Vegan MoFo: Vegetable Seitan Soup

Although the temperature is yet again soaring into the unbearable 90+ zone, Southern California had a chilly stint this past weekend...and it was the perfect time to make no knead bread and a hearty vegetable seitan soup.

First, a starter.

Get it?  It's a bread starter.  I use the good old reliable Alton Brown recipe for this and cook it in a steel pot.  The bread wasn't done until the last remaining sunlight had gone, so the picture of the sponge is all I've got.

Next, the soup.

Vegetable Seitan Soup

1 small brown onion, chopped
1/2 head cauliflower (around 1 lb), chopped
3 large florets of broccoli, chopped
1/2 lb baby carrots or sliced large carrots
3 cups fresh spinach
3 large stalks celery
2 tsp Better than Bouillon No Chicken base or whatever bouillon you like to use
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
dash of ground cloves
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of medium pasta shells
1/4 lb seitan (I used homemade, but one package of the "beefless strips" from Trader Joe's would work too), chopped into bite size chunks
3 quarts of water...or so

Soup is easy.  Saute the chopped onion in a large soup pan, then add the water, carrots, celery, bouillon, seitan, and spices.  Bring to a boil, then add the pasta shells.  When the pasta is al dente, add the broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach and cook until spinach is wilted.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve.

It's barely a recipe, but dang.  This was just perfect for a chilly fall evening.

Also...

The cohabiting omnivore approved.  Not that he's picky or whiny ever. ;)