Right on Track…..

Happy New Year, everyone! We are now into day two of the new year, I hope that 2017 is treating you well. I hope that everyone has recovered from Christmas, and New Year’s eve, festivities. I know that when a new year rolls in a lot of people make resolutions, or goals, to live a healthier lifestyle than they did in the previous year. Or there are others who were already well into their journey, allowed themselves to enjoy the holidays, and are just ready to get back to eating some good, clean food. Today’s recipe is perfect for either type of person. 😉

When I went grocery shopping last Thursday I had my menu for the week all written out, my list for each store, I like Kroger, and Whole Foods, and I thought, there is the key word, thought, I had all of my recipes tagged. Ooops! I got home, went looking for a recipe that no longer existed, I had additional ingredients that I had decided on a whim while I was at Whole Foods. (Really when you get into that produce department it is so gorgeous, and inspiring, that anything can happen!) So, what do you do when you have a bunch of ingredients, you can’t find a recipe, and you’ve just been inspired by an amazing fresh green juice? (Yes, I’ve become addicted. Some splurge on Starbucks, mine is fresh pressed green juice at Sprouts, or Whole Foods. They cost about the same.) You wing it, and make your own recipe! After all, that is what I’m supposed to be doing any way, isn’t it?

This soup is vegan friendly, vegetarian friendly, WFPB friendly, and if you aren’t there yet, or you don’t want to even go there, you can add your choice of protein to go with this soup. In all honesty though, this is a very warming, satisfying soup, and it should help keep any colds at bay that might be lurking around in your general area. The true beauty of this soup is how fast it is! The entire process, from cutting board to bowl, takes about 30-40 minutes with most of that being veggie prep. If you are a speed demon with a knife your time might be a lot less. I personally wanted to keep all of my fingers so I might not have been as quick as some. I also think I’m about ready for a new set of knives to help speed prep time up.

Surprisingly, for as much as I love onions, this is the first time that I have ever worked with a leek. Crazy, I know. If this is also your first time using a leek here are a few tips to take note of. First cut off the dark green and just toss it. It is much tougher than spring onions, and I don’t think that it would taste very good. After you chop off the dark greens, and the root end, that is when you will want to wash it. Separate the layers as good as you can to make sure that there isn’t any dirt left inside the leek. Then just chop up the light green, and the white, and it will come apart in little circles in the soup. Super easy, super yummy, and much sweeter that a regular green onion.

Make sure to peel your parsnip, and carrots, and chop the ends of the celery off. Right now whole celery is pretty limp around here so I bought some precut stalks and just trimmed the ends. I will also admit that this time I used frozen white onions just to save on time, tears, and the smell my husband so desperately hates. When prepping your kale, wash it thoroughly, pull off the leaves, and toss the stalks. The root veggies need to be simmered until they are soft enough to be pierced with a fork, and the kale only needs to be cooked until it turns a bright green, but still firm. I have not frozen this soup, but I can say that it does reheat well without the root veggies getting mushy, or the kale becoming wilted. No matter what the reason is that you have decided to make this soup make sure you sit back, relax, and enjoy!

What are your goals for 2017?

Do you have a favorite soup?

Sweet Root Winter Soup

By Angie Gouchenour

3 servings

Ingredients

1 parsnip (approx. ¾ cup) peeled and chopped into bite size pieces

1 large carrot (approx. ½ cup) peeled and chopped into bite size pieces

2 stalks of celery – chopped into bite size pieces

1 leek (approx. 1 ½ cups) light green and white chopped

1 cup white onion (I used frozen this time)

2 cup vegetable broth

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt to taste

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 cups loosely packed kale leaves

Directions

In a medium pot combine the chopped parsnip, carrot, celery, leek, onion, 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth, salt, and pepper

Lightly braise the veggies until they slightly carmelize

Deglaze the pan with the rest of the broth

Simmer with a lid on until the veggies are tender enough to pierce with a fork

Add the kale to the pot and gently press down into the broth

Cover with a lid and simmer/steam just until the kale turns bright green

Remove from the stove, and serve

157 calories per serving