Winter Vegetable Soup

UGH. I did it again. Ate too much on New Year’s Eve and for the entire weekend.

I do this every year.

And to make matters worse, I went to the movies and ate an entire tub of popcorn.

So I need to get back to culinary reality. Eat sensibly.

Time for a hearty, nourishing, tasty and filling soup. But one that also is low calorie and low fat.

This one:

Winter Vegetable Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium leek, chopped

2 medium cloves garlic, chopped

3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

2 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

2 parsnips, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

2 small turnips cut into bite size chunks

2 medium all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size chunks

6 cups vegetable stock

2 cups water

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

28 ounce can tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 cup cut up green beans

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn (or extra peas or canned beans)

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, leek and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until softened. Add the carrots, celery, parsnips, turnips and potatoes and cook for one minute. Add the stock, water, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the tomatoes and green beans and cook for 15 minutes. Add the peas and corn and cook for another 10 minutes. Makes 8-10 servings