VeggieTalk

Vegan Express is officially published today, hooray! Also make sure to visit Fatfree Vegan Kitchen later today, as Susan Voisin (the photographer for Vegan Express) will be announcing the winner of her “Vegetable Love” recipe contest, voted on by readers. The prizewinner will receive a copy of Vegan Express.

I’ve been enjoying using Vegan Express in book form, finally, and hope you will, too. Here’s a soup I made just last week. As a soup fan, I adore all kinds of soups, from those that simmer for hours to those that can be made in a flash. This one, not surprisingly, is the latter.

Curried Cashew and Green Pea Soup

6 servings

In the book, I describe how this soup can be made warm or cold, but since we’re in the middle of a bitter February, I’ll present only the warm version here. A delectable, high-protein puree made of cashew butter and silken tofu forms the base of this nearly-instant soup.

• 2 cups rice milk, plus more as needed
• 1/2 cup cashew butter
• One 12.3-ounce package firm silken tofu
• 1 to 2 teaspoons good-quality curry powder, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh or jarred ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 3 cups steamed frozen green peas
• 1 to 2 scallions, minced
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine 1/2 cup of the rice milk with the cashew butter and silken tofu in the container of a food processor. Process until smoothly pureed.

Transfer the puree to a small soup pot. Add all the remaining ingredients, stir together, and heat until just warmed through. Adjust the consistency with a little more rice milk if needed. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

Calories: 260; Total fat: 13 g; Protein: 12 g; Carbohydrates: 27 g; Fiber: 5 g; Sodium: 135 g