I wish this post was about how well my diet is going. About
how I have been drinking tons of water with lemon, eating all my veggies, walking
two miles (each way!) to work and doing stretches in my cubicle. I wish I could
tell you a beautiful story about loose fitting jeans and time clocked on the
elliptical.
This super tasty, chocked full of veggies, low fat soup
deserved an introduction like that. It deserves aSophia Loren waistline, after
dinner walks and skipping dessert.
But dear friends, that is not how this story goes. Truth of
the matter is, I stood over this simmering pot and ate handfuls of homemade croutons. I
am embarrassed to reveal that the shoveling only stopped when I was either
pinching shredded parmesan cheese, intended for pesto, into my mouth; or desperately texting
my sister, who is 3,000 miles away, begging her to somehow make me stop. All I could see in my mind wasMiranda, from Sex and the City, pouring dish washing soap onto her chocolate cake after she kept eating it, even out of the trash can. Has this what my life has come to??
I then climbed onto the top step of my step stool and
directly applied a spoon of Nutella.
That worked. I
stopped eating the croutons. Fat kid problems, I tell you.
Hari Kari. I have dishonored my precious soup.
Let’s just
get to the recipe, shall we…
The first thing you’ll need isPESTO. You already know how
to make that perfectly, don’t you?
Next you’ll need to warm a few tablespoons of Olive Oil in a
big pot and saute the onions, garlic and celery.
Chop cabbage for days. Dice zucchini, eggplant, potato and green
beans. Add to the pot.
Cover with stock. Add pasta and peas. Let simmer until the
vegetables soften.
Salt and Pepper.
Dish and then blend in a hefty tablespoon of pesto, top with
croutons, if you have any left.
This soup can be remixed a million different ways, use whatever vegetables look the best and are in season, or the ones you are tired of seeing in your fridge. Take some to your friends and freeze individual servings in ziploc bags for when winter is howling away and you need a taste of summer.
Regrow your celery!This project is started on my countertop!!
Minestrone Genovese
4 Cloves Garlic
½ Yellow Onion
2 Celery Stalks
Olive Oil
2 Cups Chopped Cabbage
1 Zucchini
½ Eggplant
1 Cup Green Beans
1 Potato
½ Cup Peas
¾ Cup Pasta
Enough stock (or water) to cover, about 3 cups
Pesto
Homemade Croutons Optional
