Black beans and yams combine to make the ultimate cold weather vegetable soup.

Caramelizing adds a sweetness to the onions, and the portobellos are a meaty and hearty addition to this vegetable soup.

• 3 Tablespoons non-dairy butter, divided (I like Earth Balance)
• 1 1/2 pounds onions (about 5 cups), halved, thinly sliced
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 1/2 pounds portobello mushroom, stemmed, caps halved and cut into 1/4 inch strips
• 3 Tablespoons cognac or brandy (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups veggie broth
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 18 1 inch thick slices french baquette, toasted
• 8 ounces vegan mozzarella cheese (I like Follow Your Heart), at room temperature

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large pot over high heat. Add onions and thyme; saute until onions begin to soften. Reduce heat to low; cook until onions are caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to medium bowl.

2. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in same pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; saute until soft, about 12 minutes. Add cognac or brandy and garlic; stir 20 seconds. Stir in onion mixture, then veggie broth and wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer until onions are very tender, about 45 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs, season with salt and pepper.

3. Preheat broiler. Place baquette slices on large baking sheet. Spread with soy cheese and broil until brown spots begin to appear on cheese, watching carefully so they don't burn.

4. Serve soup, floating croutons on top of each bowl.

Serves: 6

Per Serving: 481 Calories; 20g Fat (39.3% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 58g Carbohydrate; 9g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 2112mg Sodium.

Big chunks of tender cauliflower floating in a creamy almond broth.

• 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups cauliflower, coarsely chopped
• 1-2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1-2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1-2 Tablespoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice, or to taste
• Pinch cumin
• Pinch dried chipotle chile pepper
• Pure maple syrup or agave nectar, to taste
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup almonds

1. Bring vegetable broth to a boil. Add cauliflower. Bring back to a boil, then cover, and lower heat to a simmer. Cook until cauliflower is tender.

2. In the meantime, in a small pan heat the olive oil. Add onion, green pepper, and garlic, and heat, stirring occasionally, until softened.

3. Add onion mixture to the soup. Stir in remaining ingredients (except the almonds).

• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 red peppers, roughly chopped
• 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
• 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke, or to taste
• Oregano, basil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, all to taste

1. Heat oil in a large pot. Add bell peppers and onion and cook, stirring often, until tender (5-10 minutes).

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium green, red and yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup beer or vegetable broth
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (32oz)
• 1 can black beans (14oz) drained and rinsed
• 1 can red kidney beans (14 oz) drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin (1 to 1 1/2)
• 1 tablespoon ground chili powder (1 to 1 1/2)
• 6 dashes Red Hot or Tabasco sauce
• Course salt, a few pinches
• 1 cup spicy vegetarian refried beans
• Shredded vegan cheddar cheese and/or chopped green onions, for garnish
• Black bean, blue corn or flavored tortillas, for dipping (optional)

1. Heat oil in deep pot over medium to medium high heat. Add onion and peppers and saute stirring frequently, 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute more. Add beer or broth and scrape up any good stuff from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the liquid by half, cooking it down for 2 or 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and beans and season with cumin, chili powder, Red Hot sauce, and salt. Simmer 15 minutes. Thicken by stirring in refried beans and cook 5 minutes more.

2. Serve in bowls topped with shredded cheese and/or green onions with plenty of chips for dipping.

Serves: 6-8

* Be careful when adding very spicy ingredients to vegan food since there's no dairy to mellow the heat.

Per Serving: 225 Calories; 1g Fat (5.7% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 40g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 152mg Sodium.

• 1-2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 3 Tablespoons chickpea flour
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups water, optional (add more water if it's not soupy enough for you)
• 4 carrots, cut into 1/2" chunks
• 1 parsnip, cut into 1/2" chunks
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 1/3 cup red lentils, rinsed
• 1/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos, or soy sauce
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon whole cane sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon Dried Thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon Dried Rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon Dried Marjoram
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Dumplings
• 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Biscuit Mix
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and saute until transparent. Add the flour mixing thoroughly and cook gently for a few minutes.

2. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the dumpling ingredients), mixing well. Bring to a boil.

3. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Salt and pepper, to taste.

4. DUMPLINGS: (To be added after above stew is cooked.) Keep stew at a slow boil. Mix ingredients in a bowl. Add additional milk, if needed, to make a very thick and sticky dough. Using a tablespoon, scoop heaping tablespoon amounts and drop them into boiling stew. Cook for 10 minutes uncovered. Cover and reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 more minutes. Stew base will thicken with this mix.

Serves: 4

Per Serving: 249 Calories; 3g Fat (6.7% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 78g Carbohydrate; 13g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1935mg Sodium.

• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup uncooked barley
• 1 large can diced fired-roasted tomatoes
• 1 large onion
• 3 stalks celery
• 4 large carrots (or 6 medium), unpeeled and sliced
• 3 large red potatoes, unpeeled and chunked
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 teaspoon each basil, rosemary, celery seeds
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1. Place veggie broth in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Add barley and let cook while prepping the rest of the veggies. Add the tomatoes, onion, celery, red potatoes and corn. Continue to boil for 40 minutes.

2. When veggies and barley are tender, stir in basil, rosemary, celery seeds. Remove from heat. While cooling, add lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves: 6

Variations:

• Substitute quinoa or cooked brown rice for the barley.

Per Serving: 173 Calories; 3g Fat (12.0% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 38g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1483mg Sodium.

