Lauren's Cheeseburger Soup

Sometimes I get myself into a position to take on odd requests. I have a young, vibrant friend who had major jaw surgery and has to wear a splint that requires her to keep her jaw closed most of the day. The few times she can take out the splint to 'eat', she can only drink her meals. I noticed a post on Facebook about her boyfriend's sweet but failed attempt to make her something that tasted like a cheeseburger after she'd been craving one for days. When I saw her the next week, I made some comment like 'I bet I could make a stew that tastes like a hamburger' - and right there, I gave myself this challenge.

I think this first attempt is pretty darn good, and in fact, my husband went back for generous seconds. The only difference for us is that we did not BLEND it - it's small pieces, but she has to have hers blended to a creamy consistency which may render this soup less than appetizing to her.

I tried to use flavours that mimic what you'd normally find on a burger. We have the obvious beef and onion, the smoked African spice to lend a 'fresh off the bbq' flavour, the flour and potato to give it a hint of a 'bun' flavour and the apple cider vinegar and mustard to imitate pickles and mustard. The tomatoes didn't have enough 'ketchup' flavour to it, but adding the paste thickens it and gives it more of a ketchup flavour. The nutritional yeast is essential to give it the cheesy, creamy flavour and the consistency of a stew. I added kale, because every burger (and in my opinion, every recipe) needs KALE! I use Lacinato/Dinosaur/Black kale because it's the best tasting and has the best consistency over-all for most cooked or fresh kale recipes. My other fave is the purple curly kale - it smells like roses to me, but I digress...

If you'd like to give it a try, this is a great recipe for someone who is on a cleanse who is craving a burger but can't have one. I made this with actual beef, but if you're off beef (which  I am most of the time), you could safely replace the beef with turkey or even TVP, since the broth gives the soup some of the 'beefy' flavour. If you're still opposed to beef bouillon, then this recipe is probably not for you anyway, but feel free to make it your own 'burger'-type stew recipe. Enjoy!

1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 T. olive oil (or you may want to use butter for this)
2 T. almond flour (or any other kind of flour - to thicken)
1 heaping tsp Trader Joe's African Spice mix.
1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. thyme
1/4 t. sage
1/8 t. pepper
1 t. ready-to-use chopped garlic (or 2 cloves pressed)
1 russet potato, peeled and diced into 1/4" cubes
2 c. water
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. rustic mustard
1 T. tomato paste
1 c. diced tomatoes
3 c. finely chopped kale
1/4 c. nutritional yeast

1. Heat a cook pot on medium. Add oil or butter and let it get warm/melty and add onion. Saute a few minutes, until it just starts to brown. Add the flour and give it a stir until all the onions are covered evenly.
2. Add beef and spices and continue to stir, breaking up the beef into as tiny pieces as you can and stir it all until it's browned. While it's browning, melt the bouillon cubes in the water.
3. Add potato and just enough bouillon water to keep the ingredients from sticking to the bottom. Keep stirring for a minute or two. 
4. Add the remainder of the water and the rest ingredients except for the nutritional yeast. Cover and simmer 10-20 minutes, until the potatoes are easily mashed with a fork (the mushier, the better)
5. Once it's all cooked through and looks ready, turn off the heat and add the nutritional yeast, stirring to mix it in thoroughly.
6. If you 'need' to (i.e.: If you're Lauren), throw it all in a blender and don't stop until it's creamy! If you're not Lauren, you might want to add a dash of shredded cheddar and a few croutons to the top. If you like it spicy, by all means, add some hot sauce to the final product.

Oh, and if you're just looking for a dairy-free, lowfat, high nutrient hearty soup, this should fit the bill quite nicely.