More Soup for You!

It's truly autumn in Vancouver now. The weather is wet, the sky is grey, and although it's still about 15 degrees, I am absolutely freezing.

To remedy the chill in the air, soup has become my meal of choice (no kidding since this is my second soup post in a few weeks!). Not only does one pot make enough food to feed an army, it's one of those meals that I can pack with vegetables and legumes to ensure we're getting enough. To make soups even more super, we purchased a sleek Cuisinart hand blender that creates the smoothest puree producing an instantly sophisticated meal.

Another reason I love soup is that it doesn't require a recipe. Last night, with no idea of what to make I pulled a bunch of veggies and some leftovers from the fridge and voila, a hearty tomato vegetable soup took shape! Using whatever ingredients you have on hand, interpret the recipe below to create your own delicious vegetable soup.

Tomato Vegetable Soup

Half an onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
Half a zucchini, diced
1 28oz can tomatoes
1 19oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed
3 or more cups vegetable broth
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1 cup cooked quinoa
Salt and pepper

In a large soup pot heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add in carrots, celery, potatoes and zucchini and continue cooking until the veggies soften. Stir in tomatoes, garbanzo beans, veggie broth, oregano and basil and simmer until lightly boiling. Add quinoa and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes or until veggies are tender. Spoon into soup bowls and serve with a multigrain baguette.