News Taffy

Happy New Year! The holidays are over and you’ve over indulged until you can indulge no more. My son said to me the other day that he is ready for things to settle down and get back to a more boring normal routine. At this time of year we are all feeling we should do something kind for ourselves, something healthy. This is where my Righteous Soup comes in. I came across this recipe and it is just right for getting back on track with healthier eating and it tastes good too. A big pot of soup and a pan of hot cornbread is just right for the crappy weather we’ve been having lately. Hot soup on a cold night just puts things right.

This soup could hardly get any more nutritious - it has seven vegetables as written here but feel free to add more. I think I’ll add kale next time. The lentils pack a lot of cholesterol and blood sugar lowering fiber, protein and many vitamins and minerals. Lentils are also quick cooking compared to other dried beans and peas. This soup filled my slow cooker almost to the brim but I think I’ll add a whole cup of lentils next time instead of 3/4. If you have it, add the rind from a piece of parmesan cheese to add additional flavor.

Righteous Soup

2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 medium zucchini, chopped
3 Yukon gold potatoes, medium diced
3/4 cup red lentils, rinsed
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
2 bay leaves
3 to 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
6 cups chicken stock, use vegetable broth for vegetarian soup
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
3 cups thinly sliced savoy cabbage
Fresh parsley, chopped
Parmesan cheese

Prep vegetables and spray the inside of a 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Add oil to a large skillet and sauté onion and celery until lightly browned. While onion cooks, add carrots, zucchini, potatoes, lentils, tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, chicken broth, salt and pepper to the slow cooker. When vegetables are browned, add them to the slow cooker and stir gently. Cook on high heat for four to six hours or eight hours on low. Add cabbage when two hours cooking time remains. Serve soup with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and parmesan.

Experiment with this soup by adding whatever vegetables you have on hand or that you like; sweet potatoes, bell pepper, kale, etc. I also added some microgreens I had on hand. Microgreens are very nutritious and add extra flavor to any dish. We also added a dash of Tabasco before serving to give it some heat. This soup freezes well, another plus so I don’t have to cook on a night when I’m tired!