Today's vegan offering: Roasted vegetable soup

This recipe for roasted vegetable soup with a homemade stock takes about three hours to make.

But don't let that scare you off.

Much of that time is hands-off cooking -- roasting, simmering and what not. You'll be left with a rich soup that would be perfect for dinner on a chilly fall night, or a tummy-warming something to bring to work. (Speaking of lunch -- click here for more lunch ideas, but note that not all of them make the cut in this vegan challenge.)

And, please don't tell L.A.Times test kitchen manager Noelle Carter that I told you this, but if you want to short cut the three-hour investment needed to make this soup, you can probably get away with store-bought vegetable stock. (It won't be the same as the real deal, of course.......)

-- Rene Lynch

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Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times