Hi there, how are you doing?
I haven’t blogged here in a while. It’s not for lack of time. I just haven’t been feeling it. For a couple months, just in general—and in the past several weeks—have been feeling too much. During this time, I’ve partially coped by listening to podcasts that have made me laugh, distracted me, engaged me or encouraged me to live in the moment and let go of the things I can’t control. I’ve listed them at the end of this post to share in case moving into one of those directions is something you are seeking right now. <3
For those of us spending time alone together, this is a recipe that doesn’t require a trip to the store. Use what you have and skip what you don’t.
Start by finding a head of garlic already lying around your kitchen. Lop the head off just to expose the top.
Surround with foil and squirt a generous amount of olive oil over the top.
Close up the foil.
Place into a cast iron vessel and bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and your kitchen smells delicious.
Allow to fully cool, then pop the garlic out of the pods. You can also use this roasted garlic to make a killer sauce for pasta or a vegan aioli.
Next, marinate your tempeh if you’ve got it. This marinade has smoke, salt, vinegar, sweetness and umami. Sub or improvise as needed.
After it bakes, you’ll have salty, slightly charred cubes that are perfect for tossing into a soup, salad or sandwich.
Print
Social Distancing Soup
Ingredients
for the roasted garlic
- one head of garlic
- a few tablespoons of olive oil
for the tempeh cubes
- 8 oz. tempeh
- 2 TB soy sauce
- 2 TB ketchup
- 2 TB olive oil
- 1 TB agave
- 1 TB hoisin
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
for the soup
- potatoes! (4 or 5 cups)
- beans! (1 can, your choice)
- broth! (1-2 cups)
- cashew cream! (1/2 cup, plus more if desired)
- thyme, onion powder, garlic powder (1 tsp each, plus more to taste)
to garnish
- scallions or any greens you already have
- something crispy (I used sealed but expired bagel chips) ¯_(ツ)_/¯
- vegan cheese
- etc.
Instructions
to prepare the garlic
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Lop off some of the top, just enough to expose the garlic.
- Drizzle exposed top with olive oil.
- Wrap in foil and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden.
- Allow to cool, then pop the garlic from the garlic skin.
for the tempeh
- Cut the tempeh into 1X1-inch cubes
- Whisk together the rest of the tempeh ingredients. Add tempeh, toss, and allow to marinate for 1 hour to overnight.
- Line a baking sheet with a silpat. Space the cubes out evenly onto it. Drizzle any remaining marinade over the top. Place into a preheated 400-degree oven.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then turn each piece of tempeh. Repeat on different sides for about 5 minutes until deeply golden all over. Keep an eye on it to prevent burning.
for the soup
- Make potato soup. Cube up 4 cups worth of potatoes and boil until fork tender.
- Drain, return to the pot. Add in 1 tsp or so of dried thyme, onion and garlic powders. Stir to combine. Add the roasted garlic and any of the extra oil.
- Add 1 cup of vegetable broth, stir.
- Transfer half to a blender, allow to cool, then blend until smooth. Add more broth if you’d like.
- Return to the pot and stir until you have a chunky soup.
- Want protein? Add in a can of rinsed beans. White, pinto, cannellini, etc. Toss them into the blender with the potatoes if you want them smooth.
- Want creaminess? Add cashew cream to taste.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish as desired with whatever you’ve got.
That’s it, friends. Stay safe and well.
Need to laugh? Patrick and Gillian will make that happen.
Need some inspiration and perspective? Nora McInerny offers both.
Need a completely different perspective? Listen to Earlonne and Nigel.
Ten Percent Happier’s recent episode with Sharon Salzberg made me feel better too.
When you need girl time combined with true crime, Tori and Tyrella deliver both.
Hi Erin,
Good to hear from you and to read that your keeping well. I haven’t blogged in a long while but am finding at this time that blogging = – whether or not anyone else is reading, is a good distraction for me.
I have some cubed tempeh in a jar screaming to be used, and would like to make your topping (even as a savoury nibble) but don’t have hoisin – what else would be a good substitute?
Warmest of wishes
Shaheen, agreed! Glad you have some tempeh on hand. I luckily grabbed a ton on my last grocery run over a week ago, and glad I did. It’s so versatile!
If you don’t ave hoisin, no problem … just leave it out. Your smokey tempeh will still be delicious. Enjoy!
This looks delicious. I’ve just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, so I’ll have to leave out the potatoes and use less starchy veg (my blood sugars don’t tolerate them well). I’ll probably try butternut squash and aubergine which my husband managed to pick up for me today! Will let you know how I get along.
★★★★★
Nikki, best wishes as you modify your diet. This is exactly what I wanted to encourage with this post — use what you’ve got and what works for you. I hope your soup is delicious! xo
Wow this was so good! I didn’t have any fresh potatoes so I used approx half a bag of frozen shredded hash browns, about 1/3 cup leftover homemade vegan cashew cream cheese, a few splashes of leftover coconut milk, 2 cups water, 2 teaspoons veg bouillon, & 1/2 a can of Northern white beans along with the spices. I simmered it all for a few minutes then blended it thoroughly in my Vitamix, returned to the pot and stirred in the rest of the beans. I had steamed the tempeh and made the marinade in the morning and it turned out so smoky and delicious in the oven. What a comforting meal! Thank you!
★★★★★
Melissa,
I love your version of this soup, so happy this was able to inspire. TBH, I really like the challenge of looking at what I have and coming up with something new, without making an extra trip to the store. Stay safe and be well!
Yay…so glad to see a new post!! Im sorry you’ve been struggling, but glad you’ve been able to do what makes you feel better. I will make the tempeh for sure. Stay well and safe.