Recipe: Vegetable Soup

 Two snow days and temperatures below zero called for some warm, comforting soup.  The last two weeks I made Italian Wedding Soup which I LOVE, but this week I decided to make something meatless.  I had a craving for vegetable soup, and I had a lot of vegetables in my fridge that needed to be used, so vegetable soup won out.

Ingredients:

1. 3-4 garlic cloves, minced

2. 1 sweet onion, chopped

3. 1 large or 2 small turnips, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces

4. 1 zucchini, chopped into bite sized pieces

5. 2 small tomatoes, chopped

6.  2 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces

7.  2 celery stalks, diced

8.  1 tsp. of Herbs de Provence

9.  1 Tbs. of Italian seasoning

10. 2 cartons of low sodium vegetable stock (8 cups total)

11.  1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

12.  salt and pepper to taste 

13.  2 cups of baby kale, chopped

14.  1 Tbs. olive oil

Optional ingredients:  1 Tbs Better Than Bouillion, 1/4 tsp. of smoked chipotle pepper powder

Directions:

1.  Heat 1 Tbs. of olive oil in a large stock pot and add the garlic until fragrant.
2. Add the onion, turnips, zucchini, carrots, and celery and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
3.  Add the tomato, seasonings, vegetable stock, and beans and simmer for 30-40 minutes (taste after 15 minutes and if you feel it needs more flavor, add the Better Than Bouillion and the chipotle pepper... I like a little heat, you may not)
4.  Add the baby kale and stir until wilted. Salt and Pepper to taste.
5.  Enjoy!