Slow cooking mushrooms in ginger and garlic broth gives this vegan hot and sour soup a deep and delicious flavor. Perfect crock pot meal!
My poor slow cooker has spent most of its life gathering dust on a shelf, but lately it is getting a workout thanks to Kathy Hester’s new book, The Vegan Slow Cooker. With easy recipes, a clean layout, and lovely photos, it’s enticed even a last-minute cook like me to think ahead a little and get my crock pot going in the morning so that when dinnertime comes the meal is already done. Fortunately, Kathy’s publisher sent me two copies of her book, so I have one to share with a lucky reader–maybe you! [Update: A winner has been drawn. Thank you to all who entered. See the end of the post for details.]
When you open The Vegan Slow Cooker, the first thing you’ll notice is the layout: each recipe has its own page (no turning back and forth between ingredients and instructions) with ingredients on the left and instructions on the right. Kathy breaks the instructions down into two parts, what to do the night before and what to do in the morning, so that the recipes come together quickly in the morning when you’re likely to have less time. And if you’re a visual person, you’ll be happy to know that there are large, professionally shot photos of about 40 of the 150 recipes. Most recipes are easy and call for ingredients that are not hard to find in supermarkets.
Many of the recipes do use seitan and soy, but Kathy offers substitutes and includes recipes for making your own seitan (“Chick’n” and “Beefy”) as well as a gluten-free apple sage sausage, homemade ketchup, and low-sodium “chickeny” bouillon. Soy-free and gluten-free recipes are marked with symbols, and asterisks indicate substitutes for soy and gluten.
Though many of the recipes contain a little olive oil or vegan margarine, there are several recipes that are fat-free as written, including Creamy Butternut Squash Risotto, Caribbean Mango Black Beans, and Chile-Chocolate Black Bean Brownies (includes walnuts). Most of the oil that is used is easily removed by sauteing with water or broth, though the recipes that include vegan cheese may be a little harder to adapt for low-fat dieters.
You can get a taste of Kathy’s recipes for yourself at her blog, Healthy Slow Cooking. She has also contributed several to the main Fatfree Vegan Recipes site, where they’ve become some of the most popular recipes. You can see them all on this page.
I had a hard time deciding which recipe to test from the book–both the Pumpkin Lasagna and the Caribbean Mango Black Beans had me intrigued–but the decision was taken out of my hands when my husband saw the Hot and Sour Soup recipe. It’s a soup he’s been craving ever since he became vegetarian, and I just haven’t found a recipe he really likes.
Kathy’s version, however, was a huge success. Though it wasn’t exactly what he remembered, it was so flavorful due to the long-cooking of the mushrooms in garlic and ginger-flavored broth–we both loved it.
Though the recipe says that it makes 4 servings, they are very big servings, and since we were eating it as part of a meal that included stir-fried vegetables and rice, we actually enjoyed leftovers for two more meals. I didn’t think the 1 teaspoon of chile sauce (I used Sambal Oelek) would be very spicy, but it turned out too hot for E, so spicy-haters beware and use a little less. With the chile sauce on the side, this soup will be a regular in our house.
Kathy's Slow-Cooker Hot and Sour Soup
Ingredients
- 1 10-ounce package sliced mushrooms (280g)
- 8 fresh shiitake mushrooms stems removed and caps sliced
- 1 8-ounce can bamboo shoots, drained and jullienned (225g)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15-ounce package firm or silken tofu, cubed (420g)
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger, divided (16g)
- 4 cups water (940ml)
- 2 tablespoons vegan chicken-flavored bouillon (16g)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari, for gluten-free) (30ml)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil plus extra for drizzling (Susan's note: I didn't need the extra)
- 1 teaspoon chili paste
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar (30ml)
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen peas (225g)
Instructions
- The Night Before: Store the cut-up mushrooms, bamboo shoots, garlic, and tofu in an airtight container in the fridge. Store the prepared ginger in another airtight container in the fridge.
- In the Morning: Combine the mushrooms, bamboo, shoots, garlic, tofu, 1 tablespoon (8g) of the ginger, water, bouillon, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili paste, and vinegar in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.
