It is winter, so naturally, when coming up with meals, my mind goes to warm cooked foods. For a mostly vegetarian household, this can feel like a huge feat. Without the bounty of fresh produce, gorgeous salads, and sweet fruits, the season can feel boring and, quite frankly, endless.
If you are feeling the same, I hopefully have a solution: soups! I often make a big pot of soup on Sunday to eat throughout the week. The soups vary from delicious green soup, curried carrot soup, simple lentil soup, and sometimes a thicker, hearty chili-style soup. All these start with a thoughtful broth. Even in a veggie soup, a stock or broth can make a world of difference. I always think of three or four veggies that will enhance the overall flavor of the soup. For example, when I am making the green soup, I will likely use half an onion (no peel), two garlic cloves, a peeled and diced carrot, and two celery stalks with the leaves. It is important to clean all the veggies and have them be on the fresher side; it will help enhance the flavor of the broth. For a lentil soup, I might make a mushroom broth. I would take dried porcini, leeks, garlic, and thyme. It is fun to mix up the base vegetables of the broths and think about how they might complement the overall flavor profile of the soup.
Regardless of what direction you go, the simplicity of the broth and the time of cooking are universal. Here is a recipe for very basic broth and my green soup. I choose the green soup because many folks are doing cleanses this time of year. I highly recommend eating cooked food in the winter (even when doing a cleanse), and this is a very basic, nutrient filled soup that goes beautifully with any cleanse.
Winter Broth: Ingredients
2 carrots peeled and cut
1 celery stick cleaned and Cut
1 half of a yellow onion, no skin and quartered
1 leek; for leeks I use the leaves and root ends and save the white part for other recipes. Clean the leaves well and disregard the withered outer ones.
2 garlic cloves with no skin
One piece of kombu. Kombu is a seaweed. The flavor is not terribly strong, but it adds many minerals to the broth. This step is optional, but personally, I am constantly looking for more nutrients during the winter months!
Bring all veggies to a boil with 8 cups of water. Once boiling, bring down to a simmer and then cook for 30 minutes. Drain wilted veggies, and you are left with beautiful stock. Some other fun ways to use broth are to cook your grains or beans; it just adds a little extra flavor and nutrition. I love using stock to make my brown rice. Keeps well in the fridge for 3 days. I will usually freeze if I haven’t used it in those 3 days.
Green Soup: Ingredients
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion
4 Garlic Gloves
2 Celery Sticks
1 Bunch of Broccoli
6 Cups of Spinach
6 Cups of Veggie Broth
1 teaspoon of Salt
1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
Squeeze of Half a Lemon
Sauté the onions, garlic, broccoli stem, and celery for around 7 minutes. Add salt, onion powder, and garlic powder, and sauté another 3 minutes. Then add broth and broccoli florets, bring to a boil, and then, once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Lastly, add spinach and a squeeze of lemon. When the spinach has wilted, take the soup off the heat, let it cool for maybe 15 minutes, and blend it all together. Season with more salt and pepper if desired. Enjoy!
