During a bout with a winter cold or flu, soup is a
comfort. It might be all you feel like taking in, and it helps replace
fluids. Last week I had the flu and craved my grandmother's cream of
potato soup and that old standard, chicken noodle soup, in vegan
versions of course.
Some of us vegans like to imagine that we don't ever get
sick, but the truth is that we do, only much less frequently. Flu shots
are not a vegan product in that they use chickens in the process. So in
this case, we must weigh the exploitation of chickens against the fact
that getting a shot will slow the spread of a disease which causes human
sickness and a few human deaths each year. A dilemma which is compounded
by the irony that strains of flu viruses originally form in flocks of
chickens and herds of pigs. If we didn't keep such unnaturally large
numbers of these animals around for food perhaps we wouldn't have to
face the consequences of flu.
For the "chicken" flavor for the soup you will need
Carmel Kosher brand Soup Base Chicken Style, a vegan powder in a jar
which can be found in the Jewish foods section of some supermarkets and
health food stores. It can be ordered from Carmel Kosher Food Products,
Elmwood Park, NJ, 07407. A similar product is Osem brand Instant Clear
Consomme Soup Mix. There are also unchicken broths available at health
food stores. And you can order fake beef, chicken and seafood broth from
Harvest Direct (go to link below). A good vegetable broth can be used
instead; add extra garlic, a dash of sage and a pinch of turmeric for
color.
Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup
1/2 to a scant 2/3 cup Textured Vegetable Protein Chunks (available in
most
health food stores or by mail order from Harvest Direct
Welcome to Harvest Direct! http://www.harvestdirect.com/ )
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
three or four large cloves of garlic, minced
1 heaping cup pasta (make sure it was made without eggs). Ribbon noodles
or
small shells or spirals or your preference
two teaspoons Carmel Kosher Soup Base Chicken Style
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced or one slight teaspoon dried parsley
six or so cups water
1 teaspoon oil olive (optional)
Simmer the 1/2 cup TVP in six cups of water in a large
saucepan for about fifteen minutes until soft. You can add a few more
chunks if you wish, but as they double in size you might wind up with
more than you want. At this point you might like to strain out the
chunks, let cool, then cut them up a bit as they can be somewhat large.
Add all the other ingredients and boil on medium heat until the pasta is
done, this might take a few minutes longer than the package directions
for the pasta indicate. Add more water if needed. Add a bit more
"Chicken" Soup Base powder if you wish. Don't add salt, the soup base is
mostly salt. Serve with vegan crackers or a vegan bread, plain or
toasted.
Now some of you may be saying, "I don't get it. Earlier
he suggested that chickens may be the cause of the flu. Why is he now
giving us a recipe for something which mimics the flavor of those birds,
why eat something that tastes like dead birds for gosh sakes?" Well, I
just enjoy dark ironies, I guess.
You might prefer a nice cream of potato soup, which is
what I most associate with my own childhood illnesses and the attempts
of my loved ones to help me recover. The basic ingredients are potatoes,
onions, garlic, parsley, margarine, salt, pepper and milk. When
replacing the milk in a vegan recipe such as a soup, I have found that
soy and rice milks are too sweet. Oat milk is perfect for cream soups
because of its bland flavor. To increase the creaminess I add a dollop
of Tofutti Sour Supreme (sour cream substitute) and some grated Soymage,
or VeganRella cheese. (You vegans know, don't you, that most of the soy,
rice, almond, etc., based cheeses have caseinate, a milk derivative? You
lacto-vegetarians know, don't you, that most dairy cheeses are made with
rennet, which is made from calves stomachs?)
Vegan Cream of Potato Soup
No amounts are given for this recipe, you have to improvise.
Steam the potatoes, onion and garlic in just a little
bit of water so that most of the water is gone when the potatoes are
almost cooked. A microwave is good for this so nothing sticks to the
pot. You don't want to have to pour off any nutrients or flavor and you
want the potatoes to remain firm.
Now add the oat milk, parsley, grated soy cheese and
margarine. You probably want to use a non-hyrogenated margarine like
Spectrum Spread. (Note to new vegans...many margarines contain whey, a
byproduct of milk) Bring to a boil again then remove from heat, stir in
a bit of vegan sour cream and a dash of salt and pepper.
Not to mention fluid replacement, aroma-therapy and the
psychological regressive technique of recalling a time when you were
served such soups in bed by your loved ones, the onions and garlic in
these two soups actually do make for a medicinal meal.
If you are not a vegan, you might be saying to yourself,
"Sheesh, veganism must be hard, trying to find all those substitutes and
learning how to best use them." Actually, it's an adventure. I have
found or learned to make substitutes for almost all egg and dairy
products from ice cream to egg nog, from Roquefort cheese dressing to
omelets. I even have an idea of how to make vegan deviled eggs but I
haven't tried it yet. When I do, I'll write it up.
Aren't you willing to make a few more sacrifices and
substitutions to have an animal free diet?
The most important step any individual can take to help
all animals is to go vegan.
For more information on veganism visit
http://www.veganoutreach.org/
Vegan Outreach
Or if we can help you, send your questions about
veganism to [email protected]
Go on to Animals
in Politics - Danielle Mulei
Return to 26 January 2000 Issue
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