Clean Vegetable Soup

I love soup, and if loving soup is wrong I don't wanna be right. I even love soup in the summer when it's 125 degrees out. I love every single kind of soup.  I've even had Pureed Eggplant Soup and loved that.  This soup is clean and organic, which I know is expensive--so you can skip all that mess and just use regular vegetables and tomatoes.  I read the funniest article which states dietary restrictions are for the rich and sited that you do not see homeless people who have dietary restrictions--lol lol lol.  So true, sometimes I think we make up all these restrictions because they make us feel better. Alas, try my soup---it's lovely, and it freezes really well.  I like to make big pots of soup on Sunday and keep them for lunch all week and freeze some. 

Clean Vegetable Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Serves: 7-8

Hearty, tomato-y, and delcious

Ingredients:

1. 8 cups Homemade Chicken Stock (or organic if you must buy)

2.  18oz Can Organic Diced Tomatos

3. 6 cups organic carrots, diced

4. 6 cups organic celery, diced

5. 2 medium white onions, diced

6. 2 bay leaves

7. 1 tbsp olive oil

8. 1 tbsp Salt and 1 tbsp Pepper

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.  Throw into the oil all of the vegetables. Allow the vegetables to cook over medium high heat for 6-7 minutes or until translucent. In my experience this helps to "wake up" the vegetables in the soup.

2. Place 2 bay leaves in with vegetables. Season mixture with 1/2 tbsp salt and 1/2 tbsp pepper.

3. Pour in chicken stock and entire can of diced tomatoes, including the juice from can.

4. Season again with remaining salt and pepper.

5.  Allow the soup to come to a boil and turn it down to low heat.  Allow soup to cook for 2-3 hours on low.

6. Remove bay leaves 

7. Serve.

This soup is easy and delicious.  It freezes and stores well in the refrigerator.   It would be great paired with a protein (like chicken or beef),  or a gluten free or wheat pasta (I prefer wheat pasta). I also added a whole bag of spinach, but that is optional---doesn't really add flavor just more vegetables.  If you like your vegetables a little more crunchy under cook the soup by about an hour.  My mom says if your soup is crunchy it makes you think you are eating more, I don't know if I believe that.