Happy New Year! Have you made resolutions yet? Do these include kale by any chance? Just teasing. I’m not big on new year’s resolutions myself, but I agree that taking an honest look at your life on a regular basis is healthy whether that’s in January or not.
My friend Charles recently gifted me two bags of Jerusalem artichokes from his garden and since winter finally arrived I decided it was fitting to use them for a comforting soup. This odd-looking, crunchy root vegetable tends to be pricey in stores but it’s apparently simple to grow and can even become an invasive crop if it’s not contained properly. I love its nutty, subtly sweet flavour and it works wonderfully well with fresh rosemary in this soup.
New look:
You might have noticed that things have changed around here. Craving Greens migrated to the dot com a few weeks ago and we took the opportunity to revamp the look. Jason did most of the work (lucky me) and the highlights include: Latest web design using Polymer, infinite scroll, hamburger menu (see top left of your screen), app-like design, gallery/theatre view for images and last but not least, responsive web design for all devices and screen sizes. All of this for an enhanced recipe browsing experience for you. We hope you like it as much as we do! And please let us know if you encounter any issues.
One glitch to this migration, however, was the loss of all reader comments from 2013 onward. I was quite bummed out about it and the blog feels bare without your kind words. But the good news is we integrated a new commenting system which should make things simpler for you moving forward. You know how much I love hearing from you, so please do continue getting in touch.
Jerusalem Artichoke & Rosemary Soup:
- 1.5 pounds Jerusalem artichokes (aka sunchokes)
- 1 large potato (0.5 pound)
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup vegan or dairy milk
- 1 tbsp olive oil or butter
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Whole-Grain Rosemary Croutons:
- Whole-grain bread
- Olive oil
- Coarse salt
- Fresh rosemary
Prep the vegetables. Dice the onion, mince the garlic, cut off any blemishes from the Jerusalem artichokes and the potato and dice them into one-inch cubes. Discard rosemary stems and chop the leaves. 
In a large pot, warm the olive oil/butter over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes until translucent and fragrant. Add the chopped root vegetables, rosemary and continue to cook for a few minutes. Add the vegetable broth and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20-25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, prepare the croutons. Cube one or two slices of whole-grain bread and toss in a bowl with a bit of olive oil, fresh chopped rosemary and coarse salt. Spread on baking sheet and toast in oven for 7-10 minutes, flipping once, until they are nicely golden. Set aside.
When the vegetables are tender, remove pot from heat and purée the soup using an immersion blender. Stir in the vegan/dairy milk and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve immediately topped with whole-grain rosemary croutons.
Recipe serves 4-6.