Recipe Difficulty: Medium. Attention to Detail is required to not overcook the veggies in this recipe. You'll find me hovering over the pot making this soup, then tasting at the end, meticulously, to adjust salt, lemon and herbs. 

Recipe Keywords:
Green Goddess, Vegan, Soup, Spring Vegetable Soup, Fresh Start Fauxmage, Healthy Recipes

What even is "Green Goddess"??
Green Goddess typically refers to a salad dressing or sauce. Often with mayo, sour cream and typically fresh herbs including tarragon, chives, and parsley. It gets its name from the bright green colour of the dressing. Some versions include anchovy, lemon juice, vinegar & Dijon mustard. Green Goddess dressing is believed to have originated in the 1920s at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. It was created by the hotel's head chef, Philip Roemer, to honor actor George Arliss, who was staying at the hotel while performing in a play called "The Green Goddess." The dressing was served at the restaurant for years and was eventually popularized. 

About my Green Goddess Soup Recipe
I love this soup. It is literally Goddess worthy. There's a ton of fresh green goodness with all the veggies and fresh herbs. For veggies in my recipe I use French Green Beans, Zucchini, Edamame, Green Peas, Tarragon, Chives and Mint.

The base is a lovely creamy broth made from an easy home made veg stock with Greek Style Fresh Start Fauxmage melted in. A bit of miso paste in the broth too, just for a bit of umami.  (a bit of miso paste or a splash of soy sauce can go a long way in creating deeper & more complex flavours in vegan cooking)

The fauxmage is an almond based baked feta style vegan cheese. It's rich and has a bit of brightness. A delicious & simple way to add creaminess without using dairy products. If you can't get your hands on some I would try using cashew cream to taste as an alternative. 

Seasoned properly with salt and fresh lemon juice, the flavours in this soup come alive. A bit of chili is nice too. Not too much, just a bit for warmth. 

Creamy Pesto Risotto with Asparagus, Peas and Lemon. I teamed up with my friends at Fresh Start Fauxmage to create this tasty recipe. I have wanted to make a risotto with this particular vegan cheese product for quite some time now. Their "Creamy Pesto" variety was a perfect choice for this dish. It's delicious. Think basil, garlic, lemon, & super creamy. This product allows you to add incredible flavour to a dish effortlessly. Right now I'm really digging it in this recipe, or melted into hot pasta with whatever veg for a quick meal. They provide world wide shipping and are available in locations across Canada.

I think a lot of people might be a bit intimidated to make a risotto at home. Maybe you've never had it, or only have had it in a restaurant. I'm happy to report, it's actually incredibly simple. Yes you have to stir the rice fairly continuously while adding hot stock to the pan for about 30 minutes, but it's not hard. If you have a good recipe to follow, the main thing to keep in mind is the texture of the rice. Try not to over cook it. It shouldn't be completely soft. There should still be a bit of bite to the rice. Then pay attention to the consistency of the final dish. It should be creamy and a bit fluid, not stiff and dried out. 

If I was making this in a restaurant, I would cook the risotto 3/4 of the way through, then dump it onto a large sheet pan to cool completely. Then when you want to prepare a portion, just add desired amount of risotto to a pan over medium - medium high heat, and stir in stock until the rice has absorbed enough liquid. Just taste a couple of times.