Be Prepared: more than a Boy Scout moto

The other day, I submitted sage advice provided by our wise Healthy Eating Adventure coach, Mike Rosenberg.  Mike has more than one trick up her sleeve.    For example, she says that if unexpected company arrives, she’s never daunted.  She ALWAYS has ingredients on hand to make the delicious “Best Ever Vegetable Soup” (which she found on the Dr. Fuhrman website.  It was originally contributed by Fuhrman website member, Jana Diedrich).  By the way, if you own a vegetable chopper (such as the nifty, relatively inexpensive Vidalia chopper–available at Bed Bath and Beyond–you can cut prep time nicely). 

Here is that recipe:

Best Ever Vegetable Soup

Jana Diedrich

Serves: 10; Preparation Time: 1 -1/2 hours

 Ingredients:

5 carrots, juiced or 1 cup carrot juice

1 bunch celery, juiced or 1 cup no-salt-added or low sodium vegetable broth

3 (26 ounce cartons) chopped tomatoes with juices (see note)

2 carrots, diced

4 ribs celery, diced

1 small head Napa cabbage, chopped

2 zucchini, diced

1 yellow crookneck squash, diced

1 cup potato, diced

2 medium sweet yellow onion, diced

2 bunches kale, chopped

1 tablespoon Dr. Fuhrman’s MatoZest or other no-salt seasoning blend, adjusted to taste

1 teaspoon oregano

1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

3 cups cooked garbanzo beans or 2 (15 ounce) cans low sodium or no-salt-added, drained

3 cups cooked red kidney beans or 2 (15 ounce) cans low sodium or no-salt-added, drained

1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans or 1 (15 ounce) can low sodium or no-salt-added, drained

3 cups no-salt-added or low sodium vegetable broth

2-3 cups water

Instructions:

Add carrot and celery juice to a large soup pot. Puree 1 carton of the tomatoes and add to soup pot. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes. This soup freezes well. Note: Select tomato products packaged in glass or cartons. These materials do not contain BPA.

Per Serving:

CALORIES 312; PROTEIN 17g; CARBOHYDRATES 61g; TOTAL FAT 2.7g; SATURATED FAT 0.4g; SODIUM 179mg; FIBER 16.6g; BETA-CAROTENE 6209ug; VITAMIN C 122mg; CALCIUM 268mg; IRON 7.6mg; FOLATE 235ug; MAGNESIUM 144mg; ZINC 2.5mg; SELENIUM 4.3ug