Summer Lovin’ Veggie Soup

Although I don’t have a garden of my own bursting with veggies that are begging to be eatin’ up, what I do have are glorious Southern California Farmer’s Markets that are bursting with veggies (and fruits, nuts, breads, etc.) that are begging to be eaten up!!

What I also have is a complete and utter lack of self control when it comes to buying these delicious fresh ingredients so I often find myself with more produce than I know what to do with!!

Well, this is exactly what happened last week… what was I going to do with all of these vegetables?? I no sooner asked myself the question when I sat down with my morning coffee and the LA Times before I had my answer… Summer Minestrone! It was plastered all over the food section, lots of different kinds too!!

Now I’m a detailed oriented person, but really I only like to collect the details so that I can get to the bottom line. So I’ll save you the details and give you the bottom line on this soup… there are no rules here (I love that!) just grab whatever summer veggies you’ve got and have at it… honestly, it’s just that easy… and that’s the bottom line!!

I topped this soup my Pesto (just a little lighter)… it adds another delicious layer of flavor!

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Summer Lovin' Veggie Soup

*If you are going for the vegan version, simply skip the cheese!

Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, cut into quarters and thinly sliced
• 1 bulb of fennel, cored and sliced
• 3 gloves of garlic, minced
• 6 cups of cold water
• 2 large tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks (I did not bother to peel or seed them)
• 1 yellow squash, quartered and sliced
• 1 green squash, quartered and sliced
• 1 15 oz. can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups of green beans
• 2 tsp of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Add onion and a fat pinch of salt and saute until the onions begin to brown around the edges, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the fennel and garlic and saute another 5 minutes or so, or until the fennel is tender.

Add tomatoes and about 6 cups of cold water.  Give it another hit of salt and pepper here, then crank that baby to high and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add  squash, greenbeans, and kidney beans.  Simmer until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes.

Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese and a dollop of pesto...yum!!

Nutritional Analysis

Calories: 125; Total Fat: 2.2g; Saturated Fat: 0.3g; Cholesterol: 22.8mg; Sodium: 140mg; Carbohydrate: 22.8g; Dietary Fiber: 7; Sugars: 3.2g; Protein: 6.3g