Simple Soups

I hardly ever follow a recipe to a tee. I replace things with healthier ingredients, take out spices I know I don't like, and add things I have laying around. Every week I make a soup with ingredients that I have in my fridge/cabinet. I love having soup around for days when I need a quick, filling, healthy meal. I thought I would share with you two soup recipes that I have made over the past two weeks (one per week).

These soups are super easy to make and only use a few ingredients. I hate finding recipes with a list of ingredients and spices longer than a roll of toilet paper. The whole purpose of these soups is to use what you ALREADY have!!! It's a good way to use vegetables you haven't used that week, and/or beans you still have in your cabinet. Here is my process!

Thank you Mike for my camera!

Here's a third soup I just made today for week three!
Wild Rice Mushroom soup-with out the heavy creams!
Mushrooms-small package sliced
Milk- 1 cup skim
Carrots-3 large peeled and cut
Vegetable broth-4cups
Wild Rice- 1/4 -1/2 cup pre cooked (I bought it precooked and frozen)
Onion-1/2 cup (use whatever kind, I mixed green and yellow onion)
Garlic- 2 cloves
I sauted the mushrooms in a tsp of olive oil, with the garlic and onions till cooked. Then added the vegetable broth, milk, and carrots. Cook on high til it boils then reduce heat and simmer til the carrots are soft. I added salt and pepper as I went, to taste. Warm, filling, and tasty!


Soup #1
Zucchini Broccoli Soup
Frozen Broccoli (half bag)- one of my weekly frozen veggies I buy
Zucchini- (two small chopped)- my splurge vegetable that week
Chick peas (1/3 can ish)- always have them!
Frozen butternut squash- left over from Mac & cheese delite http://yumfoodrachel.blogspot.com/2012/02/mac-cheese-delite-my-all-time-favorite.html
Yellow onion- (half chopped) cheap veggie
Garlic-(two cloves) always have it!
Salt, pepper, crushed red peppers to taste- favorite seasonings
Squeezed lemon juice (half lemon)- use in my water so I added it
Vegetable broth- (so it just covers the vegetables in a large pan)- I had it left over but water works too

I pureed it!

Directions: Throw all the ingredients in a large pot and cook on medium heat for 5 min then on low until the vegetables are soft. Cool for an hour then puree in a blender. Store in the fridge. I sprinkle with a little cheese when I eat it:)

Soup #2
Carrot Leek Soup
Carrots-2-3 cups chopped carrots
Leek- 1 chopped bulb and lower leaf
White onion- 1/2 cups
Chickpeas-half can
Potato 1 medium peeled and chopped
garlic 2 cloves
salt, pepper, crushed red peppers to taste
Vegetable broth/water til it covered the veggies in a large pot
Directions: Same as the first soup only this one I did not puree!

TAsty!