Years ago, my aunt had a soup night at her house & we all made a soup & taste tested them. It was a fun potluck gathering in the middle of winter! It was a chance to catch up, be warm & cozy & try new recipes! We had a great time! This was a soup she made. I have made this vegan & g-free since, and my family loves it!! We serve it a few times a year. It’s so delicious! Let me know what you think.

Ingredients:

2 medium onions

2 bags of Gardein Beefless ground

1 whole stick of soy free Earth Balance butter

12 cups of diced tomatoes (or you can use 6-15 oz. cans diced tomatoes, especially when tomatoes are no longer in season)

2-15 oz. bags of frozen corn, cooked

2-15 oz. cans of creamed corn

2-15 oz. cans pinto beans

2-15 oz. cans northern white beans

2-15 oz. cans black beans

6 Tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning (see recipe below)

1/4 cup of homemade dry ranch dressing (see recipe below)

2 small cans of diced green chilies (mild)

*This will clear your sinuses, so great to eat when you’re under the weather & stuffed up. It is also so satisfying & very filling! This recipe makes a huge pot of soup, so you’ll have tons of leftovers for a family of 4 like mine.

Optional toppings:

Tortilla chips crumpled into pieces

Daiya cheddar cheese shreds

Tofu based sour cream

Directions:

1. Make up homemade taco seasoning & put aside (Jar any leftovers)
2. Make homemade dry ranch dressing & put aside (Jar any leftovers)
3. In a Large Pot, cook butter & onions, until onions are clear, soft & slightly browned.
4. Add Smart ground & cook until unfrozen & slightly browned, approximately 7 minutes.
5. Add cooked kernel corn, and canned items with the liquid as well from it (Do not drain).*You can use fresher beans, but they have to be cooked first & reserve all of the juices in the can or of the juices from the fresh that you cooked, into the cooking pot here.
6. Add the 6 Tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning.
7. Add the 1/4 cup of homemade dry ranch dressing.
8. Add the 2 cans of small green chilies.
9. Keep stirring often during the cooking process. After it cooks on medium heat for a few minutes, put on low to simmer for 1 hour.
10. When it’s ready, pour into bowls or cups. Top with crumpled up tortilla chips & Daiya cheddar style cheese shreds. This is optional. It’ll taste like a taco in soup form! Yum!! You could also dollop with tofu sour cream if you want.

Homemade Taco Seasoning: (makes 1/2 cup)

2 1 /2 Tbspns chili powder

4 tspns Paprika

4 tspns ground cumin

3 tspns onion powder

3 tspns fine sea salt

3 tspns garlic powder

1/4 tspn cayenne pepper

Mix all of these ingredients together. Store in a tightly sealed glass jar & store in fridge.

Homemade Dry Ranch Dressing: (makes 1/2 cup)

Ingredients:

4 Tbspns nutritional yeast

2 Tbspns dried parsley

1/2 Tbspn dried dill

1/2 Tbspn onion powder

1/2 Tbspn garlic powder

1/2 Tbspn minced onion flakes

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried chives

Directions:

1. Pulse all of the ingredients in a food processor until it is a fine powder.
2. Store in a sealed glass jar container & store in fridge.