Jeff has been making this vegan bean and vegetable soup for years. It makes a lot, freezes well, and is perfect when you need a nutritious warming soup that will fill you up for hours. The recipe isn't exact -- he just doesn't cook that way. But you'll get the gist.

• 2 cups any combination of dried beans, lentils, split peas, or other legume
• 4 to 7 cups vegetable broth, depending on how thick you like your soup
• 5 to 10 cups chopped vegetables of your choice (carrots, celery, cabbage, beets, corn, potatoes, etc.)
• 1 cup cashews (optional, but recommended)
• 1 cup raisins (optional, but recommended)
• 2 to 3 veggie bouillon cubes (or the equivalent veggie broth powder)
• Herbs and spices you like (Spike, basil, oregano, marjoram, celery seeds, salt, pepper, etc.), to taste

1. Soak beans in double the amount of water in a large jar for 8 or more hours (overnight). The soaking helps to make the beans more digestible. Drain, reserving the liquid to feed to your plants, if desired. Set aside beans.

2. Boil water. Add beans, veggies, cashews and raisins. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to the lowest flame and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

3. Add veggie bouillon cubes (or powder) and spices during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Then turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir. Serve.

4. Store leftovers in the fridge. The flavors get better with each day that goes by!

Serving suggestion: Top each serving with a bit of Bragg's Liquid Aminos, flax oil and nutritional yeast sprinkled on top.

Serves: 8-12 - Recipe can be halved.

Per Serving: 129 Calories; 1g Fat (6.7% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 23g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 370mg Sodium.

• 6 whole heads garlic
• 4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon non-dairy buttery spread (I like Earth Balance)
• 2 large onions, sliced thin
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup dry plain breadcrumbs - not seasoned
• 1 cup blanched almonds (no skins)
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional:
• Baguette, cut into 8 slices
• 8 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 bunch parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350. Slice garlic heads in half width-wise and season with salt and pepper. Place cut sides down in heavy baking dish coated with 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes or until soft. Let cool then squeeze the cloves out of the skins. (Should make about 1 1/2 cups.)

2. Melt butter in a heavy large saute pan and saute onions over medium-high heat until they begin to soften and turn translucent, about 7-10 minutes. Reduce heat and continue cooking until they turn golden brown, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

My dad actually found this vegetable soup recipe and veganized it to surprise my vegan mom with one evening. Isn't that sweet? It's one of my all-time favorite soups ev-er. Way to go, Dad!

• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 3 large russet or golden potatoes, unpeeled, cubed
• 1/2 pound green beans, cut into 1" pieces
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1/3 cup dairy-free sour cream
• 3/4 cup sauerkraut, with juice
• 1 Tablespoon dried dill weed

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently or until onions are soft, but not brown. Add potatoes and green beans and cook, stirring frequently, for several minutes.

2. Add 5 cups veggie broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring frequently for 1 hour until potatoes are soft and stew is thick.

2. Mix flour and sour cream in a small bowl to make a paste. Add to hot stew by the spoonfuls and stir. Add sauerkraut and dill weed. Cook 20 minutes. Season to taste.

Serves: 6

Per Serving: 120 Calories; 4g Fat (30.4% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 832mg Sodium.

In memory of our sweet friend Janin who made this gorgeous vegetable soup at a beautiful and cozy vegan dinner party.

• 2 1/2 pounds butternut squash
• 4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 medium yellow onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 chile pepper, seeded and cut in 1/2, chopped (keep halves divided)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Garnish
• 1 head kale, finley sliced & sauteed
• 1 package corn tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and seed squash, cube and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 30-40 minutes or until tender and edges browned.

2. In a large pot, sauté onion and garlic until translucent. Add tomato and 1/2 the chopped chile pepper; let simmer for one minute. Add squash and broth to pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the other 1/2 fresh chopped chile pepper and puree. Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Cut tortillas in half then into thin strips. Toast in the oven at 400 degrees until crisp and golden. Garnish soup with sauteed kale and tortilla strips. Serve hot.

Serves: 8

Per Serving: 217 Calories; 9g Fat (35.3% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 32g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 829mg Sodium.

• 4 cups water
• 8 tablespoon white miso (more or less to taste)
• 2 teaspoon dried cut wakame*
• 1/2 cup chopped daikon (Japanese radish, optional but recommended), sliced into very thin half moons
• 1/2 cup carrots, sliced thin
• 1/2 small onion, sliced thin
• Tofu, to taste, chopped into small cubes (optional)
• Chopped green onions

1. Bring the water to a slow boil. Put the wakame in the water and let it slowly simmer for 20 minutes. The longer you simmer it the less sharp its taste will be. After 10 minutes, add the daikon, carrots and onion.

2. When veggies are softened, remove pot from heat. Place a small strainer in the soup, and mash spoonfuls of miso through the strainer into the soup. If using tofu, add to pot now. Cover to keep soup warm until ready to serve.

3. Pour into bowls, and garnish with the chopped green onions.

Note: If you want to have miso soup over a few days, put miso only in the portion of the vegetable soup that you wish to eat at that time.

Serves: 6

* Wakame is a strong seaweed. It is too strong for some people. Here is a great way to enjoy it. When rehydrated, wakame expands to many times its dry size. Be very conservative the first time you use it. Most health food and Japanese/Asian stores sell it already cut into little 3/4" squares and dried into tiny "crumbles". This is the best kind to use. If you buy it in "sheet" form you will have to hydrate it and then cut it into squares which adds time to the recipe.

Per Serving: 57 Calories; 1g Fat (21.7% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 851mg Sodium.