The 30 Minute Vegan: Soup’s On! by Mark Reinfeld

Perhaps by this point in the winter, you are growing weary of three-bean chili and split pea soup. Perhaps you could use some soup-tastic inspiration — a new arsenal of warm and cozy soups to keep the cold at bay. I give you Mark Reinfeld’s new book of vegan (yes, vegan!) soups as possible antidote to your situation.

• Who wrote it: Mark Reinfeld

• Who published it: Da Capo Press

• Number of recipes: Over 100

• The Angle: Simple, healthy, tasty vegan soups in 30 minutes or less.

• Recipes for right now: Versatile Miso Soup with Pickled Ginger, Thai Coconut Soup with Lemongrass, Portuguese Kale and Potato Soup, Roasted Root Vegetable Soup, Wonton Soup, Split Pea Soup, Roasted Squash with Coconut Soup, Cheesy Cauliflower Soup, New England Chowder

• Major Takeaways: If in these dog days of winter, you are worried that a vegan soup just won’t cut it when it comes to “hearty” and “stick to your ribs,” I don’t think there’s any need to worry. Between the rich chickpea stews, the spicy broths tempered with coconut milk, and the pureed soups of roasted winter vegetables, there can be little doubt that these soups will satisfy.

I also tip my hat to the breadth of recipes and cuisines that Reinfeld covers here. Ethiopian stews spiced with Berbere mix, Thai soups fragrant with lemongrass, soups inspired by Indian chutneys, Brazilian stews topped with plantain — just thinking about all these flavors and spices makes my mouth start to water.

I admit that I was skeptical of how well an old-school black-and-white, text-based cookbook would hold my interest in these days where flashy full-color photos accompany practically every recipe we see. But without the photos to distract or speak for the recipes, I found myself instead paying closer attention to the descriptions in the headnotes and the ingredient lists — and getting sucked right in. It makes me think that maybe a return to simple recipe-focused cookbooks like this might not be a bad thing at all.

• Who would enjoy this book? Soup-loving vegans and vegetarians, anyone looking for some quick and healthy recipes to add to the weeknight meal rotation

Find the book at your local library, independent bookstore, or Amazon: The 30 MInute Vegan: Soup’s On! by Mark Reinfeld

• Visit the author’s website: Mark Reinfeld

Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.