ONE EASY RECIPE, HUNDREDS OF SOUPS

"With the following master recipe, you can mix and match the broth, vegetables, herbs, meat or protein, a quick-cooking grain, and, if desired, legumes, to come up with limitless variations. For example, use chicken broth, celery, carrots, thyme, white chicken meat, and miniature macaroni for traditional chicken-noodle soup. Or for a hearty vegetarian soup, use vegetable broth, chopped fresh spinach, stewed tomatoes, oregano, tofu, white rice, and cannellini beans."

MASTER SOUP RECIPE

1 tsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, peeled and chopped
5 cups broth (chicken, beef, vegetable, or bottled clam juice, or low-salt vegetable juice)
1 cup chopped vegetables (celery, carrots, parsnips, squash, celery root, green beans, fennel, broccoli buds, cauliflower buds, stewed tomatoes, green peas)
1 tsp. dried herbs (thyme, dill, rosemary, sage, basil, oregano, marjoram)
1/2 to 1 pound uncooked meat or other protein, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (chicken, lean ground beef, turkey, scallops, shrimp, lean ground lamb, tofu, salmon)
1/4 cup quick cooking grain (pasta, bulgur, barley, white rice, quick-cooking brown rice, couscous)
1 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
1 cup canned beans, drained (optional; black, kidney, pinto, lima, or white beans)

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the broth, vegetables, and dried herbs, and bring to a boil. Add the meat or protein and quick-cooking grain, and simmer for approximately 12 minutes; or until the meat and grains are tender.

Mix in beans if using, and continue heating for 2 minutes.

Stir in fresh parsley, and ladle into four soup dishes. Serve with hot, crusty bread.

Adapted from source: Walking Magazine, October 1997