I feel like soup season is here in full force. And ohhhh man, do I love me some soup.

Today’s post is sponsored by Boulder Organic! Product opinions are always my own. If I didn’t love it, you wouldn’t hear about it.Thank you for supporting the occasional sponsored post that helps fund all the deliciousness + behind the scenes action you see here.

I haven’t really had the chance to make much soup yet this season, but I’ve definitely been eating my fair share. Boulder Organic! recently came to me asking if I’d like to try out there soups and share them with you on the blog through a giveaway. I’m extremely selective when working with companies and usually have an immediate feeling if it’s someone I want to support and tell you guys about. With Boulder Organic! I answered YES for these reasons:

the soups are ALL organic and ALL certified gluten-free
they are also all non-GMO
the plastic containers are BPA-free
most of the soups are vegetarian and a few are also vegan
they’re a Boulder company which is always super fun since I live nearby
they use fresh, high-quality ingredients and the soups definitely taste homemade
I love supporting companies who pay attention and care about ingredients and nutrition

You may have even heard of this soup company before, as it was formerly known as Boulder Soup Works. They’re currently undergoing re-branding and now have a whole new look! I’m kind of in love with the new packaging [above].

[butternut squash soup]

Do you know how much fun it is to have a fridge full of different flavored soups to try out? Here were my thoughts:

Butternut Squash Soup with Sage [vegetarian] – Creamy but not too heavy. Slightly sweet, mild flavor. Simple and delicious.

Roasted Tomato Basil [includes chicken] – Chris loved this one. The consistency looked great, not too creamy, not too thin [photographed in this post].

Green Chile Corn Chowder [includes chicken] – Chris also really enjoyed this one. It looked exactly how a corn chowder should!

Garden Minestrone [vegan] Possibly my favorite. The vegetable and fresh herb flavors were great. The tomato broth was thin as it should be and the vegetables were plentiful. Also, this minestrone uses potatoes instead of noodles to keep it GF. Loved that!

Potato Leek [vegetarian] Creamy and flavorful, without an overpowering leek flavor. This soup was filling while not being loaded down with cream.

Golden Quinoa and Kale Soup [vegan] The texture/consistency of this was fantastic. There was a lot of quinoa, so it was quite thick. It had a fabulous garden-herb fresh flavor.

Red Lentil Dahl [vegan] This is probably my second favorite. The dahl was thick and extremely hearty with the perfect amount of flavor. The whole cumin seeds were my favorite part and really made it seem homemade!

[butternut squash soup]

While I try to make all of our weekday breakfasts, lunches, and dinners as from-scratch as possible, sometimes it just doesn’t happen. You know, because, life. It happens to everyone. So it’s always nice to know that there are products out there you can feel good about buying and eating on those busy nights.

We love adding quick + simple things like you see below to round out the meal:

grilled cheese
avocado toast
broiled cheese on top [or ricotta with tomato soup]
bread croutons
fresh herbs
side salads
pan bread
nuts + seeds

[tomato soup]

The other thing to note about Boulder Organic! is that all of their soups are fresh and don’t include any preservatives. You’ll find them in the refrigerated section of your store near the deli or prepared foods area. They are stable in the fridge for a few months and once open need to be eaten in about 3-4 days.

I can’t even tell you how much more flavorful these soups are than anything I’ve eaten from a can.

And now you’ll get to see for yourselves!! Boulder Organic! is hosting a sweet giveaway with three winners! Check out the details below.

[tomato soup]

THREE winners!

Grand Prize:

1 Le Creuset Heritage Cocotte [color of your choice]
10 Tubs of Boulder Organic! soups

2 Runner Ups:

10 Tubs of Boulder Organic! soups

To enter: [US only – thank you!]

Leave a comment below telling me which of the Boulder Organic! Soups you’d try first and your favorite soup side dish. My favorite soup is their Garden Minestrone with a buttery grilled cheese on the side. The giveaway ends Friday, November 7th at 5pm EST.

[golden quinoa and kale soup]

Hope this helps with your weekend hangover.

Also, despite my ranting of being terrible at Halloween, I think Chris and I finally pulled it off a successful costume idea. I pieced our outfits together an hour before a party with $6 kids t-shirts, $7 track pants Chris cut into shorts, $2 fabric for the capes + headbands, and bathing suit bottoms I had at home. Cheap, easy, and hilarious.

Ashley

Happy Halloween!

Now let’s talk about Thanksgiving.

Today I give you mashed potatoes + easy vegan gravy.

Easy Vegan Gravy + Mashed Potatoes | edibleperspective.com #thanksgiving #vegan

I figured with all the treats flying around the interwebs [and in real life] you probably needed something savory to round out the sugar coma you’ve been riding all week.

Can we talk about Halloween for a minute, though?

Because I’m kind of the worst at it. I mean, I love fall and pumpkins and orange everything and cooler temperatures and gourds on my dining room table and candy and kids in adorable costumes waddling down the street and so on.

But me + Halloween? I fail.

Here are the reasons why.

