You-Make-It Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

• 3 quarts stock, chicken, vegetable or beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• Some suggested soup items:
• carrots, small dicde
• celery, sliced thin
• tomatoes, chopped
• chicken or beef, cut or shredded
• smoked sausage, sliced
• cabbage, thinly sliced and chopped
• zucchini, cubed or sliced
• yellow summer squash, cubed or sliced
• kidney beans, canned, rinsed, drained
• garbanzo beans, canned, rinsed, drained
• swiss chard, stems removed, chopped
• potato, small dice
• fresh herbs: basil, parsley, sage,
• rosemary, etc.
• pasta, cooked
• cheese, shredded
• Any fresh vegetables or ingredients that
• are available are perfect for adding
• to a soup.
• salt and pepper, to taste
• juice of one lemon, or to taste

Method

• Valentine Croutes:
• 1 loaf artisan bread
• olive oil
• Place diced onion, leek and garlic in a bit of olive oil and cook until fragrant. Add stock. Kids can add as much or as little as they wish of the above ingredients. Cook for about 20-30 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked through. Wait until just before serving to add cooked pasta.
• Top the served soup with a Valentine Croute and a bit of grated cheese.
• Valentine Croutes: Slice the bread about 1/4" thin. With a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out of the center of each piece of bread a heart-shaped croute. Brush both sides with olive oil and grill on grill pan or saute pan until golden on both sides.

Notes

• Description:
• "This is a soup that kids can make all the choices about....using
• whatever is around."
• SERVINGS: 12
• SOURCE: Char Zyskowski