Vegan Avgolemono - Greek Easter lemon soup

Having made this Avgolemono soup a few times, I had hoped to have a definitive photo.  Though the soup continues to charm me, I haven't had the time and energy to take the right photo.  But then again, I find this to be comfort food to be made quickly on a busy day.

Gina of The Full Helping, devised this variation to recreate the soup from the Greek Easters of her childhood.  I've never had the traditional version that relies heavily on eggs.  For me, I just love the creaminess of the tahini, the substance of the vegies and rice, and the fresh flavours of the lemon and dill.

The first time I made the soup, I decided it would be too thin with all the 5 to 6 cups of water.  Instead I added 2 1/2 cups of water.  The helpings were miserly and when left for a while it got far too thick.  Since then I have added more water.  The broth is so delicious even without the vegies and rice.

It is a soup to make when busy, whether it is making a quick dinner after Sylvia's swimming lessons or fitting in lunch between my body balance class and my singing group.  It makes for great leftovers, though it thickens so much that sometimes I have had to add a little water to loosen it up.  Or I have served it, as photographed below, as a stew.

I highly recommend this quick and nourishing soup.

And when I found my notes from the first time I made the soup early last year, I had some quicklinks added so I am including a few random articles from last year and a few more recent ones to nourish (or entertain) your mind as well:

• The Hidden Side of Google: a fascinating documentary about the world of Google, warts and all!
• You had one job - Like to Discover: hilarious publishing layout bungles.
• This guy paints random characters into old thrift store paintings - Twisted Sifter: think DC Comics meet Thomas Kinkade.
• Sugar Stacks: using sugar cubes to illustrate how much sugar is in well known products.
• The detectives who never forget a face - The New Yorker: "super-recognisers in London's police force whose memories for faces are changing how the force works.

I am sending this soup to Souper Sundays.

More vegan rice soups on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Cheesy cauliflower and rice soup (gf, v)
Fennel, lentil and rice soup (gf, v)
Mexican rice soup (gf, v)
Pea, rice and pesto soup (gf, v)
Pumpkin, corn and wild rice chowder (gf, v)
Tricken rice soup with celeriac (gf, v) 

Vegan Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Rice Soup)
Slightly adapted from The Full Helping via Kahakai Kitchen
Serves 4

1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup uncooked brown rice
5 to 6 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp tahini
1 1/2 tbsp miso
1/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Fry onion, carrots, celery and garlic in oil until well cooked.  Add rice and stock.  Simmer 35-40 minutes.  Mix lemon juice, nutritional yeast, tahini, nutritional yeast, miso and salt.  Add to rice mixture.  Remove from heat.  Mix in dill and serve.

NOTES: I have added chickpeas for more protein, used cooked rice because I had it there.  Both work fine.  If soup is left to sit it will thicken as the rice absorbs the broth.  Add a little water when reheating if necessary.

UPDATE April 2019: made this today and soaked rice in boiling water while I cooked vegies.  Used boiling water and stock powder so the soup was brought to the boil quickly and then simmered for 10-15 minutes and I then turned it off and left it a few hours.  When I came home it was cooked and I just had to add the tahini mixture and dill for a quick delicious meal.

On the stereo:
Ultra Lounge: Saxophonia: Various Artists

This post is part of the Vegan Month of Food (Vegan MoFo) in November 2016.  Go to my Vegan MoFo list for more of my 2016 Vegan MoFo posts. 

Week 2's theme is International.