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Sunday, May 19, 2013

Summer Vegetable Soup


Welcome to another Super Soup Sunday. 


Sunday, the day where we get a jump on the week by making a luscious soup that will get us through a few meals in the upcoming week. I am really liking this new routine. Even though it sometimes takes some time to prepare, it feels like I am taking the pressure off myself for the next few meals to come and that brings a welcome sense of relief.

Last week's Quick and Easy Black Bean Soup required very little effort and was made from ingredients that could be kept on hand in the pantry and the freezer for a meal and soup in a pinch.  This week, I am doing the opposite.


This Summer Vegetable Soup is made from almost entirely fresh in-season Summer ingredients. It didn't dawn on me until I took the ingredient line up photo that I missed an opportunity here to make it all fresh. I had chosen to use some frozen roasted corn. Darn! While the roasted corn added a different flavor, and saved me some work, fresh corn would have been lovely.

Also this soup uses very little seasoning other than fresh garlic, fresh basil, onion and lemon, pepper and if you choose, salt. It's truly a soup that benefits from farm fresh seasonal ingredients. It just tastes like summer.

We are fortunate that we still have some of the last fresh lemons on the trees as well. One of the benefits of living in the California desert. That and the fact we have summer vegetables already.

Summer Vegetable Soup

Recipe adapted from the cookbook, Forks Over Knives, The Cookbook
It serves approximately 6.


Ingredients:

6 medium tomatoes, chopped
3 ears of corn, kernels removed from cob (about 2 cups)
2 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium yellow squash, diced
1 large onion, diced
6 cups low sodium vegetable broth or fresh no salt stock
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
zest and juice of one lemon
pepper to taste (salt to if you must)

Directions:

Sautee the onions in a couple of tablespoons of the broth over medium heat for about 7-8 minutes.
Don't let them dry out, add more broth as necessary. Add the garlic and sautee another minute.




Add tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes, just until tomatoes break down a little.



Add the zucchini, yellow squash, corn and vegetable broth.



Bring the pot to a boil on high, then reduce to medium and cook 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.



Add the freshly chopped basil, lemon juice and zest and pepper and salt to taste.




And Enjoy!


Fresh Summer Vegetable Soup
This is another entry for Healthy Vegan Fridays.


Cooking Tip:

About this time, you might notice that you have left over broth. This seems to happen a lot as often 6 cups of broth is required for soup bases and a carton has 4 cups. I make broth cubes with the left overs and keep them in a bag in the freezer to use for sautéing vegetables. Also they come in handy to flavor the dog's dry food. What can I say, my dog is very spoiled. :-)

Left Over Broth Cubes


Personal Note:



I saw this quote over on FB this week, and it's stuck in my mind. It applies to me and this blog. I am definitely starting before I am ready and quite honestly if I waited until I was ready, I probably would never start. This is all a learning curve for me and quite frankly that's the point. 

So please bear with me as I improve my skills as I go along. This refers to camera operation, lighting, writing, cooking, media, graphic design, the list goes on and on. I am by no means a professional blogger, chef, or whatever and nor do I profess to be.
I am someone who is trying to heal myself with nutrition, learning new habits and tastes that I hope will last a lifetime and by sharing this adventure, I hope I can also inspire others in the process.

It's just me doing my thang.

So until next time… just be. (deep breath) ;-)










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3 comments:

  1. This was delicious! The lemon was such a nice touch. I'll probably be adding lemons to most of my soups from now on. Thank you!

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  2. So glad you enjoyed it Elaine. Thank you for sharing feedback too. Lemon does give a little kick in place of salt.

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  3. The 4th of July isn't a special day in the Netherlands, but we have Queensday to celecrate the birthday of our queen. This year our queen abdicated and now her son is king. So next year no Queensday but Kingsday �� I'll save your recipe/tutorial so I can make this next year for Kingsday and/or the 5th of May (celebrating the end of WO II) The colours of the Dutch flag are red, white end blue so it would be perfect!
    Jayme Silvestri

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