Lentil and Tofu Protein Packed Vegetable Soup
I found myself with an odd craving for lentil soup. I also wanted a big extra hit of protein because I was recovering from a pretty bad injury. So I decided I'd try adding tofu to my soup. I've made tofu lots of ways. Baked, sauteed, broiled, pan fried, braised, you name it. It can be difficult to get any flavor into tofu. It takes a lot of work. But I figured in a soup it would work well because there would be so much going on already, the tofu would simply function as an almost invisible protein source swimming in the deep, rich sea of all the other flavors.
Despite being laced with the decidedly Asian ingredient, this vegan soup is full of Southwestern American and Italian American flavors.
Onion Broth
Peels, ends, outer layers from 2 large onions
3 ribs/seeds from jalapeno
4 cups water
1/2 cup white wine
1 tbl olive oil
2 tps salt
1 tsp black pepper
Soup
1 cup water
1/2 cup assorted bell peppers, diced
1/2 cup poblano pepper, diced
3 plum tomatoes, diced
2 cups kale or any dark leafy green
1/2 cup dry lentils
1/2 an 8 ounce package firm or extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 chipotles and 1 tbl of their adobo sauce
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, minced
1/2 a habernero, minced
2 tsps salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsps thyme
To the onion broth simply add all your prepared soup components and simmer covered over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Remove lid and continue simmering for 10 more minutes. Turn off heat. Keep pot on burner. Put cover back on the pot. Let sit for 5 more minutes.
Other than all the chopping and dicing, this is pretty easy to cook, yet yields very tasty, hearty results. Light enough for summer, still strong enough for winter.
It's filling on its own and also great over salad, rice or pasta.
I didn't think of it at the time, but adding a few tsps of nutritional yeast would really add that umani touch to take this relatively simple soup to the next level of yum.
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