Soup's On

I am not a fan of soup.

The fact that you slurp, and not chew, is what gets me. My husband started requesting chili during the winter and I made it, grumbling about how I'd have to make two dinners. But something happened.

I liked it.

I believe the chunkiness of chili and stew helps my getting past the whole "slurping" issue. It feels like food, not liquid.

Last week, I got really, really drunk. And the next day I felt really yuck, and like every other day this summer, it was kind of cool outside. So I found a recipe for a summer vegetable soup from this lady and changed it enough that I feel I can post my version here. Yes, it's pretty chunky.
 
Chilly Portland Summer Soup (adapted from Vegan Food; More than Tofu and Sprouts!)

• 1 sweet onion, chopped small
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large carrot (or in my case, 4 small carrots) chopped
• 2 cups green beans, chopped
• 1 cup water + 1.5 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups vegetarian broth
• 3 Tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 2 Tablespoons finely minced fresh sage (or 1 tsp dry)
• 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely minced
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1/2 cup uncooked whole wheat pasta (I used shells)
• 2 cups of greens (I used 1 cup beet greens and 1 cup of kale)
• 1 ear of sweet corn, kernels cut off
• several drops hot sauce (I had szechuan sauce, and it was pretty tasty)
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, garlic, carrots and green beans in a little bit of water over medium low heat until onion is transparent. Add water and tomato juice mixture and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes or so, until carrots are tender.

Add broth, herbs, zucchini and kale.

Increase heat to medium high to bring broth to a boil. Add pasta then reduce heat to a simmer 7-9 minutes or until pasta is cooked.

Add beet greens and simmer 5 more minutes, until greens are soft/lightly cooked and pasta is done to your taste.

Season with a drop or two hot sauce, (for flavor, not heat), salt and pepper to taste.

As you can see, this was an awesome way of using up CSA vegetables. Everything minus the tomato sauce was local, and I just felt really good about the soup as a whole. Plus, it was delicious. And not slurpy.