So far, Marc has not said a peep about how many soups I’ve been throwing at him in 2012. I just want to try all kinds. If I trust the recipe and myself enough for non-ruinous tweaks, I’ll double the batch and we’ll have a meal plus lunch for a few days. I’ve made this hot and sour soup twice now and it’s a perfect Saturday soup. The kind you start in the morning and decide later whether it will be lunch or dinner.

With this soup in particular, the longer it cooks, the more silky the cabbage becomes. The broth has a gentle heat from the jalapeño that warms your mouth while it’s balanced by the bright acidity from the limes. It’s the kind of soup that you crave when you’re under the weather and the same kind of soup that works well for having people over.

This soup just has it going on. It’s healthy, easy, inexpensive, vegan and most of all, delicious.

Recipe: Vegan Hot and Sour Cabbage and Rice Soup

Adapted from The Kitchn

Makes about ten 1-cup servings

1 T. coconut oil (or other high-heat oil)

12 oz. or 2 C. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

One 3-inch knob of ginger, peeled and finely grated

3 limes, zested and juiced

10 C. water

1/2 small head of green cabbage, cut in half and shaved thin

4 T. soy sauce, plus more for serving

1/2 C. jasmine rice

sea salt, to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat and add the mushrooms. Cook for 4 minutes without stirring then stir and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the diced jalapeño, garlic and ginger and cook for about two minutes or until fragrant.

2. Add the lime zest, lime juice and water; bring to a simmer. Add the cabbage, soy sauce and a few pinches of  sea salt; cook for 45 minutes – 3 hours, depending on how much time you have to spare. Twenty minutes before you’re ready to eat, add in the rice. When the soup is done cooking, taste to see if more salt is needed to bring flavors together. Serve hot with extra soy sauce.