Garden Minestrone

Here we go with another soup creation.  Who knew that soup was this easy to make from scratch?  Don't get me wrong, I still love the ease of having canned soup on hand for those days when we are stretched for time (and for inclusion in some of our recipes!) - but given the opportunity to make some fresh soup is always great!

You may recall the vegetable stock that I made recently.  The recipe made plenty of stock, and my plan was to make a few different soups with the vegetable base just to see what new flavours and favourites we come up with.  This time around I wanted to try those bug noodles that I found, and I wanted to make this version of vegetable soup a to look a little more like the canned version that we usually buy.  Here is what I did:

4 cups vegetable stock
1 can diced tomatoes, including juice (I used a salt-reduced version)
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup green beans, sliced and ends removed
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup corn kernels
Pepper to taste
3/4 cup "bug" pasta

In a large pot, slowly reheat the vegetable stock.  Add in all of the vegetables on the ingredient list and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.  Bring the soup to a slow boil, add in the "bug" pasta.  Slow boil for about 4-6 minutes, or until the pasta is done to your liking.  Remove from heat, serve, and enjoy!

VERDICT:
This version of the vegetable soup looks a lot like the canned one.  It was delicious.  So fresh, so colourful.  It was a true hit with my family!

"Almost" Alphabet Soup

Our kids love soup.  The youngest has loved soup from the first time he tried it, and will eat 2 or 3 toddler-sized bowls of soup in one sitting.  Our youngest is a bit more fussy in terms of what soup he will, but get the right one and he is a happy happy kid.  They both love Vegetable aka Alphabet Soup.  What kid doesn't?  And I figured I could probably make a big batch of homemade soup for the family...enter my search to find alphabet pasta.  No luck (yet) but I did find some great ring pasta and also bug shaped pasta! Perfect!

I made some homemade vegetable soup - my "Almost Alphabet Soup" using this vegetable stock as the base.  Here is what I did:

Ingredients

4 cups vegetable stock
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 cup green beans, sliced and ends removed
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup corn kernels
Pepper to taste
3/4 cup "O" pasta

In a large pot, slowly reheat the vegetable stock.  Add in all of the vegetables and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.  Bring the soup to a slow boil, add in the pasta.  Slow boil for about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, serve, and enjoy!

VERDICT:
The soup was a hit, especially with the kids.  I'm already thinking about my next version using those bug shaped noodles!  Stay tuned!

Vegetable Stock

Alrighty, here we go with what might be a new phase...soup!  Our oldest son has informed us that he "no longer likes sandwiches for lunch"...and that he "only wants soup."  Eeks.  I know it's just him testing us, but I've also been wanting to make some fresh soups.  Our kids loves "Alphabet Soup" so I have been thinking about how to make our own homemade version.

Enter last week, when my Mother-in-Law came to visit.  She came bearing gifts, specifically a new cookbook for me.  Hello, awesome!  Started to flip through the book, and one of the first recipes I came across was "Vegetable Stock".  Perfect for my quest to make the kids a homemade alphabet soup. Here is the recipe:

Vegetable Stock (Source: My Father's Kitchen)

1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 leek, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and whacked with a knife
4 sprigs fresh parsley
2 teaspoons thyme (original recipe called for 4 sprigs fresh thyme, but fresh thyme was hard to find)
1 teaspoon tarragon (original recipe called for 2 sprigs fresh tarragon, but again, hard to find)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon peppercorns (I used a 4 Pepper Blend from Epicure)
12 cups of cold water

Fill the pot with the water.  Add in all of the vegetables and spices.  Heat to boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool.  Strain and portion into storage containers (in portions).   The stock can be frozen for up to 6 months, or keep in your fridge for no more than 2 weeks.

Stay tuned to see what recipes I use the vegetable stock for!

Thanks for visiting today...I hope you have a great day!