Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

Happy Meatless Monday my friends. Many times when  someone finds out that I am vegan they feel compelled to tell me,” I would be vegan if I didn’t have to give up……fill in the blank.”I have found that blank is usually cheese.  Its funny because after a year and a half of hearing that, I find it tiresome but the truth is…I said the same thing for the fourteen years I was vegetarian, except, about ice cream. Because I was too afraid to try or unwilling or unsure how to find suitable replacements for my beloved ice cream, I said the exact same thing. So, I am always thrilled when we can create a dish that is ridiculously cheesy or not at all vegany so much so that it could bring any cheese lover to the dark side of awesomeness.

Beer Cheese Soup

Inspired by a variation from MommieCooks.com

By: S. Boulton

Ingredients:

1 shallot diced

2 carrots diced

2 celery stalks diced

1 pepper of your choice diced, I used a mild Italian pepper

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

4 tbsp flour

1 cup of beer (I used an India Pale Ale, it would be great with a porter or a stout too I suspect!)

3 tbsp nutritional yeast

4 C veggie broth

1 C water

1  8  0z pkg shredded vegan cheese (I used Daiya shredded cheddar)

1/2  C  non-dairy creamer

2 Tbsp dijon mustard

2 tsp worcestershire

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Make It Happen:

Use spray oil to lightly coat the bottom of a large stock pot.  Simmer the shallot, carrots, celery, pepper and garlic for about 5 min, until the vegetables begin to sweat.  Stir in the flour to coat.   Add beer, nutritional yeast, broth, water and bring to a boil.   Add cheese and stir while it melts.  Add creamer,  dijon, worcestershire and red pepper flakes and continue to stir. Once the cheese had melted, remove from heat and carefully use immersion blender to puree the soup until smoother, but with some texture remaining from the veggies.    You could also use a blender or food processor if you do not have an immersion blender.

In order to have a completely authentic beer cheese soup experience, I stopped at a local bakery and procured two Sourdough  bread bowls. As I sat with this cheesy behemoth in front of me I tried to be coy, like I wasn’t about to devour a tureen made out of bread that was  larger than my skull.  Soon enough though, I was ripping it apart like the scary parts of a Nat Geo documentary. After the hysteria subsided, I was recovering on the sectional when I  crossed my arms over my belly, bulging and full, only to find that I had beer cheese soup all over my t-shirt. It was like a massacre had taken place in our living room.  I would love to tell you that we evened it out by consciously consuming copious amounts of kale but we didn’t. We had  steaming edible bowls of cheesy soup and practically passed out like crack addicts. It was amazing. It was comforting like a sleeping pill and equally as energizing.  No one will ever believe this is vegan and dairy free. If you are already vegan or veg and make this for your friends or family, they will think you have lost your mind and have crossed over the carnivorous bridge.  Sounds like a dare to me.

Have a delicious day.

Tags: Beer Cheese soup in a bread bowl, cheese soup, compassionate eating, dairy free, dairy free beer cheese soup, dairy free soup, going veg, Meatless Monday, Meatless Monday recipe, plant based diet, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, vegan beer cheese soup in a bread bowl, vegan challenge, vegan cheese soup, vegan experience, Vegan MoFo, vegan MoFo recipe, vegan recipe, vegan soup, vegan wannabe, vegetarian beer cheese soup, vegetarian soup, vegetarian transition