GREENS, VEGGIE & HERB SOUP

Well, that time of year, Fall, is already upon us. Living in L.A., it's very easy to forget, and hard to believe, that it is actually Fall. If it were not for everyone's FB posts and IG photos of their Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Butternut Squash soup, reminding me of this season, I would forget it exists. I mean, we've barely dipped below 80 degrees here (trust me, I am NOT complaining about that!) so it doesn't feel anything like the Fall in Pittsburgh that I remember from childhood. Snow on Halloween? No problem, layer it up. Every year your costume had to be planned around if you could fit a freaking winter coat underneath it. I just laugh when people back home say they'd miss the 4 seasons if they lived in a warm climate. One year without having to get up, go outside at the crack of dawn to start your car a 1/2 hour before you leave the house so it can "defrost", then having to scrape your windows before being able to drive, and I think their tune would change! 
Anyway....I digress........
Point is Fall is here, cold weather or not, and everybody posting about Fall things made me crave soup. That, plus that fact that my allergies are out-of-control, leaving me with a scratchy throat and stuffy nose. Soup is soothing, comforting. Like a warm blanket on a cold night. I love all types of soup, but in my opinion, nothing beats a soup loaded with veggies. The best thing about soup is it's easy, once the prepping is done, you just close the lid, and let the magic happen! You can modify this recipe to cater to your favorite veggies and herbs, or to whatever you have in your fridge, but this particular combo of veggies/herbs turned out great, and gave the soup a fantastic flavor. I recommend trying it this way! 

GREENS, VEGGIE & HERB SOUP
(Serves 6-8)

*3-4 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
*1 large yellow onion, diced
*3-4 large carrots, peeled, and sliced into coins
*1 large leek, or 2 medium, light green and white parts sliced into rings
*3 cloves of garlic, minced
*2 TBS EACH, of 3-4 different FRESH herbs of your choice, chopped. I used Dill, Basil and chives
*1/2lb (half of a bag) of frozen, Organic corn
*1/2lb (half of a bag) of frozen, Organic sweet peas
*1/2lb of fresh, Organic spinach
*4-5 large leaves of rainbow chard, stems and leaves, chopped
*7-8 C of vegetable stock/broth. I use my homemade stock, but store-bought Organic works as well. Just be sure it's not loaded with added sodium!

Step 1:
Chop Onion, carrots and leeks

Step 2:
Heat oil in stock pot/dutch oven over Med-High heat
Add onion, carrot, leek mixture. 
Cook for 5-8 mins, stirring every few minutes, until veggies start to "sweat" and soften up

Step 3:
While the veggies are cooking, chop your herbs and garlic

Step 4:
Once veggies are par-cooked, add the herb/garlic mixture 
Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, being sure not to burn the garlic
Adding all the ingredients in layers will give your soup a depth and allow all the flavors to develop properly equaling major YUMMINESS!!

Step 5:
One cup at a time add your veg stock, being sure to stir after every addition, to deglaze (a.k.a, get all the yummy brown bits off the bottom) the pot
Cover, and lower heat to a simmer
 Allow soup to simmer, and the flavors to meld for 20-30 minutes

Step 6:
After you cover the soup to let it simmer, chop rainbow chard and wash spinach
Set aside
Go drink a glass of wine, relax, read, watch tv.....whatever the hell you like to do while the soup does it's thing

Step 7:
Add the corn, peas, spinach and rainbow chard
Cover and allow to simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes
Go back to drinking your wine

Step 8:
EAT!!
Your soup is done!
I think it is best served with a big, crusty piece of buttered (vegan butter, of course) bread or roll to dip in the super flavorful broth

This soup is like a big hug from Mom (or Grandma), will soothe your soul, give you your veggie fix, will pack some protein (chard has 3.5g per cooked C and spinach has 5.35g per cooked C) and will fill you up with yummy goodness!

This soup will stay fresh for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. I dare say it actually taste better the next day!

When you make it, I would love to hear how you liked it, and if you modified it, what your substitutions were. I'm always open to improving and learning from fellow cooks.

This soup is a giant HUG from me to you!
XO

Don't forget to follow me on 

@vegdancer