When teaching someone how to cook, one of the first things I teach is the formula for a simple vegetable soup. I find that this lays the groundwork for endless variations- the formula can be used for anything from minestrone to menudo (if you're feeling sassy). The easy formula for soup: Olive oil + longest veg cook time -> shortest veg cook time + any combination of herbs, spices, garlic, and red pepper flake cooked til fragrant + canned, frozen or cooked bean (tomatoes, beans, corn) + broth + garnish (cheese, olive oil, fresh herbs, avocado, citrus, crackers, etc). Infographic to come. I often find myself making soup when I start to get to the end of my vegetables for the week. Half of a bell pepper, some zucchini, and a few baby carrots were on the way out yesterday. I made this soup a little special with some herbs de Provence and lavender salt. The light broth works well with a bit of floral sel, and I finished this with a squeeze of lemon.
Vegetable Soup with Lavender Salt
drizzle of olive oil
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 zucchini, sliced thin
5 baby carrots, chopped
1 1/2 cremini mushrooms sliced
big handful of chopped kale
3 cloves of pressed garlic
2 big pinches of red pepper flakes
1/2 tbsp herbes de Provence
1/2 can Muir Glen diced tomatoes
1/2 can drained, rinsed garbanzo beans1 tsp lavender salt
3/4 carton Central Market vegetable brothchopped parsley (garnish)
squeeze of lemon
Saute vegetables for 8 minutes. Add herbs, lavender salt, and garlic. When really fragrant (about 3 minutes) add the rest of the ingredients. Let simmer for as long as you can stand (about an hour, for me). Serve with parsley and a squeeze of lemon (and a mountain of cheese for Cara :-) ).
