I picked my children up from school today and forgot to ask them how their afternoons had been. I was too hopped up after watching “Forks & Knives” (a documentary currently available on Netflix) to not talk.
“Guys. We’ve been trying to eat better, but we’ve got to DO this. The cancer and heart disease and diabetes rate for people who consumer animal protein are measurably larger than those who don’t. So, we’ve got to do this. We’ve got to make every meal possible vegan or vegetarian.”
I felt the passion beating in my heart. The speech was on par with the Gettysburg address. Moving. Powerful.
Rejected.
The family teenager copped an attitude, “Great mom. That’s great. I’ll just have to start eating bacon in secret.”
He debated me most of the evening. Tried to state made-up carnivorous facts. Sulked and whined and insisted his need for a half-side of steak every week.
At some point, I did what most moms have learned to do with know-it-all teenagers. You smile and nod, pat them on their furry heads, and then cook up a kickass meal. Because, I don’t care how much you THINK you need meat, if your mama can wow you with some seriously rich and hearty soup, you’re going to give in. It’s the only option.
And so it was tonight. The teenager bent his head over his bowl, scooped heaping masses of Veggie Pot Pie soup into his face, asked for seconds, then said,
“Okay, okay. I could eat like this all the time. Vegan rocks.”
To which I replied with a wink and a gentle nod.
Because being a know-it-all, veggie-making mama rocks bananas.
Veggie Pot Pie Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Earth Balance spread or butter
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 large carrots diced
- 4 stalks celery diced
- 64 ounces veggie broth
- 16 ounces gnocchi potato pasta dumplings, you'll find them your grocers pasta aisle
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dill
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1-2 teaspoons garlic salt
- fresh ground pepper
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen green beans
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- In an extra large pot, melt a tablespoon of Earth Balance (or margarine or butter) over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the carrots, celery, and veggie broth. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the lid from the pot, then bring soup to a boil once again. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water. Cook 3-5 minutes, or until the gnocchi is softened. Reduce the heat once again. In a small bowl, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance. Whisk in the flour and water. Slowly pour the flour mixture into the soup, stirring it quickly to mix the flour throughout the soup. Toss in the dill, Italian seasoning, and add enough garlic salt and pepper to taste.
- Turn the heat up once more, stir until the soup is thickened. Toss in the frozen corn, green beans, and peas. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the frozen veggies are thawed.
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