Yield: 9 cups

This isn’t actually my recipe.  It’s a veganized reinterpretation of Mollie Katzen’s Swedish Cabbage Soup from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest that everyone in the family agrees upon.  It’s a wonderful bowl of comfort and warmth during the winter months and accessible even when there’s very little fresh produce to choose from.  Paired with some fresh sauerkraut pierogis, it works even better.

To speed up prep time, a food processor or cabbage shredder can be used to do most of the work.

What you need:

• 3 tablespoons non-hydrogenated refined coconut oil (while I’m usually a fan of virgin coconut oil, in this particular case, coconut-flavoured cabbage soup isn’t quite the flavour profile that we’re aiming for… so the refined oil is advised!)
• 3 cups chopped onion
• 8 cups shredded cabbage, well-packed
• 3 carrots, halved along the length and thinly sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon caraway seed*
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons salt
• fresh cracked black pepper

What you do:

1. In a large dutch oven or soup pot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat until melted.
2. Add the onions, stir and fry a few minutes and turn the heat to medium low.
3. Add the caraway, bay and salt and cover the pot leaving a small crack open to let some steam out and cook the onions, stirring occasionally, 10-15 minutes until the onions are golden.
4. Uncover and add the cabbage, carrot and broth stirring to distribute the onions evenly throughout. Raise the heat and bring to a boil.
5. When the soup comes to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are cooked and soft 30-40 minutes or less.
6. Taste for salt adding more if desired and stir in fresh cracked black pepper to taste.
7. Serve.

* my partner prefers this soup with only a 1/2 teaspoon of caraway, I like it with 1 teaspoon and the original recipe calls for 2 teaspoons; given the distinctiveness of the spice in question, experiment to obtain an enjoyable taste for your personal sensibilities.