Focus On: Soups for the Soul
Nothing beats a pot of soup simmering on the stove on a cold winter's day. Even with the Market on hiatus and even if you did not have the forethought to freeze some of the organic and chemical free produce available over the summer and fall, you can still enjoy hot and healthful eating to get you through these long cold months until the Market opens again in May.
Check the organic produce section at your local supermarket for the best available seasonal produce. Frozen is an acceptable alternative to keep healthful vegetables in your diet. And don't forget that root veggies are available all year 'round as are greens and grains; so include them in your soups and stews. Here are some great ideas to get you started:
Vegetable Soup with Barley
This recipe comes from my mom, who got it from her friend Bernita in North Fort Myers, Florida. She originally came from a farm in Ohio, though and I can vouch for the fact that she knows how to make a great Vegetable Soup.
Ingredients:
1 lb. stew beef - diced small (optional)
1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 pckg. frozen mixed vegetables
(any vegetables you like will do)
1/2 cup barley (soaked)
salt and pepper to taste
6 cups of beef broth (or vegetable broth)
1 cup chopped onion
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
Directions:
1. Soak barley in water for ten minutes - drain
2. Cook the onion slightly in 1 tblsp. oil
3. Add diced stew beef and brown
4. Add crushed tomatoes and beef broth
5. Add mixed vegetables and cubed potatoes
6. Add drained soaked barley
7. Season to taste
8. Simmer 30 minutes and serve hot
Classic Tomato Soup
Minestrone
Sausage, Lentil and Kale Soup
Chicken and Rice Soup
Tortilla Soup with Black Beans
Asian Chicken and Chili Soup
15-Minute Lentil Soup
Simple Chicken Noodle Soup
Broccoli Chowder with Corn and Bacon
Cabbage Vegetable Soup
Potato Fish Chowder
Sweet Potato and Chipotle Soup
Soba Soup with Spinach
Assistant Market Master Susie Strickland is mulling over the idea of getting further away from animal products by working in a couple of vegan days each week. She plans to find and view the video "Forks Over Knives." Sounds like "dinner and a movie." I hope she invites me!
#2: Commit to learning more about the "locavore" movement by reading up. These two books are highly recommended: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver; and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.
