Very Vegan French Onion Soup

This post goes out to my friend Jesslynn. I told her I'd create a vegetarian French Onion Soup . . . and that's exactly what I did this weekend. Other recipes I've followed in the past have lacked in some major way. Or haven't been quite as fulfilling as I would have liked.

Not this one. With the help of roux, the flavor is incredible. Who needs beef broth? Not me!

VERY VEGAN FRENCH ONION SOUP

What you'll need . . .

• Bag of yellow onions (2 pounds), sliced thinly
• A couple cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• Wholegrain sourdough bread (or your favorite), cubed

Method . . .

1. After you've sliced your onions (it takes a while -- get ready to cry), heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 8 to 10 minutes -- stirring often -- until softened.
2. Add in the maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Stir well -- being careful not to burn the onions -- for 20 minutes, until golden.
3. Add in the garlic, coriander, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 30 minutes.
4. During those last 10 minutes of waiting, heat the olive oil into a shallow pan on medium-low and wait for the it to get to a hot, but not too hot (shouldn't be smoking -- read more in our last roux-tastic recipe).
5. Add the flour to the 1/4 cup oil and stir continuously for 10 minutes -- until flower is deep brown and smells nutty.
6. Add roux to the soup and let cook for another 5 minutes.
7. Serve with cubed bread and enjoy!

When I was younger, I would eat French onion soup often when we'd go out to eat. I thought since it didn't have meat in it . . . well . . . it was most certainly vegetarian. Right? BUT when I went off to college, I learned about broths and how my beloved soup was full-o-beef.

I guess that's one problem with becoming vegetarian before you learn to cook for yourself!

Vegetarians and vegans out there -- do you have a similar experience? Like how you didn't realize there's gelatin in everything? Or that many soy cheeses have milk protein in them? Please share! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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