Whenever cold weather sets in, all I want is a stew or soup. Something with all the nutrients you need right there in one big, comforting pot. This soup is perfect for a chilly winter day like today and provides all the fiber, protein and nutrients one could need in a meal. It will warm your soul, nourish your body, and make you want to curl up by the fire with a cute little puppy named Harvey…or so I imagine, because that’s what it makes me want to do!
Bouillabaisse is one of my favorite soups: the complexity of the flavors, the richness of the creamy broth, and the beautiful array of color. I wanted to do my own spin on the soup with vegetables only: a nutrient dense soup that is just as satisfying as the original.
Since it is winter, I used seasonal root vegetables like beets, parsnips, and carrots. You can also switch this up and do a spring bouillabaisse with summer squash, asparagus, green peas and whatever else is in season at your local farmers market. Eating seasonally is a great way to give your body the nutrients it needs for that particular climate. Do you ever wonder why in hot climates, fruits like pineapple and papaya are in abundance then in colder climates, root vegetables are the go-to ingredients? That’s because nature gives us what our body needs to stay fueled and protected from the elements of each season. Winter produce normally takes a bit longer to cook, but that’s because these denser foods are required to generate energy and heat in the body. Cooling foods like pineapple and mango are perfect for hot summer days.
Take a bit longer in the kitchen today, warming the soul and the body with these seasonal beauties. And don’t forget to start the fire!
(I used tofu for the “cream” but if you prefer to use cashews, click here to see the recipe for cashew cream; both are delicious alternatives to heavy cream.)
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
- 1 leek, washed, sliced in half length-ways, and chopped
- ½ red onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup white wine
- 3 1/2 cups veg stock
- 1 inch square piece of orange peel, orange reserved
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 1/8 teaspoon anise seed, ground
- 1 tomato chopped
- 2 sundried tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tablespoon of fresh orange juice from the orange used above
- 4 beets, peeled and cut into small chunks (you can also use leftover, already-roasted beets! Just add them at the very end.)
- 1 parsnip, peeled and sliced into ½ inch pieces
- 1 carrot, peeled and sliced on the diagonal, ½ inch thick
- A large handful of green beans, ends trimmed
- 1/8 teaspoon of fresh saffron threads plus a pinch more
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 radishes, julienned for garnish (optional)
- ¼ cup organic silken tofu*
- 1 teaspoon almond milk
- ¼ teaspoon honey or coconut nectar
- pinch of salt
- In a large dutch oven or soup pot, combine the coconut oil, leeks, red onion, and garlic. Sweat the vegetables (cook over low heat) for 5 minutes, ensuring not to brown the vegetables.
- Add the white wine, vegetable stock, orange peel, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, anise seed, tomato, sundried tomatoes, and orange juice. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. For a jazzier presentation, you can strain all of these ingredients out of the soup after 10 minutes, or leave them in for more nutrients, as I did.
- Add the beets, carrots and parsnips and simmer over medium-low heat for 12 minutes. Add green beans and simmer for an additional 3 minutes.
- Add the saffron to the soup, cover the pot and remove from the heat. Let it stand covered and steep for 15 minutes.
- While the saffron steeps, make your tofu cream. In a high-powered blender, blend silken tofu, almond milk, honey and salt. Set aside
- Remove the bay leaf, orange zest and thyme sprigs if you didn’t already do so in step 2. Stir in ¼ cup tofu cream or cashew cream and parsley.
- Divide between 4 bowls and garnish with radish.
- *If you prefer not to use tofu, click here and scroll to the bottom for a cashew cream recipe. Both are delicious alternatives to heavy cream!
Naomi - I love your website. This bouillabaisse looks so amazing. I can’t wait to make it. I’ll be following you regularly!
Anise Thorogood - Thanks Naomi!! Let me know how it turns out!
Joyti - This looks so delicious, comforting AND elegant, which is a difficult combination.
Gorgeous photography too 🙂
Love & Garnish - Why thank you Joyti! What a sweet comment!
Emily - Made this last week – tasted delicious but it turned totally purple because I didn’t cook the beets separately. Unless you want it to turn into more of a borscht than a bouillabasse, I would cook the beets first and add them later. Still delicious, though!
Love & Garnish - Oh yeah, those beets will get cha! I used golden and candy cane beets so they added to the golden colour. Glad you still enjoyed it!