When I was a little kid, my Mom didn’t really make chicken noodle soup. My Mom made the good old Russian standby: oatmeal potato soup with tiny little pork meatballs. I love the fluff out of that stuff, in the way that you love only your Mom’s cooking.
With the weather turning cold, I’ve been in the mood for soup. So I decided to make a quick Americanized veggie version of my Mom’s Russian classic.
Ingredients:
Makes 3 entree-sized servings
3 small potatoes, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 shallots, sliced (I ran out of onions, you can use anything from that family)
1 32 oz. box of veggie stock
2 handfuls of oatmeal (I used Irish but just about anything will be great. I think Scottish will be awesome)
2 Italian fauxsages, broken up into chunks (I bought Trader Joe’s brand in a hurry and didn’t notice they aren’t actually vegan, they have egg whites in them… ugh! but you can totally find a vegan version of them!)
How I Made It:
Heat a couple of tablespoons of EVOO in your soup pot on medium high heat. Saute the shallots a couple of minutes, until they start getting golden. Add the carrots, saute for a minute. Add the chunks of meatless sausage. Saute according to package directions, until they get some color on them. Throw in the oatmeal. Stir to coat with oil. Throw in the potatoes and immediately pour in the stock. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Enjoy with a little bit of parsley garnish.
If You Hate Meatless Meats:
I know some people prefer not to consume these things. Totally understand. You can obviously make this without, but then you’ll need to throw in some spices that are usually found in Italian “fauxsage”: fennel, anise and black peppercorns. I’d actually use fresh fennel and saute it along with the onion/shallot/leek you’re using and throw in the other spices at the same time as your oatmeal, giving them a chance to develop before you drown them in stock.
Gone Veg 