- A few minutes before serving, add the peas and the remaining 1 tablespoon (8g) ginger and stir to combine. Taste the broth and add more vinegar or chili if needed. Drizzle a few drops of sesame oil on top of each serving. If you like it milder and your friends like it hot, serve the chili paste on the side.
- Preparation time: 15 minute(s) | Cooking time: 6 to 8 hour(s)
- Number of servings (yield): 4
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
Please pin and share!
Mark Fersch
October 4, 2011 at 1:53 pmOnce again, these recipes are coming at the perfect time of year! With the recent cold spell here in PA, my crockpot has also been working like a dog. One of my favorite slow cooker recipes is the classic McDougall “Williams Crock Pot Chili” from his and Mary’s Quick and Easy cookbook. As the Germans do, keeping my thumbs pressed (for good luck) for a cookbook 🙂
mollyjade
October 4, 2011 at 1:58 pmMy favorite is cholent. We add the tablespoon here and there of leftover beans and lentils from making other recipes to a jar. When the jar is full, it’s time to make cholent.
Shannon
October 4, 2011 at 2:02 pmWow, that soup looks incredible. I don’t even own a slow cooker, but I’m already being pestered by relatives about what I want for Christmas this year and, as a college student, anything that will produce great vegan food with less work after a long day is a great asset. This has definitely inspired me to look into slow cookers and I’d love to get started with this book.
Janna
October 4, 2011 at 2:03 pmI love hot and sour soup and I also love using the crockpot! I haven’t had hot and sour soup for quite a bit because almost impossible to get vegetarian. This will be a comforting soup to eat when it’s raining out and you feel damp and chilled.
My favorite crockpot recipe is scalloped sweet potatoes!
Maggie
October 4, 2011 at 2:59 pmMy slow cooker has also been gathering dust since I went vegan 2 years ago. I used it a lot for cooking meat back when I still did that, but so far have not figured out a way to use it as a vegan (I dont want to cook vegetables to death while I’m at work all day). This soup looks delicious and I’m excited to discover the Healthy Slow Cooking blog. I’d love a copy of the cookbook so that I can start using my slow cooker again!
rita
October 4, 2011 at 3:02 pmI too have a slow cooker that is rarely used. I am just beginning a change in lifestyle and I would love to try some of Kathy’s healthier recipes.
Please include me in your giveaway Thanks
Li Wu
October 4, 2011 at 3:05 pmI’ve been looking for a vegan hot & sour soup recipe forever!!! Thanks for posting this and I’m sure I’ll be trying this out very soon!
Kristen
October 4, 2011 at 3:11 pmI am always looking for Vegan Slow Cooker meals that will freeze well. When my husband goes to work for 2 days at a time, so I prep 5 meals for him to take, and slow cooker meals that freeze well make that so much easier to handle! If I don’t win the book, I’ll definitely be buying it!
Sharon Gladson
October 4, 2011 at 3:19 pmMy slow cooker sits on the shelf and getting this book will put it to use! The soup looks delicious! Thanks for sharing the cookbook!
Dixter
October 4, 2011 at 3:24 pmLooks yummy. I use my crock pot a lot and am a vegan, so I look forward to seeing this book. Thanks Susan.
Robin Kester
October 4, 2011 at 3:24 pmI would love a copy. My husband is out of work looking for a job and I have been working 3 jobs. I would love some healthy recipes to make for me…I never use my crock pot for anything but pintos (for my meals). It would be nice to have new recipes at my finger tips that are vegan and good. It would also be great to come home from my 14 hour days and have a meal ready. Look out crock pot!
