My sister, brother-in-law, and niece Abby came to visit yesterday! They came for the famous Inman Park Festival, which is just about my favorite weekend in Atlanta. Unfortunately, it stormed all day! Still, we managed to make it down to the festival for a few hours. We had fun, even though we got wet!
When we got back, though, we needed something warm and quick after our chilly walk. So we made the California veggie burgers I wrote about, and vegetable soup.
I really liked this soup. I meant for it to have a little longer to cook, so that the flavors melded. Yet, in the end what I liked about the soup is that the vegetables were cooked until just done, so the flavors remain pristine.
Fresh Vegetable Soup:
1 small onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, chopped
4 red potatoes, chopped
splash of wine (optional)
1 carton plum tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup dried lentils
3 ears corn, kernels removed from cob
2 bay leaves
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried thyme
2 Tbsp tomato paste (optional)
juice from 1/2 juicy lime
salt & pepper
(Note: you can chop as you go with this soup. So, while the oil heats, chop the onion & celery. While they cook, chop the carrots & potatoes. And so on.)
Heat a couple tbsps olive oil in a pot on medium. Add the onion, celery, and a big pinch of salt, then slightly reduce heat. Allow to sit, sauteing, until just about to burn. Stir and let sit again. Do this until the veggies are soft. Then, add the garlic and saute a bit longer, maybe a couple minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes and another pinch of salt. If you'd like, add a splash of wine to deglaze the pan and deepen the flavor. After a couple minutes, add the corn, dried lentils, plum tomatoes, garlic/onion/cumin powder, pepper, bay leaves, & dried thyme. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until vegetables are cooked. When the veggies are cooked, add the spinach, navy beans, frozen peas, fresh herbs, and lime juice, stirring until heated through. Season with more S&P. Your soup is done!
This is my sister Mary making her veggie burger. That's Zach in the background on the sofa. He had his first veggie burger last night! :-) Thanks for being so open-minded and eating my veggie burgers, Zach!!
We had a great Saturday!
Fresh Vegetable Soup:
1 small onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, chopped
4 red potatoes, chopped
splash of wine (optional)
1 carton plum tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup dried lentils
3 ears corn, kernels removed from cob
2 bay leaves
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried thyme
2 Tbsp tomato paste (optional)
a few handfuls of spinach
1 cup frozen green peas
1 can navy beans, rinsed and drained
fresh cilantro & basiljuice from 1/2 juicy lime
salt & pepper
(Note: you can chop as you go with this soup. So, while the oil heats, chop the onion & celery. While they cook, chop the carrots & potatoes. And so on.)
Heat a couple tbsps olive oil in a pot on medium. Add the onion, celery, and a big pinch of salt, then slightly reduce heat. Allow to sit, sauteing, until just about to burn. Stir and let sit again. Do this until the veggies are soft. Then, add the garlic and saute a bit longer, maybe a couple minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes and another pinch of salt. If you'd like, add a splash of wine to deglaze the pan and deepen the flavor. After a couple minutes, add the corn, dried lentils, plum tomatoes, garlic/onion/cumin powder, pepper, bay leaves, & dried thyme. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until vegetables are cooked. When the veggies are cooked, add the spinach, navy beans, frozen peas, fresh herbs, and lime juice, stirring until heated through. Season with more S&P. Your soup is done!
We had a great Saturday!