Recipe: Garden Vegetable Soup

A mixed vegetable soup is an easy way to combine a variety of vegetables for delicious, abundant results. The broth is a palate pleasing tomato base. Make a big batch and freeze your leftovers in dinner size portions for quick meals. Serve topped with grated parmesan cheese and chopped green onions and some kind of warm bread on the side: crackers/rolls/biscuits/cornbread/grilled cheese sandwiches. Get everything out that you need in advance - ingredients and equipment, and prep the veggies before you start cooking to avoid forgetting something or overcooking something.

Equipment: Big, deep soup pot; rubber spatula or wooden cooking spoon; cutting board and big, sharp kitchen knife; ladle; Optional: food processor or friend to chop veggies

Ingredients:

• Fresh or frozen vegetables, chopped: Use a variety of colors and textures. Thaw frozen veggies in fridge overnight or on counter for a couple hours. Chop each veggie in same sized pieces for even cooking. Think bite sized - too big and cooking takes too long; too small and the pieces disintegrate.
  • Onions: 2 medium, chopped ½ inch pieces
  • Garlic: 6+ cloves, minced
  • Potatoes: several white or sweet, peeled and chopped 3/4  inch cubes
  • Greens: kale, spinach or chard: 1.5 inch pieces, cut or torn,
  • Choose at least three: carrots (¼ inch coins), broccoli (3/4 inch), bell or banana peppers (1/2 inch), green beans (1 inch), green peas, okra (1/2 inch coins), corn, tomatoes (1 inch)
  • Optional: minced hot peppers - jalapeno (2) or cayenne (1)
• Chopped/diced tomatoes: 2 large cans (28 oz ea) or a couple pounds of fresh chopped tomatoes
• Tomato juice: 1 large can
• Vegetable broth: 4 - 8 cups liquid or reconstituted powder
• Herbs: Variety of fresh (up to 1 cup minced) or dried herbs (1 tablespoon or more), like basil, oregano, thyme
• Salt: 1 teaspoon or more
• Black pepper: ½ teaspoon or more
• Sugar: ½ teaspoon
• Hot pepper: Add spicy pepper sauce or powder if not using fresh spicy peppers (jalapeno, cayenne)
• Olive oil: two tablespoons
• Optional Mix-ins
  • Cooked beans: kidney, white (navy or cannellini), chickpeas, black, black eyed peas
  • Cooked grain: barley, brown rice
  • Cooked meat: hamburger, shredded/chopped chicken
  • Cooked pasta: elbow noodles, farfalle bows. stir in at last minute (do not overcook or it will fall apart in soup)
• Optional toppings: Lemon juice; grated parmesan cheese or other; chopped green onions

Directions:

1. Chop all the veggies.
2. Heat soup pot over medium-high heat with olive oil. Saute onions til soft. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic and hot peppers and saute for a minute. Add potatoes, carrots, and salt. Pour in broth to cover veggies. Bring to fast simmer/slow boil.
3. When potatoes and carrots are halfway cooked, add chopped tomatoes and sauce. Return to slow boil. Keep adding veggies, one kind at a time, returning the pot to a slow boil between additions, ending with soft veggies (like peppers, corn and spinach) that cook quickly.
4. Add additional broth or water to keep veggies covered.
5. In the last half hour of cooking, mix in herbs and add optional ingredients like pre-cooked beans, grain, meat.
6. In the last 10 minutes, stir in black pepper, sugar, hot pepper powder (if not using fresh hot peppers), and optional cooked pasta.
7. Taste test and adjust seasonings.
8. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavor. Top with grated cheese and chopped green onions. Serve with crackers or warm bread.

Enjoy each breath and every bite!