Hodge Podge Soup

Sounds appetizing doesn't it? I had a veritable hodge podge of vegetables that I needed to use up, so I decided to make soup. Like I have said in previous blog entries, I like to pack soup for lunch during the week. It's portable, easy to heat up, and filling.

So, I made this soup. I didn't have a recipe, I just used whatever veggies I had on hand. You can easily do this yourself. I state below how many cups of veggies to use and you can substitute anything that you choose. If you don't like zucchini, substitute celery instead. Don't care for spinach? Put in some kale or another rabbit food like arugula.

I think I might go have a bowl of this right now considering I am coming down with a cold. You know the kind? It starts out with a sore throat, headache and general achiness (is that a word?). I am not too thrilled that my coworker brought her germs in and contaminated the rest of us. So, when I am feeling sick, I like soup. And even better if there is a grilled cheese involved. At this point, a nap sure sounds good too. Sorry, I am rambling. It's the cold medication.

So! Easy soup. Weight Watchers friendly. Diet friendly in general. Feel free to make this your own. Call it Build a Soup. It takes about 20 minutes to chop all the veggies and then cook it. So, in 20 minutes, you can have a yummy, hot bowl of soup to enjoy.

Now, go enjoy.

Vegetable Soup

from: Pachey

3 bouillion cubes, any type (chicken, beef, etc.)

6 cups of water

Add:

10 cups of vegetables. Some suggestions:

canned tomatoes

broccoli

cauliflower

onion

zucchini

summer squash

carrot

celery

spinach

kale

swiss chard

red pepper

green pepper

Add:

can of beans (kidney, cannelini, white beans, pinto) drained and rinsed

Add:

1/2 cup pasta (elbows, ditalini, alphabets, etc.)

Add:

spices to taste (I like dill, Italian seasoning, fresh garlic, basil and whatever else suits you)

Bring everything to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover, simmer for 10 minutes.

For my soup, I used a can of diced tomatoes, a can of kidney beans, three stalks of celery, 2 cups of spinach and the rest of my vegetables consisted of a frozen medley of zucchini, summer squash, carrot, broccoli and cauliflower. See my finished product? Yum! Complete with steam.