha also really appealed to me and made me wonder how much I like winter squash because of the taste and how much because of the texture. Something to think about."

Graziana from Erbe in Cucina has another unique sandwich to share. She says, "In these days my partner is away and I'm cooking for myself alone (my child still eat baby's food). I must confess that I'm not cooking anything too complicated, but I'm trying fast and healthy recipes instead. I love eggs, but I know that it's better don't eat them too often, so I cook dishes like this Eggless Chili Omelette, with chickpeas. You can cook any kind of omelette with this trick: using 50g of chickpeas flour with 50ml of water instead of a single beaten egg. I ate this spinach and basil omelette into a toasted sandwich with Dijon mustard."

Here with an adorable sandwich, perfect for Halloween or any time at all is Kim from Stirring the Pot. Her "Snake Bites", courtesy of Paula Dean, are "are made with canned crescent dough that is flattened out and filled with sandwich fillings. The pizza themed snakes were tasty, but the filling was too much and spilled out the sides. I think you need to have a light hand with the filling. Other than that, they are really cute treats that make everyone happy. You can customize them adding any ingredient you like. Each snake makes about 8 little sandwiches."

Radha from Urban Bites: Delize da Hong Kong is back again, this time with an unusual salad and bagel combo, her Honey Paprika Potato on Bagel:

and her Salad with Potato Skin and Tofu.

Radha says, "We are a green salad with a fruit and tofu and a bizarre semisweet bagel, we both have in common a potato: the skin in the salad and the pulp in the bagel."

Wow-what an amazing variety of soups and salads and sandwiches too this week! Mahalo to everyone who joined in. If you have a soup, salad, sandwich or combination to share, click on the Souper Sunday logo on the side bar for all of the details.

BTW--You will be seeing more from me this month as today kicks off my attempt at blogging every day through the month of November through the National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) event. I thought it would be fun to try to earn the NaBloPoMo badge and although I have come fairly close a few times, I haven't blogged for a month straight yet. So come by, visit and leave comments please--I'll need the encouragement! ;-)

Have a great week!