Easy Root Vegetable and Kale Soup

Vegan lunches can -- and should -- be a lot more interesting than bare salads or carrot sticks and hummus. New Veganism columnist Gena Hamshaw will be sharing inspiration for midday meals that stave off both hunger and boredom.

Today: Roast root vegetables. Purée. Heat with stock. Add in kale. The result is so good, you'll need no other seasonings -- unless you want them, of course.

I know, I know, we were just talking about soup. But really, can one have too many delicious soup options in the fall?

Today’s soup is a variation on a standard staple for me. It’s a simple, blended root vegetable soup (in this case, parsnips and rutabaga) with chopped kale mixed in at the last moment. Almost every week through the fall and winter, I’ll roast whatever root vegetables I have (sweet potato, winter squash, parsnips, celeriac) and then blend them up with vegetable broth (and sometimes a little cashew cream). I heat it all up, then stir in whatever fresh green vegetables are in my fridge.

More: Expand your autumn soup repertoire with these recipes. 

To make this soup, I roasted about two cups of chopped rutabaga and a cup of chopped parsnip with coconut oil, salt and pepper. When the vegetables were golden and fragrant, I blended them up with four cups of vegetable broth, seasoned to taste, and then transfered them to the stovetop. It’s amazing that something so simple can be so delicious -- no special seasonings necessary (though of course you can add them if you like). When the soup was good and hot, I stirred in two cups of chopped raw kale, which I allow to wilt before serving.

And, oh yeah: a sprinkle of my coconut bacon made a perfect topping.

Photo by Gena Hamshaw