White Bean Veggie Soup with Cheesy Croutons

1. Preheat the oven 400 degrees 200 c

2. Pick over the beans and wash them. Place the beans in water to soak and swell overnight. Drain and place in a saucepan with 4 times the amount of water and bring to a boil and remove any scum that forms as they cook on a medium flame for 1 hour or until tender.

3. Heat the ghee in a stainless steel soup pot and allow to melt before adding in the leek and cumin seeds. Add in the ginger, carrots, zucchini and celery and cook until softened. Pour in the tomatoes, and add in the salt and spices, mixing the soup together. Use boiling water, add 3 cups of liquid, and place the lid on the pot slightly ajar to simmer the soup on a medium flame for 20 minutes.

4. Add in the beans, spinach and the kale and leave to cook for another 20 minutes on a low heat whilst you make the croutons.

5. Slice the bread into 2 cm thick slices and across into 2 cm croutons.

6. Spread the bread with ghee on both sides, and transfer them onto the paper parchment baking tray.

7. Sprinkle the croutons with salt and the oregano spice. Place them in the oven to cook for 8 minutes. Take the tray out of the oven and turn them over to crisp up on the others side. Now add on an even sprinkle of the cheese or if you use nutritional yeast mix with olive oil, spoon the mixture over the croutons and place them in the oven again for 5 minutes or until golden brown and remove.

8. The final step is to fry up the mushrooms in ghee, salt and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds until they are browned and cooked.

9. To serve this soup add to a soup bowl and place the mushrooms and croutons on top with a handful of fresh parsley.