Winter Minestrone Soup

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Welcome to SS&GF! If you love fabulous food made a little bit healthier, subscribe to my RSS or e-mail feed and get new recipes as soon as they’re posted. Hugs! Amy

I’ve been making soup and salad for dinner night after night.  And, oh, how I love it.  I wasn’t so sure Joe would, though, especially because they’ve all been vegetarian or vegan.

They’re so hearty and full of flavor that he hasn’t even missed the meat. This is one of his favorites.

I’ve been serving it with my homemade bread.  It bakes up beautifully and doesn’t sink or fall.  I’ll post the recipe soon.  You really need a good piece of bread with your soup.

Thank you to everyone who’s already pre-ordered my book!  Because of you, Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free is on the Amazon.com’s best selling list for Food Allergies, Diabetic & Sugar-Free, and Gluten-Free.

It’s mind-boggling and fills my heart with gratitude.

I’ll let you know when Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free has been officially released.

I also wanted to share an article in the Plano Profile about my culinary adventures.  Flip through the electronic version of the magazine to page 40.  I almost fainted when I saw a huge full-color picture of myself in my kitchen surrounded by recipes I developed and food I baked.

Honestly, I was scrambling to get all the baking done in time for the photo shoot.  My hair and make-up were a mess when the photographer arrived.  I couldn’t hardly excuse myself to reapply the make-up that the hot air from the oven melted off .  So I just went with it.

Anyway, enough about that.

You’ve got to try this soup.

Winter Minestrone Soup
serves 6 – 8

adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
6 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane (This is the one Joe tucked in my stocking at Christmas…I love it!)
1 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
1 cup peeled and diced parsnips
1 1/2 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes
2 teaspoons ground fennel seed
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 fresh rosemary sprig
3 cups diced tomatoes in juice
3 – 4 cups of water
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat the olive oil over medium low heat and cook the onions for 5 – 8 minutes until they start to get tender.  Add the celery and garlic and cook for 5 more minutes until the celery is  soft, stirring occasionally.  Add the carrots and parsnips, cover, and continue to cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the sweet potatoes, ground fennel, oregano, red pepper flakes, and rosemary and cook for several more minutes.  Add the tomatoes and water.  Stir, cover and simmer until all the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.  Stir in the beans and parsley and heat through, about 5 – 10 minutes.  Serve hot topped with grated Parmesan cheese (optional).

Much Love,