Soup. Thick, thin, hearty or lean - almost everyone has
their favorite; hopefully yours is not of the canned variety! Except for an occasional can of tomato soup, my mother always
made meal-time soup from scratch and when their fragrances filled the house, I knew
dinner would be just what I needed for the end of a cold, winter day.
When I moved away from home, I experimented with all
kinds of soup concoctions. I use that word on purpose, for concoctions many of
them were. Some were tasty, but most were tepid, watery, unremarkable pots of
liquid which were left in the refrigerator until they had to be thrown out.
I could make my mother’s recipes like Ham and Split Pea, Lentil, Egg Drop, Black
Bean or Chicken Soup, but I craved to have the talent to throw together
this and that and to have it turn into something wonderful.
With years of experience behind me, I understand what it takes to produce a soup worthy of a place at the
comfort-food-table. Diane’s Baked Potato-Vegetable Soup is one I made up and loved the
moment I tasted it. It says m-m-m-m-m-m!
4-6
russet potatoes
4-5
large carrots, cleaned and sliced in ½-inch chunks
2
sweet onions, diced
¼ C
red bell pepper, diced
1 ½
C fresh broccoli, chopped
2
ribs celery, diced
½ C
sliced mushrooms
1
15-oz can northern beans
2
C chicken broth
2
tsp Better Than Broth chicken base (found in the bouillon section)
Butter
Pepper
blend
Garlic
powder
Himalayan
pink salt
1
Glad Microwave Steaming bag
Water
Cut
up cleaned, fresh vegetables and divide into 2-cup portions into steaming bag.
Seal bag and microwave vegetables following directions (3 min). Carefully open bag and add vegetables to
potato mixture. Continue with remaining vegetables. Add beans, seasonings and 1 T butter per cup of liquid to pot. Stir and heat through. Adjust seasonings to taste. Continue to simmer 10-15 minutes. Soup will
thicken and potatoes will become a rich, flavorful base for this extraordinary winter
soup. Remove from heat and serve. 6-8 servings.