French Onion Soup

Confession: I have been absolutely dreading documenting this recipe.

But let me start off by saying that this is an absolutely epic bowl of soup.

One of my best friends and former “Vegetarian Pact” co-founder, Rachael, calls this soup a “labor of love” and she was the one who initially introduced me to it years ago. She was OBSESSED with the brothy, cheesy meal and I was, honestly less than enthused about it. May have been the beef broth or the sometimes slimy onions, but I just wasn’t into it. She’s back to eating meat now, and back to posting lots of social media pics of the infamous French onion stew . Eventually, I grew the balls to finally attempt this somewhat intimidating soup, and it came out fantastic.

There is a downside though. You’ve gotta cook the onions down for close to two hours and even though you’ll feel like you spent all day waiting for this soup to finish cooking, the real trick comes at the end. After you get the base down, THEN you’ve got to perfectly melt some Daiya on a bobbing slice of bread that’s resting on the top of the liquid. The deliciousness of the soup is indescribable, so you’ll probably be super disappointed when you realize it only makes about four servings. Savor it while you can!

8 cups vegetable broth

4 yellow onions, sliced

1/4 cup coconut milk creamer (coconut milk is fine too)

1/4 cup Earth Blanace soy-free butter

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup white wine

3 tbsp whole wheat flour

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 slices of crusty bread (toasted) for each bowl

CHEESE SAUCE

2 cups shredded Daiya

1/4 cup coconut milk

• In a large saucepan, cook onions, garlic, butter, salt, thyme and black pepper for 5 minutes ove medium heat
• Add flour and stir for another minute
• Add sugar, white wine and balsamic vinegar, stir a few times, and then cook uncovered for two hours on medium/low heat, stirring every half an hour
• After two hours, add vegetable broth and coconut creamer and bring to a boil
• Simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, uncovered
• Toast the bread so it’s ready to top
• Melt cheese and coconut milk in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until it’s melted and creamy
• When soup is done, pour into bowls and top with a slice of bread (try to make sure it covers the circumference of the bowl)
• Pour 1/4 of cheese mix over each bowl
• Place under a broiler on high heat for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is brown and bubbling