Vegan Mulligatawny Soup - I'd get lost on an island with this soup

This soup is so amazingly awesomely delicious that you will decide to invite friends over to help you eat the giant pot of soup and then silently cry that you won't have enough leftovers to eat for breakfast.
* Be wary of growing feelings of resentment when your friends get seconds.
* Do not steal the pot and elope to Mexico. No one will understand your love.

Mulligatawny Soup (vegan version)

1 yellow onion, chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
6 carrot, diced
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
8 cups vegetable broth (or Not Chik'n Broth)
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup rice (jasmine rice is good)
1 can coconut milk
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch dried thyme

Jazz it up with extra pinches of cumin, coriander, ground red pepper, and more curry powder.

Saute onions, celery, carrot, and oil in a large soup pot. Add flour and curry, and cook 5 more minutes. Add stock, mix well, and bring to a boil. Simmer about 1/2 hour.
Add applesauce, rice, coconut milk, salt, pepper, and thyme. Simmer 15-20 minutes, or until rice is done.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup Recipe

I know that soup season is nearly over, but I feel the need to share this recipe.
(for vegan recipe, use rice milk and omit butter and cheese)

5 cups Vegetable Broth
1 can Evaporated Milk
30 oz Pure Pumpkin, puréed
16 oz Yellow Corn
1 packet Lipton Vegetable Soup Mix
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
2 tbsp Stick Butter
6 tbsp. Dark Brown Sugar (this part is VERY important!)
2 tbsp. Chili Powder
1 tbsp. Ground Cumin
1 tsp. Ground Coriander
1 tsp. Ground Red Pepper
1 tsp. Thyme
½ tsp. Celery Seed
Salt and Pepper to taste

Blend pumpkin, vegetable broth and evaporated milk in large stock pot.
Add remaining ingredients and whisk for 2-3 minutes.
Bring to boil over medium heat.
Reduce heat and simmer until flavors blend, about 30 minutes.

Makes about 3 qts.

When we first made this, we used a whole pumpkin. Let me be the first to say, when you are standing in the kitchen holding a HUGE PUMPKIN, life can become very confusing. We ended up with 75 ounces of pure pumpkin, whereas the recipe only calls for 30. We put up a post on facebook calling all nearby residents to bring a bowl. There should be a proverb about how time and effort put into a pumpkin can feed a small village.