I’ve been perfecting this basic recipe for the past ten years. When my teen son still lived at home, he requested it!
This recipe makes a giant stock pot full of soup. I keep half of it in the refrigerator and freeze the other half.
Ingredients
48 ounces organic carrot juice (divided in half)
2-3 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
2 onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 celery stalks, finely sliced
2 (8-ounce) boxes sliced mushrooms
2 red peppers, diced
4 carrots, sliced
2 small zucchinis, sliced
2 bunches kale, thinly sliced (remove stems first)
1 bunch of fresh basil, sliced
12-ounce packages of the following frozen veggies: corn, peas, baby lima beans, broccoli
1 butternut squash
1 or 2 tablespoons no-salt seasoning (original or table blend for starters; my family likes Southwest Chipotle, but if you don’t like spicey, pick a milder spice)
3 (15-ounce) cans no-salt beans (black, kidney, garbanzo, etc.)
Directions
Poke several holes on the outside of a clean butternut squash. Microwave the entire squash on high for 16-20 minutes—or until the inside is soft.
In the meantime, put ½ of the carrot juice, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, celery, mushrooms, pepper, carrots, and zucchini in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Add the chopped kale, fresh basil, beans, and frozen vegetables and allow to cook another 10 minutes.
After the squash is cooked, scoop out the flesh and put it into a high-speed blender. Add the remaining ½ of the carrot juice and no-salt seasoning. Blend until smooth. Then add the butternut squash mixture to the pot of cooked vegetables. Stir. Simmer an additional 5 minutes.
Tips:
There is nothing more nourishing, satisfying, and delicious than a bowl of warm soup. In addition, to pack in even more nutrients, I like hot or cold vegetable soups poured over bowls of shredded greens or shredded cabbage. Since greens, mushrooms, and onions are the most powerful against cancer, make sure to include them.
Soup may seem overwhelming to make at first glance, but it adds a lot of flavor and enjoyment to meals, especially throughout the winter months. Once you get the hang of it and learn the shortcuts, you’ll be so glad you persevered and didn’t give up.
Organic carrot juice adds a lot of flavor. It can be purchased in the produce section of most grocery stores. Any vegetable may be omitted or substituted with whatever you may have on hand, but don’t skip the organic carrot juice. (Conventional carrot juice is bitter.)
(I freeze the soup in 5-cup containers. They take about three days in the refrigerator to completely thaw. For safety reasons, I do not heat them up in plastic containers. I use ceramic or glass bowls.)
Emily Boller, wife, mother, artist, and author is on a mission to create expressive works of art in her lifetime; and to bring awareness to the potentially harmful traps of diet-wellness culture.
In her free time, she loves to chase sunrises, grow flowers and vegetables, and can homemade soups.