Wonderbag Double Feature: Two Easy Vegan Winter Soups

Hello friends! We're already halfway through January--or Veganuary for those joining in for veggie-packed beginning of the year. Since time just continues to fly, I've got two really easy soups to share today in this one post. Winter is still in full swing, so a warm bowl of soup still hits the spot for me for lunch or dinner. Plus a soup is always such an easy way to meal plan for the week ahead and put to use just about any vegetable you can find at the market.

It was this time last year that I was just starting to use my then new Wonderbag, a welcome gift from a dear friend. A year later and I am still enjoying pulling out my bag and using it to slow cook many of my meals. The tool is especially useful for soups because they are often not too finnicky and better the less you mess with them, in my humble opinion. The bag is eco-friendly--using less energy than traditional slow cookers--and I also love that it requires no more attention once you put your pot in. I sill use my electric slow cookers for certain things, but more and more I am utilizing the Wonderbag. Don't worry, both of these recipes can easily be cooked on your stovetop or in a regular slow cooker, so don't feel like you need to invest in a new kitchen tool unless you really are interested in one.

Alright, that's plenty for an intro, let's get to cooking...

We'll start off our duo with a take on a very common butternut squash soup. There are about a million recipes out there for this kind of soup, but why not add a million and one? Especially to show a Wonderbag version. I opted for a little bit of an Asian influence with warming ginger, red curry paste and curry powder, along with nutty peanut butter to add some fat at the end of cooking. I still have so much to learn about cooking all across the world and how to incorporate those influences into my dishes. I do love curries, though, especially with the sweet butternut squash straight out of our garden.

Spicy Butternut Squash & Red Lentil Soup

1 small onion, peeled & diced
1 heaping tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled & minced
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, peeled & minced
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 teaspoon curry powder
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
~2 pounds fresh or frozen butternut squash, peeled & cubed (I used about 2/3 of a fresh garden squash and roasted the rest for another meal)
1 1/2 cups split red lentils, rinsed & drained
5 cups water or low sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons plain peanut butter (just peanuts)
fresh lime juice, cilantro and peanuts to garnish

Heat a large stock pot on the stove top over medium heat. Add the diced onion. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion is starting to soften, adding a bit of water or broth as needed to prevent sticking. Next stir in the spices through the cayenne and cook for an additional minute or two.

Add in the squash, lentils and broth. Turn up the heat. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium low and let simmer on the stovetop for 5-10 minutes to make sure the entire contents of the pot are to temperature. Remove from heat and place in the Wonderbag. Leave to cook for at least 4 hours. Alternately, leave on the stovetop and let simmer for 30-35 minutes to cook through.

Once the soup is done, let it cool slightly before removing from the Wonderbag (the handles of your pot may be hot!). Remove the lid and stir in the peanut butter. Blend with an immersion blender or place in a stand blender in batches until you have a smooth mixture, or leave some chunks if you like. Taste and add any additional spices or salt to your liking. Garnish with a squeeze of fresh lime, cilantro and a handful of peanuts.

I loved the bit of heat from the red curry paste and pinch of cayenne mixed with the sweet and nutty soup. I often use coconut milk to finish off a dish like this, but the peanut butter was a nice change to still add that bit of fat but without the coconut flavor. I served ours with a cabbage slaw made simply with farmers market cabbage, jalapeno, lime juice/zest and more fresh cilantro. Gotta get those greens and cruciferous veggies in to really make for a healthy meal!

Up next, another pureed soup, this time featuring my dear Romanesco and a different vegan protein source--split peas!

I believe this might have been the last time I see the gorgeous fractal Romanesco this season, so I wanted to use in a slightly different way. It is so lovely I often leave it raw, lightly steamed or roasted to be able to maintain the look of the vegetable. This time I opted to capitalize on the mild flavor by mixing into a pureed soup. I cooked it with an accompaniment of other green goodies: split peas, leeks, celery and arugula to finish it off.

This was cooked in a very similar way to the other soup, so that was another reason I thought they worked well together in a post. Chances are if you liked the first one, you would like this one I would think. Or perhaps one catches your eye over the other--as long as one looks good enough to try at home!

Split Pea and Romanesco Soup

1/2 cup sliced leeks, rough green tops trimmed & discarded
1/2 cup sliced celery, green leaves saved for a garnish
1 small jalapeno, seeded & minced (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt-free Italian seasoning blend
1 heaping cup green split peas, rinsed & drained
1 head Romanesco (can sub broccoli or cauliflower), trimmed & cut into florets
6 cups water or low sodium vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
fresh herbs and lemon juice to garnish

Heat a large stock pot on the stove top over medium heat. Add in the leeks, celery and optional jalapeno pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are starting to soften, adding a bit of water or broth as needed to prevent sticking.

Next stir in the spice mixture, peas, Romanesco, water or broth and the bay leaf. Turn up the heat. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium low and let simmer on the stovetop for 5-10 minutes to make sure the entire contents of the pot are to temperature. Remove from heat and place in the Wonderbag. Leave to cook for at least 4 hours. Alternately, leave on the stovetop and let simmer for 45-50 minutes to cook through (split peas take longer than lentils to cook).

Once the soup is done, let it cool slightly before removing from the Wonderbag (the handles of your pot may be hot!). Remove the lid and stir in the juice of one lemon. Blend with an immersion blender or place in a stand blender in batches until you have a smooth mixture, or leave some chunks if you like. Taste and add any additional spices or salt to your liking. I garnished with chopped celery leaves and fresh dill, but parsley, basil or any other fresh leafy herb would do nicely.

Either soup was easy to make, and you can easily adapt the recipes to use spices and flavors you enjoy. I am sure I'll make them again with slight modifications based on what I am in the mood for or what is in season. I think either could be served room temperature or even cold if you'd like. For some other Wonderbag ideas and tips check out my cabbage soup, late summer chili or tofu and vegetable soup. Perhaps I should branch out and try some other things in it besides soup...