Vegan Cream Of Spinach Soup

Well, the weather has turned! Today I had a scarf and jacket on. I can’t say I was disappointed this week, as I needed to cook up some vegan soups! My friend Shez has just had an operation and is resting at home; and Bethy just had her third baby boy! I was inspired to cook for my friends laying in bed; and what better comfort food than a beautiful bowl of vegan soup. I couldn’t pass over this fantastic velvety vegan cream of spinach soup which is just simply scrumptious.

I cooked this vegan spinach soup for a lunch and lecture at Dr Elaine Carter’s office and received rave reviews from people that “didn’t know they liked spinach”! I had originally planned to serve a vegan lemon asparagus soup, but there were people on the guest list that could not eat red skinned potatoes. So, I whipped up this quick, easy vegan cream of spinach soup, and hit the jackpot! For those of you following the Body Ecology Diet and looking for delicious body ecology recipes this vegan soup is a star! Just make sure you use raw blanched almonds to cream instead of the raw cashews.

The best thing about this vegan spinach soup? It takes less than half an hour from chopping board to table; and is dead easy. Unlike starchy soups that need about 30-40 minutes to cook through, this vegan soup recipe only needs about 20 minutes. Just chop up your ingredients, bring to the boil, simmer, blend and serve. I can’t seem to go past using whole roasted garlic in my vegan soups. It just brings a depth of flavour that is hard to beat. I suppose, if you are on a winning blend, just keep spinning! If you want to really “go green”, you can always add in more spinach. But I find this balance of vegetables works well.

Once again, I rely on my beloved cashews to cream up this vegan cream of spinach soup. If you have a high speed blender such as a Vitamix, you will get a spinach soup that is so velvety and smooth, you will fool even the most devout cream dreamer. Don’t worry if you don’t have a Vitamix. You will still get a beautiful tasting soup. It just won’t be as smooth. You might have some pieces of cashew in the blend. But I don’t mind that rustic touch. If you want to make this soup nut free, stir in a 1/4 cup of rolled oats during cooking – it blends up really well. Once again, for those of you following the Body Ecology Diet, use raw blanched almonds instead. I will post more body ecology recipes soon. 

Feel free to add more salt to this soup than I have specified. I do. I have left the basic recipe relatively salt free to allow everyone to create their perfect blend. You know my penchant for salt! Embrace the blend and taste approach, and you will be on your way to a winning blend. This vegan spinach soup recipe is vegan, gluten free, dairy free, egg free and soy free. You can make it nut free by using the rolled oats to cream it up.

I will say that if you want this soup to taste exactly like mine, the vegetable stock/broth that you use is important. Not all stocks were created equal. They really do vary in quality and taste. I always use Massel vegetable stock, which I believe is superior in quality and flavour. Massel stocks are vegan, gluten free, lactose free, kosher and free of MSG. When I don't make my own home made stock (I really do need to post that recipe) I always use Massel stocks. I actually prefer to use the stock cubes so I can control the strength. I use 1 stock cube for every 2 cups of filtered water. 

Stick your snout in this vegan cream of spinach soup and go green! You won’t be disappointed – even if you thought you didn’t like spinach!