Carmel Steindam
October 4, 2011 at 3:43 pmMy favorite thing to make in the crockpot is apple sauce. It fills my whole house with the most delicious aroma! I would love to win the cookbook so I can expand my crockpot usage.
kensington cooker
October 4, 2011 at 3:48 pmOh goodness, what would I do without my slow cooker? I make almost all my legumes that way. I base them on a recipe I found in a ladies’ mag in a surgical waiting room while my husband was undergoing a heart procedure( I wish I could give actual credit but don’t recall). I put two chopped onions, two chopped sweet peppers, four-eight cloves of garlic, a pound of dry beans, four tsps of spices, a little heat in the form of chipotle chile in adobo or chili-garlic paste, and seven cups of heated veg broth. In the 6-cup cooker it goes up to six hours on high or eleven on low, often during the night especially in warm weather. Then I freeze it and we enjoy for many days. I vary the spices according to the bean or my taste (cumin for black beans; chili for pintos; cumin, rosemary, and dry mustard for white beans; curry for split peas; Louisiana spices for red beans; barbecue flavor for kidney beans. When done I puree two cups of bean mixture and add back in, add salt and pepper and something acidic (lemon/lime juice or rice/balsamic vinegar), sometimes a few drops of liquid smoke. Always yummy. I’ve also successfully adapted so many vegan soup and stew recipes to the crockpot, including many of Susan’s , e.g., Thick and HeartyPinto Bean Chili, Mushroom-Barley Soup With Cannellini Beans and Cabbage, North African Chickpea and Kale Soup, and lots more.
Kathy’s book sounds intriguing. I won’t try for the contest but will purchase it(too many more deserving contestants).
Good luck Susan in picking a winner. It could be tough! Kensington Cooker
Jennifer
October 4, 2011 at 3:55 pmMy favorite slow cooker recipe is spicy black bean and sweet potato chili.
AussieAmanda
October 4, 2011 at 4:05 pmMy dad is a carnivore, he loves his slow cooker- in fact he cooks with it almost every night!- he only invites me over for dinner if he’s making a roast so he can cook me roast veggies (I bring my own salad accompaniments for roast veggie salad). So for his birthday I’ve bought him a copy of The Vegan Slow Cooker! It’s a little bit of a joke pressie, but if he doesn’t start cooking me some awesome vegan recipes, I’m stealing that book for myself! hahahaha 🙂
Candy Guerra
October 4, 2011 at 4:15 pmHi, Susan:
Your site has been such a blessing! I turned to a vegan diet 6 months ago after receiving a diabetes diagnosis and began Dr. Neal Barnard’s Reversing Diabetes program. It is low-fat and low-glycemic vegan diet and the recipes you share fit into this nicely. I appreciate the honest and practical approach you share with your recipes and I would love to learn more about using my slow-cooker for vegan cooking.
Thank you!
Candy
Radha
October 4, 2011 at 4:23 pmLovely, lovely blog, I stumbled upon your blog while searching for fat-free vegan recipes, (of course)! I would love to have a copy of this book, because it will be so easy for me to come up with something quick rather than researching, I seriously lack the time to do so! I grew up with with one foster family after another since I was 10. I am diabetic and have high cholesterol, and I am determined to take care of myself for the sake of my 4 kids, I don’t want them to go through what I’ve been through without my mom!
Lee Ann
October 4, 2011 at 4:49 pmI love bean dishes that are cooked in a slow cooker.
You don’t have to watch the stove, they come out perfectly and they are ready when you are.
Jennifer
October 4, 2011 at 5:27 pmI am desperate for this book! I am trying to get my family to eat Vegan, and am having a heck of a time! This book and its recipes might be just the trick!
Sally
October 4, 2011 at 5:33 pmI would love to have this book because we went to a vegan diet to save my dad’s life. He has heart disease and this diet has made a huge difference. At his last checkup the doctor said that he is doing so much better than his chart would make you think. I know that is because of this diet ,and I would like to help him enjoy more great meals.
Erica R
October 4, 2011 at 5:47 pmWould love to have a book for my slow cooker that is not full of meaty stews and chilis! Thanks!
Jill Maguire
October 4, 2011 at 5:50 pmMy daughter is vegan but seems to eat the same foods over and over. The rest of my family is not vegan. Meal times are hard! This book looks like it has some great ideas that I can make for her… and hopefully the rest of the family will enjoy, too! If it tastes good, they’ll eat it! I have a slow cooker, but mine spends more time on the shelf than on the counter! It’s time put it to good use! 🙂
Beth M.
