Time for Winter Soup
Seeing as we have 12” of snow on the ground now and the fact
that another snow fall consisting of three inches is referred to (by me) as a
‘flurry,’ I thought it was time for some nourishing Winter Soup.
I take recipes as suggestions so of course this is an
adaptation of North Pole Soup, which came to me via my Mom who lives in (of all
places), Tucson, Arizona. Because I limit
the amount of wheat in my diet, I substituted potatoes for the noodles that the
original recipe called for. Limiting wheat has really boosted my immune system, so much so that it is an easy choice to not eat very much of it at all.
Winter Soup
Note: all ingredients are organic whenever possible and amounts
are listed as ‘guidelines.’
4 – 5 medium sized red potatoes, scrubbed clean, sliced
1 red onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 stalks celery, sliced crosswise
2 large carrots, sliced crosswise
5 cups water
2 cubes vegetable bouillon
1 tsp powdered dried mustard seed
1 tsp dried basil
Salt to taste
1 14oz. can crushed tomatoes ( I used crushed fire roasted)
1 14oz. can red kidney beans (any beans will do – garbanzos,
cannellini)
1 – 2 Tblsp. olive oil or coconut oil
Saute onions in oil for 5 min over medium-low heat, add
garlic, carrots and celery and sauté another 5 – 10 min. until soft. Slice
potatoes (I use my handy food processor for slicing and dicing) and place in water in
a large soup pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and keep at a simmer. Add
salt, bouillon, basil and dried mustard, crushed tomatoes and beans. Add your sautéed veggies to the soup pot and
let simmer for at least 30 min. This
soup is super-fast to make, especially if you have a food processor. It freezes really well too, but remember no
freezing in plastic. Keep it healthy and use just Pyrex.
Enjoy! Like all
soups, this is even better the next day.
My goal in preparing food for myself and my family is that
it is healthy, delicious AND beautiful (in a down-home sort of way). I don’t
measure except with my eyeballs and my taste buds. Also, what I love about soups is that you can
adjust the amounts of any ingredients to your taste, needs, and what is available
in the pantry. Got guests coming and
need more soup? The solution is, as my
Brazilian friend Heloisa says, ‘Add water to the beans!’
