(Raw, Vegan) Home-Style Minestrone Soup: A Little Taste of Summer in a Bowl for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays)

You can think of this raw, vegan Home-Style Minestrone as an Italian gazpacho, but I think of it as a little bit of summer in a bowl. Make this with the freshest tomatoes and herbs you can get--each flavor comes through on its own--the sweetness of the tomatoes, a subtle heat from the cayenne, the crunch of the zucchini and the fresh, green taste of the herbs.   

Home-Style Minestrone Soup

Ani's Raw Food Kitchen by Ani Phyo

(Makes 4 Servings)

Soup Base:

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes

2 cups water

3 stalks celery, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic

1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne 

1 tsp sea salt

3 cups tomato, diced

Soup Toppings:

1 zucchini, chopped

1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped

1/4 cup oregano leaves

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

pinch fresh ground black pepper

Soak sun-dried tomatoes for 10 minutes in 2 cups of water, or until they soften.

Blend 2 cups of soak water from the sun-dried tomatoes with the celery, garlic, cayenne, and sea salt until smooth.

Add fresh tomatoes and soaked sun-dried tomatoes to the blender. Blend on low, making sure to leave a chunky texture, like that of a chunky marinara. This isn't supposed to be a smooth soup base. 

To serve, place zucchini and herbs into soup bowls. Pour soup into each bowl. Top with a swirl of olive oil and balck pepper.  

(Note: Soup base with toppings will keep for one day in the fridge.)

Notes/Results: This is a soup that tastes best at room temperature. Take the veggies out of the fridge a while before making it, use warm water to soak the sun-dried tomatoes and all of the flavors come out. If you "can't do" cold soups, heating it lightly would be just fine too. This is a light but satisfying soup--wonderful for a warm lunch or dinner starter. I would make this again.

Let's take a look into the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here.

Elizabeth from The Law Student's Cookbook is back this week with a Slow Cooker Lentil Vegetable Stew and says, "This week has been a pretty mellow week compared to what the rest of my semester is going to look like. Two of my classes got cancelled the first week of school, so instead of two nights of needing quick dinners (rather, slow cooked dinners,) I only had one. During the middle of my Prosecutorial & Defense Ethics my stomach started grumbling. I was happy to find this slow cooker stew when I got home."

Janet of The Taste Space has a soup and two salads to share. First, this hearty chowder. Janet says, "I had been eyeing this recipe for a Sweet Pepper Coconut Corn Chowder for a while.  A creamy coconut-based soup filled with chickpeas, red peppers with a dash of heat from chiles. However, I was turned off by using not 1, but 2 cans of coconut milk (that’s just plain superfluous). While I know it would be even more decadent with 2 cans, I opted for just one can of full-fat coconut milk.  When I made this I didn’t have fresh corn, so I substituted a can of cream-style corn but fresh corn would be uber delicious."

Janet made this fun and portable Salad in a Jar with Topaz Dragon Ginger Dressing and says, "It might not seem like it, but sometimes I can be lazy. In the morning, while rushing out to the gym, I might have 30-45 minutes where I munch on some fruit, drink some tea (if I am lucky) and gather my breakfast and lunch (and sometimes my dinner, too) for the road. I have all the right intentions for eating salads, but come a rushed morning, the last thing I want to do is rinse and spin my greens and chop some veggies. I now have the ultimate solution: pre-chopped salads ready to go in a Mason jar!"

Finally Janet shares this pretty Mango and Snap Pea Noodle Salad with Tangy Peanut Dressing. She says, "Sweet mangoes and sugar snap peas are paired with a tangy, acidic (in a good way) peanut dressing, spiced with green onions and tossed overtop peppery Asian baby greens (bring on the mizuna!). I also added kelp noodles, to add a bit more bulk. They are great additions to salads since they don’t slurp up the extra dressing. Light and refreshing, yet still substantial. Perfect to eat during this hot summer." 

Stash of Simple Kitchen Seasons brings this sweet and artful Tomato and Stone Fruit Salad and says, "This is a light summer salad that uses two types of tomatoes along with nectarines and plums, chorizo sausage and prosciutto. It’s perfect for an appetizer or salad course. If you’d rather have a vegan version instead, omit the prosciutto and chorizo sausage. Use only the ripest tomatoes and stone fruits in this salad. Your taste buds will thank you."

Torwen of Torwen's Blog is here with a colorful Lazy Poppy Seed Couscous Salad and says, "It is a super rich source for calcium and B-vitamins. But, and this may be to your disappointment, the poppy seeds are nearly free of opiates. In Eastern Europe, Germany, and Austria it is a cherished ingredient for cakes. But rarely used in savoury dishes. So instead of baking I turned to cooking, or rather, since the weather is hot and summer-ish towards making a salad."

Finally we have a new face to welcome at Souper Sundays, Gwen from Saturdays With Maggie. It's especially exciting because Gwen is a fellow transplant to Hawaii from Oregon, although she lives on The Big Island and of course I did make a stop for a few years in Seattle, but hey, close enough! ;-) Gwen has a Sweet and Salty Salad featuring a unique ingredient and says, "Last weekend, as part of the Ka Hua program I'm involved in as a teacher, we participated in a service project removing 'akulikuli, or sea purslane, from delicate anchialine ponds. This low-lying plant can be found sprawled out near shoreline areas, as it can tolerate brackish water and wind, salt, and sea conditions. Also known as pickle plant, it is indigenous to Hawaii, and probably got the nickname from the salty flavor of the leaves." Welcome Gwen! 

Delicious soups and salads this week--thanks to everyone who joined in. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich that you would like to share, just click on the Souper Sunday logo on the side bar for all of the details.

Have a happy, healthy week!