I’m basically the worst at coming up with costume ideas. So bad in fact that I just don’t dress up. I can’t remember the last time I dressed up. And the last time I dressed up was probably a terrible attempt. Wait. Yep. It was! I believe it involved a Mardi Gras mask and a feather boa.
Chris is the 2nd worst at dressing up for Halloween. This makes it much harder to get motivated to try.
Our dogs go insane during trick or treating hours. I asked Chris what he wants to do Friday night and he said, “turn the lights off and go in the basement with the dogs.” We are really FUN!

Easy Vegan Gravy + Mashed Potatoes | edibleperspective.com #thanksgiving #vegan

Glad I could share my deep, dark Halloween secrets with you.

Easy Vegan Gravy + Mashed Potatoes | edibleperspective.com #thanksgiving #vegan

Now let’s get to the good stuff.

GRAVY.

This gravy loving girl has been gravyless for way too long. I’ve thought about making it the past few years but never actually executed.

So this year I finally decided to stop being ridiculous and just make some freaking gravy. And now I have 2 jars filled with gravy in my fridge and pounds of mashed potatoes.

Do you know how filling mashed potatoes and gravy are? Hellooo, dinner.

Easy Vegan Gravy + Mashed Potatoes | edibleperspective.com #thanksgiving #vegan

I am 210% happy with how the gravy turned out. The mushrooms and herbs are the absolute key to the crazy amazing flavor of this gravy. The onion and garlic help, too, but the mushrooms create an incredibly rich and savory flavor while the herbs help brighten it up just a bit. You can fully blend the gravy until it’s creamy or leave it with a bit of texture.

Easy Vegan Gravy + Mashed Potatoes | edibleperspective.com #thanksgiving #vegan

You’ll just have to trust me on how good it tastes because it’s not the most photogenic thing ever.

Easy Vegan Gravy + Mashed Potatoes | edibleperspective.com #thanksgiving #vegan

Print this!

recipe adapted from: vegan gravy, Choosing Raw

Easy Vegan Gravy

gluten-free, vegan // yields appx. 2 cups

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup diced yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 tablespoons gluten-free tamari
1/4 cup gluten-free oat flour, or 3 tablespoons arrowroot starch
8oz baby portabella mushrooms, chopped
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
pepper to taste

Heat oil over medium in a medium pot. Once hot, add the onion and cook for 6-8 minutes until softened and translucent. Stir frequently. Add the garlic, rosemary, and thyme and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add the tamari then stir in the oat flour. Stir until a paste forms and let cook for about 1 minute. Add a few splashes of the broth and the mushrooms. Let cook for 2-3 minutes then pour in the rest of the broth, nutritional yeast, and pepper. Whisk until well combined.

Bring to a boil [uncovered] stirring occasionally. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer for about 5 minutes. Carefully pour into a blender and blend [starting on low] for 10-30 seconds, depending on the desired consistency. [Or use an immersion blender in the pot.] Place back in the pot and simmer for 12-18 minutes until the gravy thickens, stirring every few minutes. Add more pepper or a splash of tamari if desired.

Remove from the heat for about 5-8 minutes to further thicken. Stir before serving. For smooth gravy, pour into a blender and blend until fully smooth.

Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes gluten-free, vegan // yields appx. 6 servings

3lbs [about 6 large] red potatoes, skin on
1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1-2 cups unsweetened almond or soy milk
salt + pepper to taste

Scrub potatoes [peel if desired] and cut each into about 6-8 pieces. Place in a large pot and fill with water just over the tops of the potatoes. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low boil and cook until potatoes are tender, about 18-23 minutes. Drain water. Set pot aside.

Heat a small pan over medium-low heat with 2 teaspoons of oil. Once hot place the garlic in the pan stirring constantly until just starting to brown, 2-3 minutes. Keep the heat low to avoid burning. Scrape contents into the pot of potatoes.

Add 1/4 cup oil to the pot along with 3/4 cup milk and start mashing. Add more milk and keep mashing until desired consistency is reached. Salt and pepper to taste. If topping with gravy avoid heavily salting the potatoes as the gravy is quite salty.

If potatoes cool down too much while mashing return to the burner over low heat and stir until hot. Add a bit more milk if needed.

----

notes:

-If you don’t like the texture of mushroom simply blend the gravy until smooth. The mushrooms add an amazing savory flavor, so I don’t recommend skipping them.

-If using fresh rosemary use 1 tablespoon chopped. If using fresh thyme use 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped.

-To make kale mashed potatoes: Remove stems from about 6-7 medium kale leaves. Chop the kale. Add a bit of oil to a medium-sized pan and heat over medium. Add the kale to the pan and stir until just starting to wilt, 2-4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Once potatoes are fully mashed incorporate kale into them.

-If you’d like a heartier flavor, feel free to mash with half milk and half low-sodium vegetable broth.

-If you want a nice bite to your potatoes and don’t require that they’re vegan, mash in 4-6oz herb goat cheese.

Easy Vegan Gravy + Mashed Potatoes | edibleperspective.com #thanksgiving #vegan

Potato gravy coma. Face plant.

Happy Friday!

Ashley