Not-Chicken Noodle Soup

Chickens were one of the first animals we stopped eating when Eric and I decided to transition to a vegetarian (and eventually vegan) lifestyle. It made sense; we had chickens living in our backyard and so our personal connection to these animals was much more tangible than to other farmed animals. Quickly this transitioned to our not eating any animals, but chickens were the first. This weekend, Eric was missing the comfort/familiarity of a standard chicken noodle soup. He also has really been enjoying this tomato orzo soup from our co-op’s prepared foods department. And so, he suggested we make a soup with a chicken-soup flavor profile and orzo. When we were at the co-op on Sunday, I made sure grab a bag of orzo and I was in the bulk spice section and stumbled across some ‘Vegetarian Chicken Stock’ powder. I was a little wary of what it might be like (we usually avoid the fake-meat options), but decided to get a little and give it a try. Yesterday, I made up some ‘Not-Chicken Noodle Soup’ for dinner and I think we were both pleased with results. It is quite thick (the orzo absorbed much of the liquid, so if you like a thinner soup, reduce the amount of orzo, or increase the amount of liquid).

The Recipe

12 oz orzo, uncooked

splash of olive oil

1 medium onion

3 stalks celery

3 carrots

12 cups water

7 Tbls vegetarian chicken stock powder.

white pepper or black pepper, to taste

Dice the onions, carrots, and celery. Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pot. Add the onions and saute until slightly soft. Add the carrots and celery and let saute for about 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring frequently:

Add the water, stock powder, and pepper. Note: white pepper is the traditional chicken soup addition, but if you don’t have it, black pepper works just fine).

Heat to a boil and turn down the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. The idea here is to cook the carrots and celery slightly, but not until they’re mushy. They will still continue to cook once you’ve added the orzo. Add the orzo and cook for at least 10-15 minutes. Taste the orzo until it’s cooked to your liking:

Serve it up, and enjoy! This turned out to be warming, satisfying and hit the spot for Eric’s craving. Do any of you have favorite recipes you have tried (or want to try) to veganize?