Potato Leek Hug Soup

When we made this potato leek soup, we nicknamed it “hug soup” because eating it feels like melting into a warm hug.

The creaminess of the coconut milk marries beautifully with healing herbs and lovely leeks.

I think you’ll love this one.


Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp vegan butter or margarine
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 leeks, washed well and sliced
  • 5 medium potatoes, chopped
  • 2-4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 5 cups vegetable broth or water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 lemon, squeezed
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • Nutritional yeast to sprinkle on top, if desired

Directions

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and butter/margarine over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and leeks, and cook for about 5 minutes until they get soft, stirring frequently.

Next add in the potatoes, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and coriander. Mix well and cook for 3 more minutes.

Then add the vegetable broth, bay leaves, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low to a gentle bubble. Cover the pot and let it bubble for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender when you poke them with a fork.

Turn off the heat, pull out the bay leaves, and stir in the lemon juice and coconut milk. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.

Carefully scoop ladlefuls of the soup into your blender, blend until it’s very smooth, then pour it into another pot while you blend all the batches of soup.

Put the blended soup back on the stove for a few minutes to heat it through.

Serve your potato leek soup (aka “hug soup”) hot in your favorite bowl. We like to top it with nutritional yeast, but you could also use green onions or any veggies you have on hand. Sending lots of love your way today! ❤️


Inspiration

For today’s inspiration, a quote about letting go from Stephen King:

Some birds are not meant to be caged, that’s all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.”

May we let something go today that needs to be free, and sit with the emotions that come up.

The soup will be a lovely warm hug if you need one.

Chef Maitri Carmichael brings a creative and peaceful energy to every plate. She grew up in Toronto with a British Grandma and an Italian Nonna who showed their love through food, then she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years, spending her free time at community farms and zen kitchens. Originally a scientist and biotech entrepreneur, she graduated from the Vegan Chef School in London (2021) and the Raw Food Culinary Academy in Vancouver (2023), and is now settled in Hawaii.

One response to “Potato Leek Hug Soup”

  1. maitricookswithlove Avatar

    Sooooo comforting 🙂

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