Cookbook: Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons
In my kitchen, one long wall displays a collection of food-related art painted by friends. I believe there's a direct connection between food and art, and between food and artists (beyond the fact that many starving artists work in restaurants). Nava Atlas, prolific author of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks including Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons, also makes art, in and out of the kitchen.
I love the way this book is organized, by the seasons, which makes it easy to find recipes that match what you've brought home from the farm stand or your CSA share. A plus: recipes for some very interesting go-withs (dumplings, muffins and breads). One small negative: no photos of the soups.
We're still having cool nights, though the days are warm, so I've marked both light and hearty soups to try. As usual, I have too many choices, and need your help to figure out where to start. Here's what appeals to me:
- Curried cashew soup (vegan)
- Cream of broccoli soup with whole wheat pasta
- Quick cool pinto bean soup, with tomatoes, chiles, and cumin
- Potato-spinach buttermilk soup, with peas and parsley
- Puree of asparagus with buckwheat noodles soup
- Summer pasta soup with white beans and basil
- Zesty green gazpacho (cold, and oh so green!)
What shall we make first? Please leave your choice in the comments, and I'll get to work.
Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons was first published in 1992, so you should be able to find a copy at a used book store. It won't be long before your copy is filled with bookmarks.
The potato spinach buttermilk soup sounds good!
Curried cashew! Happy Summer, Alyce (My dill went nuts in the shade of the Russian Sage...)
Sounds like a great book. Curried cashew soup gets my nod!
Summer pasta soup with white beans and basil please.
I vote for summer pasta soup with white beans and basil
Summer pasta soup with white beans and basil would be my top choice.
The Zesty Green Gazpacho sounds good to me. For some reason I just can't get my head around "cool pinto bean soup"?
Curried cashew! Please? :)
I would love to see what you think of the cool pinto bean soup or the zesty green gazpacho. Is the cool pinto bean soup actually served cold?