10 Spice Vegetable Soup

I do not know how I happened upon the website www.ohsheglows.com but I am definitely going back, because this soup is soooo good!  Love, love, love it!

Ingredients:

For Soup:

3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked

6 cups vegetable broth, divided

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 sweet or yellow onion, diced

3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped sweet potato, regular potato, or butternut squash

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 (28-ounce/796-mL) can diced tomatoes, with their juices (or sub with fresh tomatoes - see blog post for my how-to)

2 bay leaves

1-1  1/2 tablespoons Homemade 10-Spice Blend (recipe follows), to taste

Fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 to 2 cups baby spinach or destemmed torn kale leaves

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas or other beans, drained and rinsed (kidney beans are fun too)

Homemade 10 Spice Blend (Makes 1/2 cup)

• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  Directions:

  1.  Place cashews in a bowl and add enough water to cover. Soak the cashews overnight, or for at least 2 hours. Drain and rinse the cashews.
  2. In a blender, combine the soaked and drained cashews with 1 cup of vegetable broth and blend on the highest speed until smooth. Set aside.
  3. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Season generously with Herbamare or sea salt.
  4. Add the carrots, bell pepper, potato, celery, and diced tomatoes with their juices, the remaining 5 cups broth, the cashew cream, and 1-1.5 tablespoons of 10-spice blend. Stir well to combine . Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Season with salt and black pepper and add the bay leaves.
  5. Simmer the soup, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and black pepper. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the spinach/kale and drained beans.
  6. To freeze, ladle the soup into containers (leaving 1-inch for expansion), cool slightly, secure lid and place in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
  Tips: 1) If you don’t wish to make the 10-Spice Blend, feel free to use your favorite store-bought Cajun or Creole seasoning mix and add to taste. 
  2) You will have leftover spice blend. Store it in a container and keep it handy anytime you want to spice up a dish! It's great for pasta, soup, tofu seasoning, stir-fry, and more. 
• 3) When thawed, this soup's broth looks a bit grainy, but rest assured when it's heated up again it will return to its former smoothness.

Ginger Garlic Salad Dressing

Delicious, tangy, super easy to make and no added sugar which I LOVE!
1 oz peeled ginger root,cut into chunks (weigh it after it's peeled)
3 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped
1 cup rice wing vinegar
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
2  Tbsp. water
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp. sesame oil
4 Tbsp. tomato paste
4 Tbsp. soy sauce

Combine all ingredients, including a pinch or two of salt, in blender and process until fairly smooth

**Adapted from recipe on Food.com

Homemade Ginger Dressing

If tangy is your game, this is for you!  This is a variation on a recipe for dressing for the commercial brand Makoto Ginger Dressing.




1 oz peeled ginger root, cut into large chunks
2 large cloves of garlic, smashed but not chopped
1 cup rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
2 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tsp. sesame oil
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 six oz.can Tomato paste
pinch of salt and more to taste

Combine ingredients in blender and process until fairly smooth.  Add more salt if needed.

Store in refrigerator.

Adapted from Food.com recipe