One hears ‘slimming’, ‘detox’ and ‘soup’ in one sentence and it conjures up images of a bland, see-through soup. Not this vibrant, tasty and healthy veggie soup…

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large shallot peeled and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic minced

1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger peeled and grated

1 liter of unsalted Chicken Broth

1 large carrot peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium golden beet or several baby beets, peeled and sliced

a handful of small broccoli florets

a handful of small cauliflower florets

1 hot chili pepper (optional)

a handful of pea pods any type, halved if large

several mushrooms sliced

a handful of shredded red cabbage

1 bell pepper any color, cut in strips

salt and black pepper to taste

handful of baby kale and or spinach leaves

handful of small grape tomatoes cut in half

Garnish:

a sprinkling of grated Parmesan or other hard Italian cheese

Instructions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. Gently saute the shallot, garlic, and ginger for a few minutes until softened.
  2. Add the broth to the pan and bring up to a simmer. Add the carrots and beets and simmer for several minutes.
  3. Add in the broccoli and cauliflower florets and the hot pepper, if using, and simmer for another couple of minutes. The veggies should be just barely tender. If not, cook a little longer.
  4. Next go the pea pods, mushrooms, red cabbage, and bell pepper. Bring back to a boil and then turn down the heat again, these veggies don’t require much cooking at all. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
  5. When you are ready to serve, throw in the leafy greens and the tomatoes and give everything a stir.. Garnish each bowl with a sprinkle of cheese.

Thank you The View from Great Island for this scrumptious recipe!