This past week has been freezing in the Bay Area. Like, we got snow in some areas cold. Not used to it and not really about it.

My Canadian fiance, of course, jokes that I don’t know what cold is and to this I ask, is it possible that coldness is relative? I’m not used to the frigid weather – where he is experienced in frosty temps – so it must be actually colder for me, right? RIGHT??

Anyway, the (only) good thing about chilly nights (past Christmas when it’s festive, not cold) is soup. Comforting, yummy soup. So, to warm up tonight we made a vegan French onion soup.

Actually, decidedly it was just onion soup since we didn’t add the bread or cheese. We are getting married in almost 3 months after all…… (Shred before the wed)

This soup is good but I’m not going to lie to you, the cheese and bread are the best parts of French onion soup.

With my favorite meal in Chicago as my muse, we paired our soup with a mezze platter of sorts. The hummus, fluffy pita bread, Greek salad, and turkey meatballs really rounded out the meal this time. However, if I make this soup again I will definitely be adding some gooey cheese and carby bread.

All in all this recipe is worth the work. It’s a nice way to end the weekend and warm up. Give it a try!

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Onion Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 large white onions
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or another oil with a high smoke point
• Dried thyme*
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• 2 cups water

Directions:

• Slice 3 onions and add to heated soup pot with 1 tablespoon of oil
• Add dried thyme and the other tbsp of oil on top of the onions, stirring occasionally for the next 45 minutes to 1 hour until the onions are caramelized (a nice golden brown color) *note: I didn’t realize my thyme didn’t have a cap with holes on it and accidentally put too much of in the pot. I’m actually unsure how much you should put in but I would guess about one teaspoon…
• After after onions are caramelized, add the balsamic vinegar to continue caramelizing for about 15 minutes and to add a greater depth of golden brown to the onions
• Add veggie broth and water and bring to a boil
• Lower heat to simmer and cover for a half an hour