The whole vegetarian world is talking about Oprah and the light she is bringing to the cause.
She is doing some great stuff right now and I encourage everyone to go read it, but I want to remember that there are tons of people out there living it every single day that deserve as much (or more) praise as Oprah is getting for her week long experiment.
The activists.
The vegetarian restaurants.
And the everyday vegetarians working to save animals one day at a time.

Winter classics are sometimes hard to replicate as vegetarian meals.

The reliance on heavy, meaty and fat -laden ingredients often makes the vegetarian versions pretty far off from the original version.

French onion soup is one of those, since the flavor relies so heavily on the beef stock and often actual beef fat.

Making a hearty, smoky vegetarian version of this is a bit complex, but not too difficult once you compile the ingredients.

Start by slicing the onions very thin. A food processor is your friend with a task like this unless you like watering eyes and misery.

Melt the margarine in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, then mix well.

Sauté the onions for about five minutes, until they start to get translucent.

Add in the garlic, cumin, salt and pepper and stir in for another minute or two.

Mix in the Worcestershire, liquid smoke and sugar, then turn down the heat to low and let this cook for about an hour. Stir occasionally to make sure the onions are not sticking or burning on the bottom of the pan.

If you can’t find vegan Worcestershire sauce, sub Braggs or soy sauce, but then cut out the salt. (I have a recipe for vegan Worcestershire sauce on my blog, but Annie’s makes one that is better and easier).

After an hour of heating this mixture, pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.

Once the soup boils, reduce heat to medium and let it heat for another ten minutes or so while you preheat your oven to broil.

Scoop the soup into individual, oven-safe bowls. Top with some day-old or toasted French bread, sliced thick. Top the bread with sliced cheese or vegan alternative. Daiya mozzarella works great, but using a slice or two of one of the other vegan cheeses will do just fine.

Heat in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly

Carefully remove and enjoy.

Ingredients:

2 pound of onions, sliced thin

2 quarts of vegetable stock

2 tbsps. margarine

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 to 1 tbsps liquid smoke

1 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp pepper

1 to 2 tsps salt

Thick sliced bread (for topping)

Cheese slices (for topping)

A nice hearty soup can be as simple or as difficult as you can imagine.

This is a black bean and sweet potato soup that is much closer to the simple end of things.

Start by peeling the sweet potato and dicing it. Boil the sweet potato until it is tender.

While that’s boiling, slice the onion and saute it in the olive oil over medium heat until the slices brown.

Drain and rinse the beans.

Combine the cooked onion and sweet potato with the beans and vegetable broth in a large stock pot.

Add the spices and molasses and stir well.

Heat on high until it boils, then reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Drain the liquid and reserve all of it.

Put about three quarters of the solid veggies into a food processor or blender and puree.

Mix the pureed veggies with the other quarter and the broth and stir well in the stock pot. Heat back up to boiling stirring frequently.

Serve hot with some bread or crackers for a hearty vegan soup that will satisfy on and frigid winter afternoon.

Ingredients

2 cans (15 oz.) black beans

4 cups vegetable broth

1 red onion, sliced thin

1 sweet potato

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. molasses

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. olive oil