Make Ahead

delicious vegan soup with mung beans & kale

July  8, 2012
4.5
2 Ratings
  • Serves about 6
Author Notes

i was talking to my friend joan this morning, and as it always does with us (recently), the conversation turned to food-the good for you kind-joan is the one responsible for getting me on the ten day cleanse i just went through. we were talking about the best way to add flaxseeds to your food (apparently freshly ground in a coffee grinder-easy enough, right?), and the health benefits of ginger, and about how much more expensive it seems to be to eat well (more about this later). she asked me if i had the vegetarian soup i'd made last week up on my blog yet, and it prompted me to go back and think about how i had prepared it . mostly, i cook as i go-and rarely follow recipes (which is why i can't bake). here's what i remember-it tasted surprisingly good without the chicken stock i'd typically use. —cookingminette

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Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon refined organic coconut oil
  • 20-25 small crimini (or white) mushrooms, cubed
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 1 organic red pepper, cubed
  • 1 bunch organic lacinato kale, deveined, coarsely chopped
  • 2-3 organic roma tomatoes
  • 1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 small bunch basil leaves
  • 11/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 -1 teaspoons crushed red pepper
  • sea salt (to taste)
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 1 cup small green lentils
  • 1/2 cup mung beans
  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 1 cup light coconut milk
Directions
  1. heat the oil in a heavy deep pot or dutch oven, then add and sautee the cubed mushrooms, onions, and red bell peppers with turmeric and cumin until tender, about 7-8 minutes.
  2. add the lentils, mung beans, crushed pepper, salt and about 3-4 cups of water (or broth of choice), and allow them to cook (simmer) covered for about 30-35 minutes (check to make sure they are cooked and tender-you may need to adjust your water, as in, add more).
  3. when the lentils and mung beans are cooked and tender, add the quinoa, cubed tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, kale, and most (3/4) of your coconut milk.
  4. simmer another 10-15 minutes. add your freshly squeezed lemon juice (adjust amount to your taste, or omit). top with chopped basil and your remaining coconut milk. serve hot.

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2 Reviews

m October 23, 2013
This recipe was alright. I followed the directions exactly, but maybe turned the heat up too high (low/medium-ish) for the "simmer" part. As a result, it turned out as a big mushy pot of something more like a casserole consistency. That aside, it didn't have a ton of flavor even after increasing the amount of spices, coconut milk, and salt. Maybe it was the lentils' fault..I'll eat it all because I'm ok with it, but probably won't make it again.
cookingminette October 23, 2013
Oh no! sorry to hear this-typically i've had really good feedback on this soup- the heat may have had something to do with it, or maybe you should have adjusted the water/broth as suggested. The best way to add flavor is to add a good broth-either vegetarian or home made chicken or beef broth. Either way, sorry it wasn't a good experience for you:)