Elegantly simple and great for when you have leftover rice loitering around in the ol' ice box, this Meyers lemon rice soup is a tasty and pleasantly citrusy bowl full of wondrous plant-based ingredients: chunks of pressed extra firm tofu; strips of kale; grated carrot; and of course, the semi-sweet heavenly juice of the Meyer lemon.
Somecooked white rice,about 1 cup per bowl of soup
1avocado,sliced
Pinchof smoked paprika,as garnish (optional)
Instructions
In a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat with some olive oil, sauté the onion, celery heart, and grated carrot until the onions are transparent, about 6 - 7 minutes. Then, add the broth, water, bouillon, thyme, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and umami powder, and bring this to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to a steady simmer, cover the pot, and let the soup cook for 15 minutes. Then, add the ribbons of kale (de-ribbed and torn into long pieces), re-cover the soup pot, and let simmer for another 15 minutes until the kale is tender.
While simmering your soup, drain and press a block of extra firm tofu for about 15 minutes. After it has been pressed, cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes, and drop the cubed tofu into the soup.
After the tofu has been added, zest the meyers lemon and add a couple teaspoons of that to the soup pot. Then in tablespoon amounts, add the Meyer lemon juice - stirring it in gently (½ cup is 8 tablespoons). If it needs a bit more acidity (Meyer lemons are very subtle), add some white wine vinegar in teaspoon amounts until desired flavor is achieved. Once seasoned accordingly, cover the soup pot and turn off the heat. Let the soup set for 5 minutes so that the tofu can absorb the flavor.
Serve soup ladled around 1 cup of warm white rice (freshly cooked or reheated) with slices of fresh avocado and a dusting of smoked paprika.
Notes
If you don't have leftover rice that you can reheat to serve with the soup, then be sure to make some beforehand. Also, you can use microwaveable minute rices, too - for a shorter preparation time.