Mock Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (Vegan) - Meatless Monday

All month I have been sharing Chicken soup recipes, they are chocked full of vegetables, so if you could eliminate the meat, Chicken Soup would be great for a vegetarian eater.  However, then wouldn’t it just be vegetable soup?  To make it hearty, “meaty,” and more like the flavors of Chicken soup I looked for an appropriate alternative to give my vegan readers something to try as well.  I adapted this recipe from one I found on Stacy Homemaker.  She shares great vegan and vegetarian recipes and her solution for Mock chicken using jackfruit was inspired! This is a creamy soup without any dairy also if you want to avoid lactose.

Make sure to look for these things when you buy jackfruit for cooking:

•          Fresh, ripe jackfruit is used for desserts. The unripe, young, canned jackfruit is what you want to buy to use as a meat replacement.
•          Look for canned jackfruit that is in brine, not syrup. Make sure to rinse the brine off before you cook with it, to reduce the sodium.

Vegan Slow Cooker Chicken Wild Rice Soup

1 medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, sliced

3 carrots, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced

2 cans of jackfruit in brine (rinsed and drained well)

2 to 3 tsp Italian seasoning (or a combo of basil, oregano and thyme)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 bay leaf

1 1/4 cups wild rice 

1 quart vegetable broth (about 4 cups)

2-3 cups of water (enough to just cover everything in the crock pot)

1 8 to 10-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk (discard the water)

2 tsp corn starch 

Parsley for garnish

Directions

Put onions, celery, carrots, garlic, mushrooms, jackfruit, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, bay leaf, vegetable broth, and wild rice into a crock pot. Add enough water to cover all ingredients.  Cover and turn on high, cook for 3 1/2 hours.

After 3 1/2 hours, remove 1/2 cup of the broth and put into a small bowl. Add the cornstarch to the bowl, whisk to combine. Pour it back into the crockpot to thicken the sauce.

Pour the coconut milk into the slow cooker, discard the water in the can. Stir to combine.

Replace the lid and cook for 30 additional minutes.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.  Serve with a sprinkle of parsley and black pepper. Enjoy!

Notes

If you don't like jackfruit or cannot find it at the store, try potatoes, artichoke hearts, cauliflower, or another meat substitute instead but adjust the cooking time accordingly, as these will cook faster.

Do not add the cornstarch into the slow cooker! If you do, it will clump and you won't be able to whisk the clumps out. You have mix the thickener in a separate small bowl and then add it to the soup.

When you warm up leftovers, add a little bit more plant milk to help loosen the broth.

You can use a blend of wild and regular rice if plain wild rice is not available.  (I buy mine bulk from the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa in Wisconsin, but you can get some from the Native Mobile Farmers Market)

To find any recipe featured this month - use the search box and type: ChickJan
To find any theme recipe from this year type: recipe2018

For 2018 the monthly recipe themes will be:
   January - Chicken Soup (ChickJan)
   February - Beef Stew
   March - Jambalaya
   April - Ham & Shrimp Dishes
   May - Bread recipes
   June - Garden Delights
   July - Grilling
   August - Salsa, Corn & Jelly
   September - Squash Dishes
   October - Pumpkin Recipes
   November - Chili
   December - Herbal Cocktails