Mostly Fresh Vegetable Soup
For a number of reasons, several members of our family is try to reduce as much salt and packaged foods as possible, this week I came up with a surprisingly simple, easy and relatively quick solution. It as tasty as it is good for you. *Please note okra and kale may not be on everyone’s wish list. I like both but fresh is not always available and unlike corn and edamame, aren’t good frozen.
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1 bell pepper chunked
1/2 bag of those medium cut carrots. I like the multicolored ones, sliced
1 tsp oregano.
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp of coarse black pepper
3 bay leaves
2 Zucchini, halted and sliced evenly
2 crowns of Broccoli, chopped into bite sized pieces (stems too )
2 ribs celery, sliced
1/2 cup frozen sweet corn
1 cup curly leaf kale, chopped rough stems and all
1/2 cup frozen, shelled, Edamame \
1 cup fresh okra, sliced in bite sized pieces*
1 can Fire Roasted diced tomatoes
1 8oz package of mushrooms of you choice, sliced
1 32 oz container of Chicken Broth, (low sodium)
1 32 oz container of water
Instructions:
- In a big old soup pot on medium heat, add butter, onions, celery and green pepper and cook for about 2 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic until aromatic (~1 minute)
- Stir in carrots, bay leaves, oregano, thyme and pepper.
- Add broth and water.
- Stir in zucchini and broccoli (and okra and kale, if you are adding them)
- Add tomatoes and mushrooms
- Add corn and edamame and bring pot to a slow simmer and cover.
- Simmer soup, stirring occasionally until the broccoli and zucchini are softened but not mushy, The carrots should have lost their crunch but not mushy either.
Serve with a hard crusted baguette. The unwashed and unhealthy masses (of which I am) will undoubtedly add salt, more pepper and probably hot sauce ( or all of the above).