Truthfully, I wanted to call this “Everything but the kitchen sink” soup. We all have those evenings when we’re not sure to make, can’t decide what to make and/or don’t have the right ingredients on hand to make what we’ve decided on in our mind. I had so many recipe ideas competing for my attention in my mind last night — not to mention the abundance of ‘odds and ends’ vegetables in the crisper – so I decided to pursue a soup recipe I’ve aptly named Harvest Vegetable Soup.

I’ve shared a few different soup recipes to date, Roasted Tomatoes, Rice & Bean Soup and Italian Wedding Soup with TVP Meatballs to name a few, but I wanted to use this post to share a household favourite we’ve been making since we purchased our Thermomix this spring. It’s simple, versatile and can be made in under 30 minutes*. Simply use any fresh herbs you have on hand, a medley of fresh or close-to-spoiling vegetables you don’t want to waste, some hearty protein-dense ingredients such as barley and black beans, and you have yourself a deliciously simple soup. The key to this soup is using fresh, aromatic herbs bursting with flavour-enhancing properties. Using a good quality vegetable bouillon powder, such as HarvestSun® brand, is also key to achieving delicious results. I encourage you to give this soup a try and see if it won’t become one of your go-to recipes for those busy weeknight meals (or moments of meal planning uncertainty!) ☺️.

Since every good soup deserves a good biscuit , I wanted to elevate this Harvest Vegetable Soup by developing a delicious vegan biscuit to accompany it. This Sweet Vegan Biscuit is unbelievably simple to make and tastes as good as the variety you would buy from your neighbourhood bakeshop (you know the one, lol). These have a sweet (vs. savoury) dimension and cake-like texture that will have you wondering if they should best be eaten with soup or alone, lol…I now consider these an essential in my recipe library. Try them for yourself and see 😉.

Enjoy~

*This recipe can be made in under 30 minutes assuming you have cooked your barley and legumes in advance of making the soup. I find it’s helpful to reserve time for meal prep each week. During this time I recommend cooking a few large batches of whole grains (such as barley, brown rice or millet) and/or legumes (such as beans, chickpeas or lentils). Once cooked, divide each item into various ziploc bags for storage in the freezer until needed. Simply thaw what you need on the counter and you’re set~

Havest Vegetable Soup

Preparation

1/Cook hulled barely as directed (minimum 1 cup cooked barley suggested)
2/Cook black beans, or other legume, as directed (minimum 1 cup cooked legumes suggested)

Did you know? Whole grain barley, such as the hulless variety, takes longer to cook than pearl barley (polished barley where some of the outer bran has been removed with the hull); however, you benefit from the added fibre found in the germ and bran.

Ingredients

1 onion, halved (75g)
1 Tbsp fresh parsley leaves
1-2 Tbsp fresh herbs (I used basil, thyme & rosemary for testing this recipe)
Pinch of garlic powder
Olive oil (20g)
Pinch of Himalayan pink salt

830g mixed vegetables, coarsely chopped (or chopped to desired thickness)
Red pepper, coarsely chopped (95g)
2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped (90g)
2 sweet potatoes, coarsely chopped (250g)
3 carrots, coarsely chopped (245g)
1 beefsteak tomato, coarsely chopped (150g)

4 cups water (930g)
2 Tbsp vegetable bouillon powder
Pinch of Himalayan pink salt
1 cup (or more) cooked barley
1 cup (or more) cooked legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils, soybeans etc)

Instructions

1/Add onion, fresh parsley leaves, fresh herbs (of your choosing) and garlic powder to your Thermomix mixing bowl. Chop 5 sec/Speed 7. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to collect the minced ingredients at the base of the mixing bowl.
2/Add olive oil and pinch of salt to the TM bowl. Sauté 3 min/120C/Speed 1. Once again, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to collect the sautéed mixture at the base of the mixing bowl.
3/Add chopped veggies, water, vegetable bouillon powder and a pinch of salt to the TM bowl. Cook 15 min/100C/Speed 1 (Reverse blade). Transfer soup from the Thermomix mixing bowl to a large mixing/prep bowl.
4/Add desired amount of cooked barley and black beans (or other legume) to the prepared soup. Stir to combine. Serve hot!

Product Recommendation
*HarvestSun® Vegetable Bouillon Powder

Sweet Vegan Biscuits

Preparation

1/Prepare a parchment paper-lined baking tray
2/Preheat oven to 425F

Ingredients

2/3 cups soy milk
3 Tbsp aquafaba (equivalent to 1 egg)
2.5 cups all-purpose flour (365g) + 1/8 cup flour (approx.)
1 Tbsp baking powder (15g)
1/2 tsp salt (5g)
1/3 cup cane sugar (75g)
5 Tbsp butter (75g)

Instructions

1/In a small prep bowl combine soy milk and aquafaba. Whisk well and set aside.
2/Add flour, baking powder, salt and sugar to your Thermomix mixing bowl. Blend 10 sec/Speed 6.
3/Add butter to the TM bowl. Using the Turbo feature: Pulse 0.5 sec/Twice
4/Add reserved milk-aquafaba mixture to the TM bowl. Using the Turbo setting: Pulse 0.5 sec/Twice. Then using the Dough setting, Knead 1 min 30 sec.
7/Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface (the dough will be quite ragged and sticky). Add additional flour (approx. 1/8 cup) on top of the dough and gently work in with your fingers. Divide the dough into 10-12 circles and place onto your prepared baking tray (spaced evenly apart). If desired, dust a scant amount of flour on top of each circle to add a finished look.
8/Bake at 425F for 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Serve hot!

Product Recommendation
*Earth Balance® Vegan Buttery Spread

Note: This recipe was made using a Thermomix appliance, however it can easily be adapted using similar food prep tools (e.g. mutli-function processor, immersion blender etc) or using a more traditional stovetop method.