recipe of the month: veggie broth or soup, your choice, to give you all the great restoration that vegetables can give

Spring in a Bowl
Makes 8 servings • Ready in 45 minutes

Homemade soup is such a restorative meal. Can anything be better? When it is loaded with delightfully colored fresh vegetables in every shade of green, the goodness of spring just begs to be eaten! Start with the broth and combine with the soup ingredients to create this recipe sensation.

Ingredients for broth: • 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped • 1 fat carrot, peeled and chopped • 2 ribs celery, trimmed and chopped • 1 leek, white parts only, well washed and chopped • 1 bulb fennel, trimmed and chopped • 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped • 4 cloves garlic, flattened with a knife but not chopped • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil • Sea salt • 8 cups water or low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock (gluten free if necessary) Instructions for broth: Place all broth ingredients except water or stock in large stock pot or Dutch oven. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Let vegetables become soft. Add water or stock. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce to low again. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large container.

Ingredients for soup: • 12 baby potatoes (tiniest possible) • 2 large leeks, white parts only, well washed and sliced into rings • 10 stalks asparagus (not too skinny), trimmed and cut into 1" pieces • Handful green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces • 2-3 cups baby spinach leaves • 2 small zucchinis, cut into rounds • 1 cup fresh green peas • 1 tbsp fresh parsley • 1 tbsp fresh thyme • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • 2 green onions, chopped Instructions for soup: Bring the prepared broth to a simmer in a large stock pot. Add the potatoes and leeks and simmer for a few minutes. Add all vegetables except green onions and let simmer 10 more minutes. Add herbs, sea salt and black pepper. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with chopped green onion.

Nutrients Per Serving:
Calories: 141; Protein: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 23 g; Dietary Fiber: 5 g;
Sugars: 11 g; Fat: 5 g; Sodium: 3 mg