This a soup that screams winter! Or fallish-winter, which is what we had today in southeastern Wisconsin. Our first surprise snowfall was just enough to provide a sheer blanket of white, a not-so-subtle reminder that winter will be here before we know it. And there’s nothing better than a bowlful of thick, stick-to-your-ribs vegan lentil-barley soup to warm your insides like a toasty blanket as the temperature drops.

Don’t care for lentils, you say? Give them another chance. Vegan lentil-barley soup is comforting, richly flavorful and so delicious that you’ll forget all about your disdain and become a converted lentil lover.

Lentils are full of fiber and readily take on the flavor of whatever they are cooked with. Leek, carrot, celery, and parsnip pair nicely with this powerhouse legume and three quarters of a cup of beer adds to the richly flavored broth. Barley adds another layer of substance and together with thyme, bay leaves, and good quality vegetable broth you have one stellar soup.

Organic vegetable broth makes this lentil-barley soup vegan but I’m sure the soup would be equally delicious with reduced sodium chicken broth.

I based my version of vegan lentil-barley soup on the November 2010 Lentil-Barley Soup recipe in Cooking Light, omitting celery leaves and dill, and reducing the chopped celery by half.

I wonder if this early snow fall is a sign that we’ll be lambasted this winter – the ardent wish of my resident outdoor enthusiasts (aka Hunky Hubby and youngest Beauty) who are anxious to tackle a few black diamonds. Normally, I’d say bring on the snow and a  part of me is still hoping for a good old fashioned winter as my Gramz used to say. Now that my commute is miles longer than a short walk down the hallway I’m not as  enthusiastic as I used to be. But the call for cold and snow is a call for soup and that’s perfectly fine by me.  Enjoy!

Hey all! It has been quite a week. Actually two weeks. After a decade of working from home as a self-employed SEO/SEM professional, I re-entered the corporate world in a new realm: higher education. Doing good work for my clients has always been and continues to be very gratifying but being part of an organization that impacts people’s lives in a profound way is gratification to the nth degree.

My first two weeks have been a whirlwind of people and information.  A combination of equal parts stress and exhilaration.  Call me an enigma, a paradox, an odd ball, but I find that I have become more organized than I have ever been.  I’m finding ways to minimize task time to optimize family time and I’m also embracing my foodie in a new way.  I’ll be sharing that with you and passing the relish beginning with this recipe for vegan roasted red pepper soup.

Next to opening a can or pouring soup from a carton, vegan roasted red pepper soup is by and large the quickest and easiest soup there is to prepare. As for taste, it’s over the moon deeeelicious. As for health benefits, red peppers are loaded in antioxidants, beta-carotene, vitamins A, C, K, and  B6, and plenty of phytochemicals. All of that in a pepper!

Tip #1: Roast red peppers in bulk to do the work once and to have roasted peppers at the ready for many tasty uses. I try to grill a bushel every fall but you can easily roast peppers in the oven.

To oven roast, place whole (washed) peppers on a baking sheet and broil until the skins are wrinkly and charred (turn the peppers to ensure even roasting); remove the pan from the oven and cover with aluminum foil or place in a paper bag and seal until the peppers are cool. Peel the skins, remove the core and seeds, and place roasted pepper strips in air tight freezer bags.

Whether you grill or oven roast, the process of roasting red peppers is worth the time. You’ll enjoy the fruits of your labor for months to come both figuratively and literally (yep, peppers are a fruit). Moreover, you’ll have plain ol’ roasted red peppers and not oil-packed peppers as those sold commercially.

For a speedy supper, thaw 6 peppers and cook with finely chopped onion or shallot, a generous dash of thyme and broth. Use a good quality vegetable broth to keep the soup vegan (my favorite is Trader Joe’s), but know that this soup is just as tasty when prepared with low sodium chicken broth. Blend until smooth and whisk in 1/4 cup soy or reduced fat milk.

Richly colored, deeply flavored and incredibly satisfying, vegan roasted red pepper soup is ready in under 30 minutes. Now that’s my kind of healthy weeknight dinner!  Enjoy!