Garden Soup

If you have a garden and you're like me - it's hard to keep up with finding different recipes that will utilize everything you are harvesting before it goes bad. If you bottle or freeze often - then not a problem. I decided to make something that would allow me to take everything sitting on my counter and put it all into one meal. Piece of cake!! That's what I love about soup.

I call this garden soup because you can literally take anything out of your garden, throw it in the pot and it tastes delicious!! I used broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, celery, tomatoes, onions, and fresh basil. I wanted some protein but wanted to keep it a light soup, so I used imitation crab meat. It was perfect. The juices from the tomatoes gave the broth some tang and simmered a delicious flavor into the crab meat.

I have listed the base ingredients below for my garden soup. These flavor notes blended together make the perfect bath for any vegetable. You just can't go wrong. I wanted to keep mine healthy so I topped it with parsley and plain yogurt rather than sour cream. There's nothing better than a dollop of cool, creamy goodness on top of a bowl of steamy soup. Not to mention delicious french bread, rolls or bread twists make a great companion. This is a healthy, hearty and nutritious meal that hits the spot on a cool day. My kids devoured it!

Garden Soup

• 1 - 32 oz box of chicken broth
• 32 0z of water
• 5 shakes of garlic powder
• dash of cumin
• dash of salt
• 4 shakes of lemon pepper
• a couple shakes of thyme
• 2 Tbsp parsley
• fresh ground pepper

Bring to a boil and add all of your diced vegetables. Boil for 10 minutes until veggies are tender. Then simmer on low for 5 minutes. You can puree in blender for a creamy soup - especially if your kids are picky with vegetables. Serve with your favorite soup toppings (sour cream, yogurt, chives, bacon bits, shredded cheese etc.) The toppings make it fun for the kids and bread sticks make it appealing for them because dipping is fun!