October 4, 2011 at 6:14 pmI would LOVE this book for several reasons! One I have a slow cooker but NEVER use it and would love to put it to good use. Two, it would save me tons of time if I could just throw a yummy meal into the slow cooker and have dinner done when I get home. And three, because I would share it with my just truned veg parents as well as my MILK who never has time to cook! It would be a great way also to introduce people to veganism if I could provide them a recipe they can just throw into their crock pot and let go. And I have no doubt these recipes are great!
Vicki Garnick
October 4, 2011 at 6:30 pmI would love to have a copy of The Vegan Slow Cooker! I would love to learn how to use my slow cooker to make vegan meals that would be ready when I get home. I haven’t ever really used my slow cooker for anything other than beans a couple times.
Pricilla V
October 4, 2011 at 6:57 pmI’d like a copy of this cookbook because I need more recipes for using my crockpot. Besides chili or beans, I don’t get much use from it.
sandra jayne
October 4, 2011 at 7:14 pmI was going to say I would like a copy of the book because the hot and sour soup looks delicious! You were nice enough to post the recipe but I am guessing there are many more that I would love. Thank you.
aleonard
October 4, 2011 at 7:27 pmI would LOVE to win this because I certainly need to make more use of my slow cooker – and ways that are healthy, meat free, and written to be especially easy sound perfect for my busy life!
Jain
October 4, 2011 at 7:28 pmMy slow cooker sits on the top shelf of an inaccessible cabinet, unused… maybe ever.
I work long hours, usually eat dinner standing at the counter, and would love to put it to work!
Phyllis
October 4, 2011 at 7:30 pmMy favorite use of my slow cooker is vegetable soup stock. I make a big slow cooked pot of it every Sunday so I have the stock on hand for the week. I freeze it if I don’t think I’ll use it.
Melissa
October 4, 2011 at 7:51 pmI would love a copy of the slow cooker book because, as a single mom with a new house, I need all the time I can get! Not to mention that, like you, my slow cooker rarely gets used these days 🙂
Stephanie Mora
October 4, 2011 at 7:56 pmI would like the book b/c I am just getting into crock pot cooking and there are mainly only meat dishes out there. The ease of it all sounds very appealing to me 🙂
Jacqueline Wyble Boone
October 4, 2011 at 8:01 pmI love making a vegetarian chili with tempeh, black beans, corn, and wondering seasonings (onions, peppers, garlic, etc). I’d love to have this book so that I can truly learn and obtain inspiration in my kitchen. the soup look amazing!
Danielle
October 4, 2011 at 8:31 pmMy mother just bequeathed a slow cooker upon me and I have no idea what to make with it!!! Send this book to me please =)
Lisa Blair
October 4, 2011 at 8:47 pmI’d love to win this book. I just got an awesome slow cooker for my 7-year wedding anniversary, and I need some good recipes.
Emily
October 4, 2011 at 8:59 pmThis cookbook looks fantastic! I used to use the crockpot all the time when I ate meat, however, haven’t found any truly tempting vegan crockpot recipes… until now! I will definitely be making this hot and sour soup and would love to try some of the other recipes in this book!
Kristen
October 4, 2011 at 9:07 pmmmm!! That sounds delicious! I’d like a copy of that book because my slow cooker needs some action!
Michelle
October 4, 2011 at 10:16 pmJust pulled out my crockpot for the first time since becoming vegan, and made tortilla soup. This looks like an awesome book, I need to build up my vegan crockpot recipe collection! Thanks for the giveaway!
JBP
October 4, 2011 at 10:44 pmI’m excited about the “breakfasts worth waking up to” chapter of this book! With slow cookers, the main focus tends to be on coming home after a long day of work and having a hearty supper waiting for you. But what’s better than being pampered with a hearty breakfast waiting for you? (That is, even if was your less-sleepy self preparing the pampering the night before!)
Abbeygirl
October 4, 2011 at 10:49 pmReceived a crockpot for a wedding gift, and the only thing I’ve ever used it for was to keep the soup hot until we ate…lol, so I would love to get this cookbook and learn how to make some great recipes with it.
Teresa Cramer
October 4, 2011 at 11:17 pmI would love to win this book. I’m a new vegan and learning how to use my crock pot to make things like the hot and sour soup would be great.