We woke to fresh snow this morning… I just love the mountains first thing in the morning, especially with snow. Some of my kids still aren’t 100% well, so it just seemed like a vegetable soup kind of day. This marvelously gorgeous mixture is in my arsenal of vegan, grain-free, oil-free, low-sodium soups. The first time I made it, they scarfed it down. I was hoping for left-overs. So, today I added in an extra stalk or two of celery, carrot, and a yellow bell pepper (cause I had one that was screaming to be eaten today). These additions are not indicated in the recipe, but that’s the beauty of vegetable soup. YOU can decide on the vegetables you want to use… and how much of them you want in there. It takes a bit to chop everything up (the 8 year old helped me today) , but it is a really hearty, delicious soup.

Classic Vegetable Soup (serves 6-8)

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 C mushrooms, chopped
• 1lb Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1/2-1 C green beans cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 C spinach chopped (I used “dried”, but you can use frozen or fresh too)
• 1T of dried or fresh ginger
• 2 bay leaves
• 1t thyme
• 32-64 oz Pacific Organic Vegetable broth (no added oil) – This varies based on the volume of vegetables you add.
• water (optional- you can use veg broth only, or supplement it with water)

In a bit of vegetable broth, saute the onion, garlic, and mushrooms until tender. Add the potatoes, thyme, ginger, and enough vegetable broth to cover them, bring to a boil and then simmer while you chop up everything else. Add the remaining ingredients (adding broth/water as needed to get the consistency you want), return to a boil, then simmer for 30-45 minutes (or until potatoes and carrots are tender). This is a great soup when you have sick kids. Much better than the chicken noodle soup norm because it’s full of vege-licious nutrition.

As usual, I’m going to give you a similar meal alternative if this recipe doesn’t meet your expectations, or you just haven’t the time to prepare it. Our family simply loves the Amy’s vegan product line. They have a Chunky Vegetable soup that is pretty darn good (I ate it all the time when I did Weight Watchers, not that I’m promoting WW :)). One drawback is that it has corn in it, which my 10-year old isn’t eating… hence, why I came up with my own veggie soup for her.

Add a large salad to either soup, and perhaps a side of fruit for something sweet. If you’re not avoiding grains, my family highly recommends this vegan corn bread recipe as a great compliment to chili and soups. My kids have made it with applesauce as a supplement for the oil to lower the fat.

Eating “whole-food, plant based” doesn’t have to be difficult… and it isn’t with a bit of knowledge and practice. Not only will your taste buds say, “Yum”, but you’re waistline and heart will thank you too.