Veggie Dumpling Soup

It's funny how little things that you don't even think about change completely when you have kids.  For example, when you're talking about the cooking skill difficulty of a dish.  Prior to being a mom, difficulty of cooking skills depended on how many steps were in a recipes, and how many different tools and ways of preparing it were required.  Now though, I rate difficulty of dishes on how hard it is to make while juggling 1-2 babies in your arms at the same time.  

This dish is easy!  Even when you have babies crawling around your feet, or demanding to be held on your hip while you chop, mix, add, and stir.   This was one of the first vegan dishes that I ever made, and it's become a favorite of ours.  It's kind of like the chicken and dumpling substitute for vegans.  

Vegetable Dumpling Soup

from PostPunkKitchen

For the soup:

3 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup flour

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups vegetable broth

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, cut into small chunks

1 cup baby carrots, cut in half

1 zucchini, sliced

1 Tbsp fresh thyme

2 Tbsp fresh dill

1/2 tsp paprika

pepper

1 15-oz can navy beans, rinsed and drained

For the dumplings:

1 1/2 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp rosemary

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used soy milk)

2 Tbsp olive oil

Heat a large pot over medium-low heat.  Add in the oil and sprinkle in the flour.  stir consistently for 3-4 minutes, until flour is thick and clumpy.  Add the onions and salt, and toss to coat.  Cook for 5 mins, stirring often.   Stir in garlic, cook for 30 seconds more.  Pour in veggie broth, whisking constantly to prevent clumping.  Add in celery, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, thyme, dill, paprika and pepper to taste.  Turn heat up, cover and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  

Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer and cook, uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until thickened and veggies are tender.  

For the dumplings, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix in the rosemary.  Make a well in the center, and add the milk and oil.  Mix together with a wooden spoon until wet and sticky.  When the soup is ready, add in the can of beans and drop spoonfuls of dough on top of soup.   Cover pot and cook for about 15 minutes more.  Dumplings should be firm when done.