Vegetable Soup

One of my favorite lunches is a nice bowl of soup with a piece of garlic or cheese toast. After inspecting the ingredients list of my favorite can of vegetable soup, I realized just how simple it really was, and decided to try my hand at it. This big pot of soup was fast and easy to make, and is really cost efficient. When I let my 4 year old son taste test it, I asked him if it needed anything, and he replied, "Yes. Ice." Leftovers can be poured into freezer bags or containers and frozen in the sizes you need for your own lunches, then just warmed and served. Goodbye, canned vegetable soup; hello low-fat, healthy, and delicious homemade Vegetable Soup at a moment's notice!

Vegetable Soup

4 medium potatoes
4 carrots
4 ribs of celery
1 bell pepper (I like red)
1 can kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can great northern beans
1 can tomato sauce
1 large can diced tomatoes
4 cups water
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 cup frozen corn

1) Wash and dice the potatoes, carrots (peel first, if desired), celery, and red pepper. Go for a smaller dice, so that they'll be roughly the same size as the beans.
2) Mix together all ingredients except the corn in a 6 quart slow cooker (Crock Pot). Lid it up, then cook on high for 4-6 hours.
3) Stir in corn shortly before eating. Then, enjoy! Remember to freeze the leftovers in smaller portions to make easy lunches.

Broccoli-Bacon-Cheddar Soup and Garlic Toast

There's nothing in the world quite as comforting as a bowl of hot soup on a cold day. This soup is easy and quick to make, and has a beautiful mouth feel. Serve it with the Garlic Toast for dipping and dunking and wonderful goodness.

Broccoli-Bacon-Cheddar Soup

1 head broccoli
3 red potatoes
1 onion
2 carrots
salt, pepper and water
1/2 lb bacon
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 quart chicken stock
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp smoked paprika (or regular)

1) Dice the potatoes and the onion, and put in a large pot. Cover with water, add salt and pepper to taste. The water should cover them by about 1/4 inch. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
2) chop the broccoli (you can even peel the stems and chop them too) and grate the onion. After the 5 minute cook time, add them to the pot. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until everything is soft.
3) meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, cook the bacon until crispy and the fat has rendered out. Remove the bacon, but leave the fat in the pan.
4) add the flour to the bacon fat and whisk to combine. Let cook for 2 minutes.
5) add the milk and chicken stock to the bacon/flour roux. Whisk to combine, and bring to a gentle boil, stirring frequently.
6) fold in the cheddar cheese and keep on low until the vegetables are done cooking.
7) Mix the cheese sauce into the cooked vegetables--don't drain! Add the remaining seasonings and bring to a boil, then keep on low until ready to serve. Serve with a few pieces of the crispy bacon, crumbled.

Garlic Toast

4 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp parsley or Italian seasoning
1 tsp paprika

Mash the ingredients together and spread over your favorite bread. Toast under the broiler just until it starts to get golden brown--watch out, this goes fast!