Stone Soup
Like the wraps, this recipe lets you use up bits of things that you have left
over in your fridge that just didn’t get used in your week. Make sure
everything is fresh however. Nothing will make old veggies taste better.
The basic soup starts with “sautéed” onion and garlic. I don’t use oil, just
water or broth. This is the one constant to the soup. Then add the fresh
cut veggies and let them “sweat”. I use:
- Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Leeks
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Zucchini
- Yellow Squash
- Or whatever I have around…use what you have and what you like.
Once the veggies have “sweated”, I add broth and/or canned whole
tomatoes, because I like tomatoes. If you don’t like tomatoes, just use
broth. I choose low sodium veggie broth or I make my own. I also choose
low sodium canned whole, organic tomatoes. What is low sodium? Try to
have the mgs of sodium be equal to or lower than the calories/serving.
With condiments you can get away with a bit of a cheat on this because it
will be diluted but this is a good rule of thumb. I love tomatoes and like to
use the whole ones because I like the texture they provide. I “squish” them
as I add them so they are rather chunky. You could also do this with fresh
tomatoes, of course. Tomatoes are among the “dirty dozen” meaning it is
very important to get them organically grown, if at all possible. To see the
complete list, go to www.ewg.org.
When I make soup, I want to make a great big pot so I can have it all week
or freeze it for later. I use 3-4 cans of tomatoes and fill the rest of it up
with broth, leaving room to add some frozen veggies and dark greens, at
the end. I like corn, succotash and peas and chopped kale or collard greens
for added flavor, thickness and nutrition.
Spices are up to you. You can steer it toward the Italian side with
rosemary, oregano and basil or the spicy side with chili, cumin or curry.
Experiment and see what you like best! Other variations include blending
part or all of the soup to make it creamy, juicing veggies for added
nutritional benefit or making it a cold soup. The possibilities are endless!
Let me know what you come up with.
