Recipe: Easy Homemade Vegetable Soup (Gluten Free & Vegan!)

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Can I tell you something? 

I'm currently experiencing something I like to call; the winter freakout.

The temperature drops below 20°C for half a second and I get anxious. In fact, last week the temperature dropped for the first time and my freakout was in full force. 

Jesse called from Canberra and asked me what I was doing and I said errrrr, well..... I just bought 8 different jumpers online....

Freakout, friends.

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The temperature drops and I go into overdrive; wondering how many layers I can fit under my skinny jeans and mentally calculating the number of sweaters in my closet (which apparently wasn't enough because I bought 8 more, haha). 

I also start making soup. 

This soup was inspired by my Mum's vegetable soup. As soon as the temperature dropped, this was always one of the first wintery recipes she made. Just the smell of it is comforting because this is pure comfort - only, after finding out I had coeliac disease, that soup became off limits....

Until I made it gluten free! 

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Inspired by my Mum's original recipe, this is a healthy vegan soup that's warm, comforting and packed full of vegetables.

In fact, even though my Mum hates vegetables, she will happily devour bowl after bowl of this soup - so it's perfect for fussy veggie haters! 

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

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Easy Gluten Free Vegetable Soup Recipe

low fat, gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, healthy, clean eating friendly

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp butter or oil

3 large carrots, sliced 

4 ribs/sticks of celery, sliced

2 medium parsnips, sliced

1 turnip, sliced

2 medium zucchinis, quartered and sliced into chunks

1 cup of raw millet (you can also use rice, quinoa, amaranth or, if you don't need it gluten free; barley) 

1 litre/4 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock (if not vegan) 

2 cups of water 

Salt and pepper, to taste

• In a large saucepan, saute your onion with your butter or oil until softened.
• Add all of your other ingredients and bring your soup to the boil. 
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for ~30 minutes or until your vegetables have softened and your grains are cooked through.
• Season to taste. 
• If you want a creamier soup, transfer half of your soup to a blender or food processor and pulse a few times - just enough to break up some of the vegetables. 
• Add your blended soup to your remaining half and stir to combine. 
• Serve immediately - either on it's own or with a hearty slice of bread.
• For the meat eaters: Feel free to add in some cooked shredded or sliced chicken breast for extra protein. 
• This soup will keep for 4-5 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature and can also be frozen to defrost and eat later.

Notes:

• You can add whatever vegetables you like or have on hand in this soup. I always use carrot, celery, onion and parsnip but I'll often leave out the turnip and add mushrooms or whatever else I have in the fridge.
• You can also make this in a Thermomix or Cuisine Companion. If making this in my cuisine companion, I'll chop the onion on S12 first then press Slow Cooker P1, add the butter/oil and a splash of water and cook the onion for 5 minutes and then add all of the other ingredients and press Slow Cooker P2 - cooking the soup for 45 minutes before pulsing the soup for a few seconds to break up some of the ingredients to make a creamier soup. 

But tell me, are you a cold weather fan or do you have a winter freakout like me? 
Or maybe you have a summer freakout? What season is your least favourite?
And what food is your ultimate comfort food? 

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