You don’t need a recipe to make vegetable soup. All you need is a system, some pantry or freezer staples and whatever veges are left over from your weekly shop, or your organic vege box delivery.
First of all, I went round my kitchen and dumped everything that could go into soup onto the kitchen table. For something green, I tottered out into the darkness and the rain and found some wild parsley.
In my next post, I’ll tell you what I actually used, so it will be an actual recipe. But today I’ll talk you through my system.
The base
To make the tastiest soup, you want to start with a good stock. Homemade is best, but often that’s just not going to happen. If you do make stock, keep some in the freezer. What I had:
• In the freezer, I had a bag of organic chicken stock
• In the pantry, I had a bag of organic dehydrated beef stock
• If you don’t have anything, just start with water
Carby veges
To make the soup sustaining, you want some highish carb vegetables, usually root veges or squashes. If you eat grains or legumes, you could also use some of those (think pea and ham soup). Some options would be:
• Carrots
• Beetroot (I had one red, one golden)
• Pumpkin
• Butternut squash
• Swede (rutabaga) – Note: must be cooked very well or tastes nasty
• Parsnip
• Sweet potato / kumara
• Potatoes
• Legumes such as split peas or lentils
• Grains such as rice or barley, if you tolerate them, or pseudo grains like buckwheat or quinoa
Aromatics
Next category are your aromatics, for depth of flavour. These could be:
• Onions
• Leeks
• Garlic
• Ginger – the ginger in the photo is from a bag of peeled, frozen ginger that I keep in the freezer
• Fresh turmeric – that bag also has peeled, frozen turmeric
• Powdered or grated spices
Greens
You might also want some greens. They could be:
• Spinach / silverbeet / chard
• Kale
• Broccoli – a good way to use up the stalks if you only eat the tops usually
• Celery
• Herbs
Good fats
And lastly I like to add some good fats. This might be:
• Coconut milk
• Creamed coconut / coconut butter
• A handful of cashews or almonds
• A dollop of sour cream or thick yoghurt
• A bit of grated cheese
The method
If you’re going to use grains or legumes in your soup, plan ahead, and soak them for a few hours in warm water with a little apple cider vinegar added. This will make them easier to digest.
In your saucepan, sauté your chopped or grated aromatics in a little butter, ghee, olive oil, coconut oil or lard. For onions or leeks, cook for a few minutes till softened. But garlic, ginger or spices only need a few seconds, so you don’t burn them.
Add your stock or water, then add your high carb veges, chopped into cubes. If using grains or legumes, give them a good rinse and add them now. If you’re using hard greens like broccoli stalk, celery or kale, add them at this stage too. You can add a little salt at this stage too, but not too much. Simmer till everything is nearly soft.
Towards the end, add any soft greens like spinach or herbs, and continue simmering till completely soft.
If you’re adding coconut or nuts, add them now and turn off the heat. Let it sit for a few minutes for the coconut to melt or the nuts to soften. If you’re adding cheese or sour cream, add them later in each bowl or cup.
Now you’ve got a choice. If you like chunky soup, you’re ready to taste and season further if needed. But if you’re like me and like a creamy soup, take to it with your hand held blender wand, till it’s the consistency you like, before seasoning. If your base was water, you’ll probably need to season with a slightly heavier hand.
Ladle into mugs or bowls, top with sour cream or cheese, if desired, and serve. Good for a winter snack, for lunch with some toast, or for dinner with your protein of choice.
Thanks for reading
Photos by myself.
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Some of my previous RECIPES AND KITCHEN TIPS:
BREAKFASTS –
• Choc Blackcurrant Smoothie
• Feijoa Pear Smoothie
• Cashew Porridge
• Other Breakfast ideas
BREADS & BAKING -
• Grain free, dairy free Pumpkin & Cashew Bread
• Grain Free Banana Cashew muffins
• Carrot Almond bread
• Vegetable muffins
• Grain free cheese muffins
• Happy birthday to me! with birthday cake recipe…
• Grain Free Apple Cashew Walnut Muffins
• Carrot Cashew Blender Bread
• Stove top grain free bread
• Apple Walnut Coconut Flour muffins
SOUPS & DINNERS –
• Warming winter soup
• Paleo Cottage Pie
• I judged the Steemit Culinary Challenge: Paleo
SNACKS & FINGER FOODS –
• Healthy Chocolate & Fudge
• Jerky with vegetables
• Choco-mallow protein bars
• Grain free Fruit & Nut bar
• Finger food for a gathering
• Real food ideas for snacks and road trips
FESTIVE –
• Festive smoothies for Xmas morning ~
• Orange Cranberry Xmas Breakfast Muffins ~
• Crisp & crunchy Xmas cheese stars
• Best ever (and easiest) Christmas cake
• Xmas menu ideas
• Planning your holiday eating to be a bit more balanced
• Paleo Easter Buns (coconut-almond flours, gluten and starch free, lowish carb)
• Even yummier Paleo Easter Buns
KITCHEN TIPS & MENUS –
• Tip for storing ginger & tumeric ~
• Equipment for the real food kitchen
For MORE RECIPES and my 15 step Whole Food cooking course, see my recipe website.