HELLO Green July! ย *cue glitter and streamers*

To celebrate the start of a very healthy, sparkly month, I decided to startย and finish the day with green liquid! ย Genius, no? ย I just hope I don’t turn green. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Last weekend some friends hosted a pizza party and made an incredibly simple and delicious vegan pizza – topped only with potato, rosemary and sea salt. ย I was too slow with the camera, but trust me, it was GOOD. ย So good that it got me to thinking about a potato-herby soup combo and hey pesto, here is the result!

For 3-4 servings:

  • 3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tsp vegan margarine
  • 4 cups (1 litre) vegetable broth/stock
  • 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cupย Nutritional Yeast
  • 2 cups fresh Basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup Pine nuts
  • Squeeze of lemon juice
  • In a large saucepan, heat vegan margarine and saute onion and garlic for a few minutes.
  • Add potatoes and cook for a few minutes more, then add vegetable broth and simmer until potatoes are soft.
  • In a blender or food processor, combine basil, EVOO, nutritional yeast, pine nuts and lemon juice and blend until smooth.
  • Blend the potato soup in batches until smooth and return to the pan.
  • Stir the pesto into the potato soup, season with salt and pepper, and enjoy!

It tastes even better the next day too, once the pesto flavours have spent more time infusing their green goodness.

Happy Green July, everyone! ย xx

 

23 Comments on Creamy Potato and Pesto Soup

  1. Gabby @ the veggie nook
    July 1, 2012 at 9:45 pm (12 years ago)

    I’m sooo down with Green July! I do it almost everyday anyway and I love the idea ๐Ÿ™‚ I’ll have to make sure I make one later since this was one of the only days I didn’t have one for breakfast lol.

    Lovely looking soup! I need to bookmark all your cold-weather recipes for when our winter comes back ๐Ÿ™‚

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      July 2, 2012 at 4:37 pm (12 years ago)

      Absolutely! I have a bit of a soup obsession at the moment, hehe. ๐Ÿ™‚ And yes, Green July is such a great idea and delicious to boot!

  2. Jen
    July 1, 2012 at 9:58 pm (12 years ago)

    This was extremely easy to make and of course delicious to eat. It took me no time at all!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      July 2, 2012 at 4:37 pm (12 years ago)

      Hurray! Great to hear, Jen. ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Danielle
    July 2, 2012 at 10:45 am (12 years ago)

    This looks delicious! I’ll definitely have to make a batch when I can get my hands on some basil. Lately, there never seems to be any left at Woolworths when I go shopping; how dare other people buy it all and leave me with nothing! I can’t wait for the warmer weather so I can grow my own again. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Obviously it would change the flavour, but if I can’t find basil, do you think I could possibly substitute it with parsley or baby spinach?

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      July 2, 2012 at 4:39 pm (12 years ago)

      hhhmmm, I’m not sure if the flavour would be quite as good with parsley or spinach, but it’s worth a shot! ๐Ÿ™‚ Or maybe try the farmers markets for lots of fresh basil, mmmmmmm…
      I can’t wait to try growing my own this spring, too! You might have to give me tips. ๐Ÿ™‚

      • Danielle
        July 3, 2012 at 7:04 pm (12 years ago)

        Can you recommend any good farmers markets just north of the river? I’ll have to see if I can persuade my mister to take me to one. ๐Ÿ™‚ Hopefully I’ll be able to make this soup soon!

        I’m no expert when it comes to basil, but I’d be happy to share what I know with you. ๐Ÿ™‚ If you’re interested in starting a herb garden, I could even propagate a few different herbs for you to start off with!

      • * Vegan Sparkles *
        July 4, 2012 at 8:30 am (12 years ago)

        Try this link, Dani: http://touristradio.com.au/agritourismwa/farmers_markets_wa/farmers_markets_wa.html
        My favourites (although not north of the river) are Manning Rd and Kalamunda. The produce is SO fresh and SO cheap and there are a few organic stall holders – although you need to get to them early because they sell out quickly. You can usually find other yummy treats there too like fresh bread, pickles and sauces, sundried apples and roasted nuts, mmmmmm. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Ooh, I don’t even know what’s involved in propagating herbs so I obviously have a lot to learn! hehe. Sounds amazing! ๐Ÿ™‚

      • Danielle
        July 12, 2012 at 8:58 am (12 years ago)

        Thanks for the link Bec! ๐Ÿ™‚ I completely forgot about the Subiaco Farmers Market; I used to shop there quite frequently when I was living in Wembley.

        Hopefully I’ll make it to the Perth Growers Market this weekend. Sadly, my mister despises any form of shopping (as most men do), so I’ll have to do some sweet-talking! ๐Ÿ™‚ Hmmm… maybe I can bribe him with mushroom soup!

      • * Vegan Sparkles *
        July 12, 2012 at 5:04 pm (12 years ago)

        Bribes are the way to go for sure, especially food bribes for the manfolk! ๐Ÿ˜‰

  4. Kristy
    July 3, 2012 at 4:33 am (12 years ago)

    I love the new look over here! Gorgeous!

    Speaking of gorgeous, you have this amazing soup here too! I love potatoes covered in pesto, so I’m sure this soup is wonderful! Thank you!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      July 3, 2012 at 9:43 am (12 years ago)

      Oh, thanks so much, Kristy! ๐Ÿ™‚ My inner geek wanted to try the self-hosted site option but I’m not sure I realised quite what I was getting myself into! hehe. I’m having a few teething problems but will hopefully get them sorted soon. I adore your gorgeous site and if you have any tips for a newbie WordPress.org user, I’d love to hear them! ๐Ÿ™‚ xx

  5. Lis
    July 5, 2012 at 10:20 pm (12 years ago)

    Looks fabulous!!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      July 7, 2012 at 8:44 pm (12 years ago)

      Thanks Lis! It’s really quick and easy, too. ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Lesley
    July 24, 2012 at 4:25 pm (12 years ago)

    This looks amazing and I love eating soup no matter what time of year!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      July 24, 2012 at 5:04 pm (12 years ago)

      Oh YAY, you must try it then, Lesley! ๐Ÿ™‚ If you have any leftovers, it tastes even better the next day!

  7. Sophie
    August 4, 2012 at 3:12 pm (12 years ago)

    What a glorious & appetizing soup! I also love nutriotional yeast a lot: lots of real flavours here! ๐Ÿ™‚

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      August 6, 2012 at 10:12 am (12 years ago)

      And if you have any leftovers, the flavour only improves overnight. Sooooo tasty. ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Brandi
    August 10, 2012 at 2:36 pm (12 years ago)

    Looks and sounds soo delish!!

  9. Jade
    September 4, 2012 at 2:25 pm (12 years ago)

    With this freezing weather I decided I wanted to make a soup that I hadn’t made before and of course, I knew EXACTLY where to go to find a recipe – VEGAN SPARKLES ๐Ÿ™‚ I’m definitely making this tonight. It looks so delicious, my mouth is watering already xx

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      September 4, 2012 at 3:36 pm (12 years ago)

      Ohhhh, this soup and this freezing, wet day are just made for each other. Enjoy and keep cosy! ๐Ÿ™‚ xx

  10. Melissa
    September 11, 2012 at 11:01 am (12 years ago)

    Made this soup tonight. It was amazing! Probably the best soup I have ever had, and will definitely be making it again soon! Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes ๐Ÿ™‚

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      September 11, 2012 at 1:41 pm (12 years ago)

      Oh fantastic, I’m so happy to hear that you loved it, Melissa! The Pea & Pesto Soup is delish too. ๐Ÿ™‚