Spinach Pasta Soup

Saturdays are my absolute favorite day of the week. Why? Because they are all about two of my favorite things: running a LOT of miles and eating a LOT of food. And quite frequently, running several miles while talking about food. Today's topic: bread. And what goes better with bread on a kind of yucky weather kind of day? Soup of course!!!

Spinach Pasta Soup:
1/2 diced onion
5 cloves of diced garlic
1 can of diced tomatoes
5 cups of water
2 cubes of vegetable bullion
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1/2 cup of cooked and pureed carrot/cauliflower mix (1/4c chopped cooked carrots, 1/4 cup of chopped cooked cauliflower, 1 tbsp of water- pureed in the Vitamix)
2 tsp of oregano
8-10 fresh basil leaves, minced
3 cups of chopped fresh spinach
2 cups of cooked pasta- I used Wacky Mac spirals
Salt and pepper as needed

Cook onion and garlic in a pan with hot olive oil until onions soften (about 5 minutes on a medium heat). Then add basil, oregano, vegetable bullion, water, tomato paste, and the pureed carrot/cauliflower mix and cook for 15 minutes. Add the spinach in for the last 3 minutes. In a seperate pot, cook your pasta according to it's instructions.

Layer your pasta in the bottom of your bowl and top with the soup. (If you add the pasta directly to the soup it will continue to cook in the hot soup and can get overcooked). I topped our soup off with Bean Balls from my culinary Bible, Veganomicon:

Beanballs
From Veganomicon
1 can of cooked kidney beans
1/4 c. vital wheat gluten
1/2 c. bread crumbs- I used Panko and it was fab!
2 T. olive oil
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. steak sauce or tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated
1/4 t. lemon zest
1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. thyme
Preheat oven to 375* and spray rimmed baking sheet with oil.
Mash kidney beans using potato masher or food processor. (Use a Vitamix for the ultimate creamy consistency). Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix together. Knead with your hands for about a minute once combined.
Roll into balls – I got about 16 out of this – and place on baking sheet. Spray beanballs with a little more oil. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and bake again for 10 minutes.
Then of course what meal isn't complete without its muse? By that of course I mean bread. Top your meal off with a tasty baguette and you are set! Who says vegan food isn't filling? This girl is stuffed!!!