MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - MARTIN LUTHER KING JR'S BIRTHDAY AND A RUSTIC TOMATO AND VEGETABLE SOUP, PLUS A SNOW DAY

I put this post together over a week ago and at the time I didn't realize Dr. King's birthday would be today also. I added this a little before noon. Here in America we are observing the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is a federal holiday and I am sharing a link to his biography. Below is a picture I found online of his memorial in Washington DC.  Happy Birthday Dr. King!

(picture from pixabay.com)

 It snowed today, not a heavy one. The flakes will fall for another hour and stop, according to our weather forecast people. We will have more snow on Wednesday and will have to wait to see what that brings.  Soup will be very welcome. 

I found this week's recipe at Lexi's Clean Kitchen.  You can see the original recipe at this link. It is a delicious soup, and we made a few changes which I have mentioned below. I always recommend visiting the website, for all the other great recipes offered, but also to see the tips left for this one.

Rustic Tomato Vegetable Soup

Serves 6 - Calories in a 1 bowl serving: approximately 88

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 carrots finely diced

2 celery stalks, finely diced

1-½ teaspoons fine sea salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

¼ cup tomato paste

1 28 oz. can organic diced tomatoes

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock, more as needed

2 cups diced green beans, about 1” pieces

1 large russet potato, peeled and diced

2 cups cauliflower florets, diced

1 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained (optional)

Big handful of baby spinach

Grated Parmesan cheese to garnish (optional)

Heat oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Once hot, add onion and garlic.  Cook for 3 minutes, until it begins to soften.

Add in carrots and celery.  Let cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until soft and fragrant. Stir occasionally.

Add in salt, pepper, oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, tomato paste and diced tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

Add in broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. 

Add in green beans, potato, cauliflower and kidney beans and let simmer for 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through.

Add in spinach and let simmer until cooked through. Add in more broth for desired soup consistency.

Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, if desired.

An excellent soup, it tasted delicious!  

Lexi mentioned it was easy to substitute to your own vegetable medley or make additions. We used sweet peas instead of green beans, garbanzo beans instead of kidney beans and I added a portion of frozen spinach instead of fresh spinach. I didn't measure this out, just filled a small bowl and put the contents into the pot.

When cooking the vegetables, the potatoes and cauliflower weren't done as much as I would like, so I added another 5 minutes to their cooking time, 30 minutes instead of 25. You might find them perfect, just up to our own personal taste, so best to check. 

I didn't use chicken or vegetable broth.  I already had a container of already opened beef broth in the fridge used in a recipe from the day before. When using beef broth I usually add a cup of red wine at the same time as the broth if I have it available.

I also stirred in 1-1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar to take any acidity out of the tomatoes.  Gregg thought an extra tablespoon on that amount should be added next time.  We both constructively critique what we make, always.  We actually find that it not only helps to improve the dish, it also adds to the fun of cooking together.  

I had half a packet of frozen cheese tortellini and added that towards the end of the cooking time.

This is a great soup for using what you have in your pantry, fridge or freezer. Additions and substitutions of course alter the amount of calories, and you would have to adjust if you are watching such things.

There were leftovers for another day, and also for freezing. 

You can store in fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

If you are going to freeze, put portions into your freezer-safe containers. I have a supply of 1 cup, 2 cup and four-cup sizes. Just let the soup cool completely before putting in the freezer. You can freeze it up to three months. When ready to serve again, fully defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stove until warmed through.

Here is the full address if you prefer to copy and paste.

https://lexiscleankitchen.com/rustic-vegetable-tomato-soup/

I think that's all but if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask in the comment section.