Contrary to popular belief, June is not a great time to visit the beaches of Southern California. If you head out bright and early in the morning to get a good spot on the sand, you’ll probably find it looking something like this:

The marine layer causes the formation of these clouds, bringing fog, mist and cool temperatures until anywhere from late morning to late afternoon, depending on the day. (I’m writing this at 4:00 in the afternoon and the sun is just starting to break through the clouds.)

I used to live (and work) across the street from one of the most well-known beaches in Malibu and it was quite entertaining to watch people flock to the beach, excited for their summer vacation to start, with umbrellas and bikinis, and then realize that there was not a hint of sun. Entertaining to watch, but I did feel bad for them.

One of the positive sides of this weather is that it extends soup season. And since it is such an amazing dish to create endless varieties of, it’s never a bad day for soup. This is also good for my friends in the Southern hemisphere right now.

I made this particular recipe a few weeks ago, when I found some turnips that I’d bought and never used. I love turnip, especially when it’s mashed and mixed with lots of Earth Balance, salt and pepper, and a touch of nutritional yeast. But on that particular day, I wanted to go a different direction – one that was a little more flavorful and lighter on the oils. Thus, the creamy turnip soup was born. This makes a very light, fluffy soup that is perfect any time of year.

But before I get to the recipe, just a reminder that there are just 2 more days to enter the giveaway for a copy of Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen. And in a couple of weeks, I’ll be sharing a recipe from my friend Somer’s new book The Abundance Diet, along with a Q&A with Somer and a giveaway, so stay tuned for that.

Creamy Turnip Soup

When I made this, I wasn’t measuring, I was just dumping things in the Vitamix, so these are my best guesses as to what was used. Please use your own judgement when adding the seasonings. Actually, that’s a good piece of advice for anytime you’re cooking, as everyone’s tastes are different. 🙂

• 1 1/2 pounds turnip, cubed and either boiled or steamed until soft
• 1/2 cup cashew cream
• 2-4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons coconut vinegar (see note below)
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• salt & pepper to taste
• water as needed to blend smoothly (I used some of the turnip cooking water)

Chop and cook the turnip until soft. While it’s cooking, make the cashew cream by blending together 1/2 cup of cashews with 1/2-3/4 cups of water.

Transfer the cooked turnip (reserving the cooking water if you want to use that in your soup) and cashew cream into a blender. Add the seasonings and blend until smooth. If needed, heat the soup on the stove and check the seasonings, adding more if needed.

About the coconut vinegar ~ I do recommend that you use coconut vinegar, as it gives a nice malty taste to the soup that other vinegars can’t replicate. If you don’t have any, you can substitute another light vinegar such as rice, champagne or white wine.

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