Category: Soups and Stews

What do you do with all those potatoes you bought? Make vegan potato leek soup, of course! It can be served hot or cold and freezes well. Zero waste cooking starts here.

Sometimes I can find frozen, chopped leeks and that’s a real time saver. But fresh leeks are wonderful and can sit in your fridge for a while too. It’s often recommended to use only the white part of the leek because it’s the most tender, but I like to use as much of it as possible.

Handling Leeks

I learned from watching Jacques Pepin on PBS that after removing the toughest outer layer, you can cut diagonally the green part and progressively use more of the leek as you cut the layers deeper toward the center. Unfortunately, I neglected to take a picture to explain what I mean, so you can watch the legend himself demonstrate the technique here. Whatever you trim away can be put into a freezer bag for stock later. Zero waste cooking starts here.

Once you have cut away the toughest, outermost stem ends, slice the leeks into halves or quarters lengthwise and then cut them into smaller slices. Put them into a tub full of water and swish them around so that the dirt sinks to the bottom. Pull them out with your hands and repeat this process a couple times to make sure they are clean and free of grit.

Toss your cubed potatoes into a pot with some oil to get them started cooking. Then add the leeks and whatever herbs you like. Rosemary is great. I often use Herbs de Provence. Add some liquid, which could be chicken stock or vegetable stock. Let it simmer until the vegetables are tender.

I like a rustic texture, so I sometimes use a potato masher to mash some of the potatoes near the end of cooking. You could leave them in chunks or puree the whole thing. You could add some cream. It’s really up to you. If you wanted to serve it cold, I would recommend pureeing it. And a dollop of sour cream would also be welcome.

If you don’t use all the leeks you have cleaned and sliced, put them into the freezer for future use. You will thank yourself later for the work that you have already done. Work smarter, not harder.

For an idea on using up your leftover mashed potatoes, please read No Waste Begets Big Taste.

I enjoy a challenge and zero waste cooking. When it comes to food, I consider it a triumph to find a new way to use something I might have otherwise discarded. I love all kinds of vegetables, but one thing I cannot stand is overcooked asparagus. I have always tossed out the woody ends of asparagus because I imagined the length of time cooking them would fill the kitchen with an unpleasant odor.

So I am finally experimenting with that…I saved some in a freezer bag along with all of my other vegetable ends: onions, carrots, celery, kale stems etc.

Why? Because my husband has a problem with a tooth right now and it’s difficult to chew, so pureed soups have become a thing around here. He was supposed to go to the dentist today to get it fixed, but his dentist unexpectedly had to leave early and postponed the appointment. So that means it’s time for more soup!

Pureed Soup to the Rescue

Fortunately, I had a couple of cans of cannellini beans (white Italian beans) in the pantry and I can puree them for a simple meal in this situation. I thought I could use some chicken broth to thin it out into a soup, but my freezer bag of vegetable ends was full, so I put them into a pot full of water to boil for zero waste cooking. Guess what! I have so many other veggies in that pot that after an hour of cooking, the asparagus does not smell offensive.

Happy with the stock yielded from all vegetable ends including asparagus. After sautéing some garlic in olive oil, I carefully poured in the stock away from myself. Hot oil and liquid do not mix well. So be sure not to splatter yourself. Added some ground sage and French thyme. Salt, of course.

Pureed the beans with some olive oil and whisked into the pot. Simmered for a few minutes and dinner was served.

I know it doesn’t look like much, but it tasted good and served its purpose. Why? Because there is no chewing involved…and who knew that the asparagus would lend such a pleasant nuance reminiscent of a cream of asparagus soup? I think I might be onto something…Cooking without a recipe is so much fun.

Here are the previous two soups we had that required minimal chewing, in case you need to soothe a tooth:

For more on using miso, please read Miso Adaptable.

What other pureed soups have you made?

You like probiotic foods? I do. If you want to eat them without taking a supplement, have you tried kimchi, miso or natto? You can find them all in an Asian market.

In case these are unfamiliar items to you: Kimchi is often made with cabbage, but it could be any myriad of vegetables. It’s fermented with garlic and chile peppers. Miso is a savory paste made of fermented soybeans often used for soup. Natto are fermented soybeans.

Natto

I haven’t had natto for 25 years since Ojiichan, my Japanese grandfather, persuaded me to taste it for the first time. We didn’t speak the same language, but we made our best effort at sign language. If he wanted me to learn good manners by slurping my noodles or tasting something he enjoyed that was foreign to me, it was hard to say no.

So, in honor of Ojiichan, I decided to give natto another try. Maybe my palate had changed…Well, let’s just say I could wait another 25 years until next time…but I didn’t want to discard what I had purchased, so I put the remainder into our morning fruit and vegetable smoothies. Blended with the addition of a little cocoa powder, it was great! No waste!

Try it if you’re feeling adventurous. Let me know what you decide to mix it with if it requires some embellishment for your taste. There are many natto fans out there. Please tell me who you are and how you personally enjoy it.

Miso

Miso is one of these umami type ingredients that you hear so much about. It comes in different varieties: red, white, yellow. If it’s new to you, I might suggest first trying the white one called Shiro Miso because it has the mildest flavor. You can use it to make soup or as a glaze for fish.

I never claimed to be a traditionalist, so if you are one, feel free to laugh if I do things differently than what you’re used to. First boil water to hydrate the wakame (sea vegetable) and noodles you might want to cook. I love soba (buckwheat noodles). What else might you add to the soup? I had some roasted yams that I could use along with some precooked chicken.

I ladled some of the liquid from the pot into a small bowl and whisked in some red miso paste. Simply make sure there aren’t any lumps without overheating the miso, thereby preserving its probiotic attributes. The miso container should give you general directions regarding proportions, so use that as a guide and adjust according to your taste.

Miso Dressing

Who says salad has to contain lettuce? By the time I have finished my more tender greens, cabbage is still going strong in my refrigerator. Combine colors for some variety. Add celery or carrots. Make an interesting salad dressing. Toss in some beans or chicken for protein and enjoy a quick, healthy lunch. Into the mortar/pestle goes:

• garlic
• ginger
• miso paste
• rice vinegar
• olive oil

And what else? Something spicy or more umami? Let me know what works for you!

Find out why you will always find cabbage and some variety of squash in my refrigerator by reading Keep It Fresh next.