Soup's On

Well we have turned the corner and are now in the month of December.  When my kids were at home that always meant I would be making soup.  I think that soup makes a great meal when everyone is busy getting ready for Christmas.  It can simmer on the stove and family members can grab a bowl and a bit of bread whenever they are ready for a meal

Another nice thing about soup is that it is very forgiving and you don’t need to follow and exact recipe.  You can watch me make my clean out the fridge soup on the video that we are posting this week.

Here are 2 different sets of directions that you might want to try to make heartwarming soup for your family.

The first is for a broth based soup.

½ to ¾ cup of chopped vegetables per person (Here I use whatever kind of vegetables that I have on hand. It might be carrots, celery, onions, leeks, and or parsnips.)

Once chopped, I add the vegetables to a pan with a little olive oil and sauté them slightly to brown them and bring out the flavor.  At this time I also add the aromatics, garlic, thyme, parsley and bay leaves in my house. Continue cooking the vegetables till soft about 5 to 8 minutes.

Now add the stock, about 1 cup per half cup of vegetables.  You can use chicken, beef or vegetable stock.

Bring to a boil and add the starch you want to include. Noodles, rice or barley are all good choices.  I would add about 1/3 cup of rice or barley or a large handful of noodles to 4 cups of broth.

Reduce the heat ,  cover and simmer for about 20- 30  minutes until the noodles, rice or barley is cooked.  Serve this soup with some nice crusty whole grain bread for a great meal on a busy December night.

My Second Recipe is for a Creamy Soup that is both Low fat and also Dairy Free. It is one I got from Healthy Food when I was in New Zealand 2 years ago.

It makes enough for 4 people.

1 onion chopped

1 tablespoon oil (I use Olive Oil)

1 Large potato peeled and chopped.

4 cups chopped vegetables

Stock to cover

Salt and Pepper

Sauté the chopped onion in oil in a large saucepan until soft but not browned.  Add about 4 cups of chopped vegetables and the shopped potato.  The starch in the potato will add the creaminess to the soup.

Cook the vegetables in the saucepan with the lid on for about 5 minutes.  Then add the stock to cover all the vegetables. 

Simmer with the lid off until the vegetables are very soft.  Process the mixture with an emersion blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add extra liquid to make  the soup as thin or as thick as you like.  Herbs such as thyme, rosemary, parsley or basil can be added in the cooking process if they suit the vegetable mixture.  Garnish with chopped herbs or a spoonful of yogurt if  dairy is ok.