Gluten Free • Vegetarian Option • Can be main dish — I am making meals for my friends this winter. There mom was a vegetarian so we are limiting the meat and trying vegetarian dishes too. I cooked one winter for a vegetarian family so I gained ideas that winter. You could put other vegetables or eliminate some if you do not have all listed. If one you do not like leave it out.
How I cook
I am not very precise and measuring is not how I cook so hopefully you can make your own whim decisions about my measurements. I make large batches of everything so you may want to cut in half sometimes.
Healthy cooking
I use cast iron – I do not use nonstick, aluminum or many cooking pans especially now that I am detoxing from heavy metals – be aware what you cook with
Enjoy the process
Have fun, play music, have glass of wine or special tea – feel it, love it, enjoy the process
Ingredients:
Main Ingredients:
water – 8 cups water
chicken Stock – 32 Fluid oz. (can not include if vegetarian/vegan)
potatoes – 5 medium Potatoes/4 cups I use trader Joe’s organic gold
carrotts – 5 Carrots/2 cups chopped – I used multi color
parsnip – 1 med p/think less than a cup – cut small
turnip – 1 med turnip/1 cup chopped
mushrooms – package /2 cups
celery 5 stalks
onion – 1 large /2 cups
garlic – 2 huge cloves or 4 regular size garlic cloves
Fresh Ginger chopped small about a table spoon
(Use less if you do not want a bite)
Flavor/Seasoning:
3 Bay Leaves
Tablespoon Thyme (fresh when possible)
Tablespoon Basil (fresh when possible)
Fresh Parsley about 3 tablespoons chopped (fresh when possible)
Salt & Pepper (I like to add on many levels/steps)
Vegetarian/Vegan Option:
Use no stock and more water or use vegetable stock
Do not use butter
STEPS:
1) Put stalk and water in large pot
2) Add vegetables – Cut and add harder vegetables first (carrots, potaoes, parsnip, turnip ) to give longest cooking time
3) Sauté onion, garlic, ginger separate (do not have to)
You can put celery in this step too
Sauté separate
4) Simmer
Once all veggies are cut and in pot with spices are start paying attention to time- bring to a boil and then simmer for hour to hour and half – low slow and patients is best : )
5) Thicken if desired
Add Lentils to thicken amd make creamy
Optional to add lentils yummy without
I added 1/2 cup red lentil and let simmer another half hour or so
Could put lentils in earlier
TASTE & FEEDBACK:
The fresh ginger gives it a bite so lessen if you do not want that
Very filing can be a Main Dish
Others comments:
“the soup is very good! It has a little bite to it, is that from black pepper?”
—Chester Pettengill
