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If going vegan, soup a good way to get started

By Kim Davaz

Soups are a great way to get more vegetables into the family diet. Even if you aren’t usually vegetarian, there may be times when you might need some vegetarian meals (during Lent or times of health or economic difficulties) and soup is a good place to start. Nava Atlas has reworked her book “Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons” to reflect her family’s change from ovo-lacto vegetarian to vegan in “Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons.”

In the introduction, Atlas strongly encourages eating organic produce, grown locally when possible. Arborio Rice Soup With Spring Vegetables calls for fresh tomatoes. Who has fresh tomatoes in the spring? She does use vegetable bouillon cubes and canned vegetable broth. Try different brands to find one you like. I’ve tried some that range from dreadful to tasteless. If you can’t find a broth you like, use water instead.

The other thing I noticed is that Atlas uses soy sausage. Why eat something that imitates a meat product if you don’t eat meat for ethical reasons?

I don’t agree with Atlas’ assertion in the introduction that you should wait until the end of cooking to season with salt. (This doesn’t apply when using vegetable bouillon cubes, which can be salty themselves.) Foods taste different when they have been cooked with salt as opposed to having salt added at the end. There’s a good reason you’re supposed to salt the water in which you will boil pasta. The salt gets into the pasta in a way that isn’t possible if you salt it after cooking.

Try the same recipe seasoned one time at the beginning, and another time, season at the end; see if you notice a difference.

For someone who is used to white flour, white sugar and dairy products, vegan baked goods are another thing entirely. You can’t get exactly the same texture, lightness or especially flavor when using whole-wheat flour (even mixed with some unbleached white flour), oil and vegetable or nut milks.

Consider the vegan baked goods to be a completely different thing, rather than comparing them to similar ones made with dairy products and white flour.

Breads such as chapatis and foccacia don’t suffer from comparison, because they are naurally vegan. Altas’ versions are pretty much standard, but the foccacia uses 1½ cups whole-wheat flour mixed with 1 cup of unbleached white flour. With the addition of as much flour as you need to make a workable dough, this recipe can be used to make pizza, too. That brings to mind vegan cheeses, which are another food item altogether. Remember, they aren’t dairy cheese; they are something else entirely.

While I have some reservations, “Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons” will be very useful for vegans and can be useful for non-vegans.

Brazilian Black Bean Stew is from the “Winter” section. Atlas recommends serving it with steamed greens dressed with garlic sauteed in olive oil and sliced mangoes or papayas. She calls for a fresh tomato here, but gives the option for using canned. Go with the canned and choose the fresh cilantro option over the parsley.

Brazilian Black Bean Stew

• 1 cup salt-free tomato juice
• 4½ cups water, divided
• 1 cup raw brown rice, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 cups cooked black beans (about 12/3 cups dried) or two 16-ounce cans, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut in short, narrow strips
• 1 medium green or yellow bell pepper, cut in short, narrow strips
• 1 cup diced ripe tomatoes or 1 cup salt-free canned diced tomatoes
• 1 small fresh hot green chili, or more to taste
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, plus more for garnish
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the tomato juice and 3 cups of water in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the rice, then lower the heat and simmer gently, covered, until all the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Set aside. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and saute over medium-low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to saute until the onion is golden.

Stir in the sweet potatoes and the remaining 1½ cups of water. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently until the sweet potatoes are just tender but still firm, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, chili, cumin and thyme. Simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes longer, uncovered. The stew should have the consistency of a thick chili - moist but not soupy. Add a bit more water if too thick.

Stir in half of the parsley or cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Serve over the hot cooked rice in shallow bowls and garnish each serving with a little of the extra parsely or cilantro. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Kim Davaz writes a biweekly cookbook review column for The Register-Guard.