Hearty Vegetable Soup

Serves 6

• 3 quarts of homemade chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 onion, peeled and diced

• 5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

• 1 leek, cleaned, halved, and cut into half-moons

• 5 carrots, peeled and diced

• 4 celery stalks, diced

• 1/2 C cauliflower florets, chopped

• 2 tomatoes, cored and diced

• 1/2 bunch kale, stalks removed, leaves torn into small pieces

• 1/4 bunch parsley, leaves removed

• 2 bay leaves

• Spinach

• Sea salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Good olive oil

• Cooked short-grain brown rice (1/4 cup of rice per serving)

Instructions

In a large stock pot, heat 4 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, leek, cauliflower, and bay leaves. Stir to coat. Season generously with sea salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

As the vegetables begin to cook and soften, add the chopped tomatoes, parsley, and kale. Stir and cook for a couple more minutes just to soften. Slowly add the stock, at least enough to cover all the vegetables if not a bit more, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Taste. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Just before serving, stir a handful of fresh spinach leaves into the soup. In each individual soup bowl, scoop 1/4 C cooked brown rice. Ladle the soup over the rice. Finish with freshly chopped parsley or dill and a drizzle of olive oil.