French onion w/ cheese and croutons (vegan)?

[ihugtrees]

So I've been sick all week, and haven't eaten anything solid since Monday. NOTHING sounds good to me. Except...the french onion soup with cheese and croutons from Panera...not only has cheese, but beef broth and a host of other hidden animal ingredients I'm sure. Any suggestions for something similar that's vegan?

[summermay]

Can you get hold of some vegan vegetable stock/soup from Rapunzel? It's a Swiss import and costs about 2 Dollars. It's available at most health food/organic shops.
This box contains 8 squares, allowing for loads of lovely soup.

Just add the square to some boiling water,
add sliced onions

Croutons, some roasted bread squares in olive oil, and voila...

[Keeta]

The cheese is the real sticking point, otherwise I would just sub veggie broth for a recipe that you have or find. If you have it near you, Daiya vegan cheese is amazing and actually melts! It can be found at some Whole Foods and a few other HFS. Yeah, I would just toast or fry up some crusty french bread with earth balance and stick it in a bowl, pour the soup over and voila! You may need to bump the salt up due to the lack of cheese, or try sprinkling with nutritional yeast.

Here's one recipe. I wish there was a commercial, ready-to-eat suggestion for you, but I'm not aware of one. I LOVE french onion soup, I feel your pain.

[jocelyndale]

Would miso soup appeal to you? If you buy a packet, make sure it's free of fish, otherwise most miso pastes should be just fine.

Otherwise, mushroom broth and lots and lots of onions.

[somegirl99]

There's a vegan recipe for "French Onion Soup Gruyere" in The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. If you need, I could type it in.

[mommabear]

Ooh I'd love to see that recipe!

[somegirl99]

French Onion Soup Gruyere
from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook - Joanne Stepaniak

Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large or 3 medium onions, thinly sliced or chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1/4 cup flour (any kind; your choice)
4 cups vegetable broth or water
1/4 cup low-sodium tamari

Gruyere Cheez Topping
1 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
2 tablespoons flour (any kind; your choice)
4 teaspoons kuzu, arrowroot, or cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Additional Ingredients
French bread (1 slice per serving), or 1/4 cup croutons per serving
1/4 cup Parmezano Sprinkles (see below), or soy-based vegan parmesan alternative

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high. When hot, add onions and garlic and saute 5 minutes. Stir in flour, mixing well, Stir in broth or water and tamari and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until onions are very tender, about 20 minutes.

To make a Gruyere cheez topping, place the 1 cup water, lemon juice, tahini, nutritional yeast, flour, kuzu or arrowroot, onion powder, and salt in a blender. Process several minutes until completely smooth. Pour into a small saucepan and cook and stir over medium heat until smooth and thick, about 5 to 8 minutes. Cover and set aside.

Place a slice of French bread or some croutons in the bottom of each soup bowl. Ladle soup over the bread. Top each serving with several spoonfuls of the Gruyere cheez, and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the Parmezano Sprinkles. Serve at once. Pass more Parmezano Sprinkles at the table, if desired.

Variation

For browned Gruyere cheez, place bread on a dry baking sheet. Spread with cheez and place briefly under boiler until golden brown. Transfer to soup bowls with a spatula and top with Parmezano Sprinkles. Alternatively, ladle soup into broiler-proof bowls and top with bread and Gruyere cheez. Place briefly under broiler until cheez is bubbly and golden brown. Sprinkle with Parmezano Sprinkles after removing from the oven.

[somegirl99]

Parmezano Sprinkles
from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook - Joanne Stepaniak

1/2 cup blanched almonds or white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 to 2 teaspoons light or chickpea miso
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt

Grind almonds or sesame seeds to a fine powder in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add remaining ingredients and pulse or process until well incorporated. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Shake container before using to break up any lumps. Will keep for a month or longer in the refrigerator. May be frozen.

Tips:

• This recipe is easily doubled, tripled, or quadrupled, which can be very convenient, especially if you use it often.
• Blanched almonds may be ground in a food processor using a metal blade. You may find that sesame seeds are too small to be ground effectively in a food processor, or you may find they must be processed for a much longer time. If necessary or if you prefer, grind them in an electric coffee grinder or spice mill and then transfer the powder to a food processor.
• To blanch almonds, place in a saucepan with enough water to cover completely. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and allow to cool, or rinse under cold water for rapid cooling. Pinch skins between thumb and forefinger at the base of each almond. Skins will slip off readily.

[caiesmommy]

YUM!I miss french onion soup! Can't wait to try that recipe!

[Keeta]

YUM! That sounds delicious.

[mommabear]

Yum! Thanks!

[BeanyMama]

Yums!!

[Mama2Bug]

If you have a Jason's Deli restaurant near you, their French onion soup is vegan if you ask them to leave off the cheese. It's absolutely divine- and they do take-out.