FACEBOOK and French Onion Soup

You can now find Once A Week Vegan on Facebook. If you have a FB account, do a search for our blog under its name, click "like" and you'll automatically have the blog delivered to your FB wall. If you aren't on FB, don't worry. We'll still be right where we've always been so you can find us in the regular place too. We're working on getting on Twitter, but so far that hasn't happened. We'll let you know when and if it does.

The advantage of having us on your FB wall is that you'll receive much more than just our blog. You'll get links from other vegan sites, all the news concerning new vegan products  available to us, and isolated recipes for good vegan food that others have posted and shared on public sites, which allows us to re-post them to Once A Week Vegan. 


Another reason for putting our site on FB is to make commenting easier. No more being asked to sign up for an account you don't want in order to ask us questions or comment on a certain blog. We have tried to make everything as easy for you as possible. We hope to see you on the new site. No matter where you read us, we want to thank each of you for following us. Without our faithful readers, the time we spend blogging would be worthless.

Southern California is full of rain--again. You know by now that I have a penchant for soup when it rains, and today is no different. I have tried to create a vegan version of French Onion Soup. While it doesn't compare to the real thing, it suited my fancy, so just in case it might suit yours too, I'm passing my recipe along. If you come up with a better version, write and tell us. We are always open to new ideas.

French Onion Soup, Sort Of

Use the largest skillet you have and add to it:

5 medium onions, sliced thin
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. vegan margarine

Brown the onions over a slow flame, stirring often until they are completely caramelized. About 40 minutes. The onions should be a mahogany color. Don't rush the process or the onions will burn and you'll have to start all over. If the onions become too dry during caramelization, add some No-Beef broth and continue to cook until there are no white bits left.

Now add to  the skillet:

2 1/2 cups No-Beef Broth (health food store or use Vegetable Broth in a pinch.)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 good pinch of dry thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook another 20 minutes on medium heat, stirring often. When just about ready to serve, add:

2 Tbs. dry sherry or cognac and let cook another five minutes to cook off the raw alcohol taste.

Ladle the soup into oven-proof bowls. Top with a small piece of toasted french bread just big enough to cover the top of the soup.

Mix 1 cup of Daiya shredded mozzarella cheese with 1 Tbs. of nutritional yeast and place the cheese mixture atop the bread slice. Set the bowls on a large cookie sheet and put into a 450 degree oven, just until the cheese melts and turns a light brown.

While this soup is cloudy, rather than clear as is true French Onion soup, the taste is real. Even extraordinary. I served it with toasted french bread spread with a bit of olive oil and browned it in the oven along with the soup bowls of melting cheese.

If you love real French onion soup and are vegan, try this recipe. I think you'll like it.

 Serves 4

Onions frying on the stove = vegan perfume