Free Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking by Carla Kelly

five forms of tomato in this soup, but the alliteration works better this way, in case you count and wonder what I am going on about! A childhood friend’s mother used to make the best tomato soup, and I have recreated it. I later learned that the secret recipe was just a can of Campbell’s Cream of Tomato and a can of diced tomatoes mixed together! But with no cream or help from Campbell’s, I matched the soup in my memory. This is rich, heavy, and very intensely tomato flavored, so only a small amount is enough. If you find the finished soup a little acidic (depends on your tomatoes), add an extra teaspoon of agave to balance it out. Drizzle with a little homemade or store-bought pesto for a luscious touch of summer.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
3 cups cherry tomatoes, stems removed but tomatoes left whole (about 18 ounces)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon chile flakes, optional
Black pepper
 
¼ cup red wine or vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade ( page 43 )
 
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon agave
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup vegetable stock
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, undrained
1½ cups tomato juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
 
Salt and black pepper
 
Sliced cherry tomatoes, optional
     
*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on page 39 .
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Toss the cherry tomatoes through the black pepper in a 7 by 11-inch baking pan, and roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes split and release their juice.
3. Deglaze with the wine and transfer to the slow cooker.
4. Add the garlic through the sun-dried tomatoes; stir to combine.
5. Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 5 hours, or until everything is completely melded.
6. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. If you don’t want the few seeds and skin that will be left, strain to remove. Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.
7. Serve hot garnished with sliced cherry tomatoes, if desired.

Crème of Broccoli Soup

    S O THICK, RICH , creamy, and velvety smooth, I would forgive you for thinking this soup is loaded with a cream substitute and lashings of margarine. You’d be wrong, though.
    Actually, the wonderful texture comes from the potato and lentils, both cooked until really tender and then blended to add their special smoothness to the soup. All the powerful flavor comes from the broccoli. It’s really good! Unfortunately, this soup doesn’t freeze well because of the potato.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
½ medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3½ cups light vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade ( page 43 )
1 large white potato, peeled and cut in ¼-inch pieces
½ cup red lentils
1 bay leaf
 
1 head broccoli, stalk and top chopped
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
 
Salt and black pepper
Additional stock
     
*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on page 39 .
1. Combine the onion through the bay leaf in the slow cooker.
2. Set heat to LOW and cook for 6 hours, or until the potatoes and lentils are tender.
3. Add the broccoli, salt, and pepper; stir well and cook for 2 hours, or until the broccoli is soft.
4. Remove the bay leaf, then use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.
5. Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required. Add stock to adjust the texture of the soup to reach your preferred consistency.

Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

    T HIS SOUP ISN’T excessively sweet, just fragrant, and light for such a filling soup. You need the pears to be ripe but not overly so, with a nice sweetness. They should not be too soft or they’ll just turn to mush when you try to peel them. If you can’t find reasonably priced pear juice, do what I did once and buy