Pacific Foods

Pacific Foods Cashew Carrot Ginger Bisque

Bisque is a thick, creamy soup. This bisque lives up to its name. It is rich and creamy and the ginger is not too spicy or overwhelming. Creamed coconut gives it a nice velvety texture. One feature I like about their soup is that it comes in a carton as opposed to a can since I don’t like the metallic taste of canned soup. It does contain tree nuts (cashews and coconut).

Pacific Foods Thai Sweet Potato Soup 

The soup combines sweet potatoes, winter squash, and coconut with Thai flavors. It has a great sweet potato taste with the consistency of thick, butter squash soup. It is hearty without being heavy. It does contain tree nuts (coconuts and almonds).

Both are great tasting rich soups that are also soy free, vegetarian, yeast free and organic.

Safe Harvest

Safe Harvest Dairy Free Wild Clam Chowder

Chowders are seafood-based soups thickened with potatoes and mixed with cream or milk.

With this brand you would never guess dairy is replaced by coconut milk. The coconut is not sweet, but instead does a great job of mimicking the creaminess and thickness of the milk and cream used in chowders. It is made with sustainably sourced wild clams, potatoes, and cauliflower.

Safe Harvest Dairy Free Shrimp Bisque

Bisque is a shellfish-based soup and this one has a great shrimp taste. As with the wild clam chowder, coconut milk is used in place of milk/cream.  The bisque is made with wild, sustainably caught, cold-water shrimp.

Both soups are thick and rich and have delicious seafood flavors. They have no added sugar and are low in mercury. They are also Paleo and Whole30 approved.

Wolfgang Puck Organic Free Range Chicken with White and Wild Rice

I expected a celebrity chef’s soup to taste gourmet. Instead, it is a bland, less salty, watered down version of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup.  

Amy’s Thai Coconut Tom Kha Phak

Tom Kha Phak is a spicy and sour soup made with coconut milk. The traditional version is made with chicken. This version is vegan and at first taste I thought there was chicken, but it was the tofu and mushrooms, which have the consistency of meat. It contains galangal, which is a root similar to ginger, along with sweet potatoes, carrots and green beans. It’s a mix of tart, sweet and spicy flavors and Amy’s website says it can be poured on rice. It’s plant based, but does contain soy and tree nuts (coconuts).

Dr. McDougall’s

All of the reviewed Dr. McDougall’s soups are vegan and come in a carton to be mixed with water and microwaved. Dr. McDougall is a real doctor and not a fictional “Betty Crocker” type character used in marketing a product. His website says he is a physician and nutrition expert who teaches better health through vegetarian cuisine. Please note that this brand also makes soup with gluten, so please check product labels carefully.

Dr. McDougall’s Gluten Free Asian Noodles Pad Thai

The soup contains dried vegetables, rice noodles and spices. The rice noodles are tender, and the soup has a nice lime flavor which is perfectly paired with the herbs. Instructions on the carton say that the cooked noodles can be added to sauteed vegetables for a stir fry and the website contains many recipes using the soup. It does contain soy and peanuts.

Dr. McDougall’s Vegan Split Pea Soup, lower sodium

This soup is my favorite from Dr. McDougall’s and tastes like it’s made from fresh peas instead of dried peas. It is plant-based, thick and full of flavor. You can add the enclosed low sodium soy sauce if you need more saltiness. This is a hearty soup, perfect for lunch, a wintry night or even a snack.

Dr. McDougall’s Rice Noodle Sesame Chicken Flavor

The soup is made with rice noodles, sesame and soy sauce. It is vegan and you don’t taste the “chicken” flavor, but instead savory miso. It is a tastier and healthier alternative to ramen noodle soup.

Lotus Foods Tom Yum Rice Ramen Noodle Soup

Made with brown rice, the soup is spicy and has a strong lemongrass and ginger taste, to the point of being perfumy. I do not recommend this soup.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, soup is such a versatile food. It can be an appetizer or stand on its own as a meal. It can be plain, like a broth, or fancy like gumbo. There are many types of soup too including bisques, chowder and ramen noodle. Best of all, it is the perfect winter companion.

In the News

Oreo is releasing a gluten free Oreo. They have not released the ingredients so no word yet on whether it will also be dairy free.

Fun Food Fact

According to Guinness World Records, the most expensive bowl of soup commercially is  Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. It requires up to 30 ingredients including shark’s fin, abalone, Japanese flower mushroom, sea cucumber, dried scallops, chicken, and duck. And it takes three days to prepare.

Although there are many theories about the origin of the soup’s name, the most popular one is that a scholar was cooking the soup near a Buddhist monastery and the aroma spread to the monks. The soup’s scent was so intoxicating that a monk (who was supposed to be vegetarian) jumped over the fence to get some. A poet writing about the incident declared that even Buddha himself would jump over a wall to get a taste, hence the intricate name.

Did You Know?

The most popular soup in America is chicken noodle.

Quote

When Andy Warhol was asked why he painted the iconic soup cans, he said: “I used to have the same (Campbell’s soup) lunch every day for 20 years.”