Vegetable Soup with Fresh Spinach

Vegetable Soup with Fresh Spinach

I love to eat soup, especially when it is cold outside. Today, however, the thermometer measured 95F, but I don't have a choice, because I just finished a 7 day Master Cleanse and all I can eat is a light soup. So I decided on this easy and delicious vegetable soup with squash and a handful of fresh spinach.

Soup Ingredients

• 2 tbs good olive oil
• 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock*
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 pattipan squash, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 leek (tender green and white parts only), halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1 larger (heirloom) tomato, coarsely chopped
• 4 shitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• fresh parsley
• fresh spinach
• real salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

*Vegetable stock can vary in consistency - the one I used happened to be a bit thicker.

Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a large sauce pan. Add the garlic, mushrooms and leeks and cook over medium heat until the are just tender, stirring occasionally.

Add the vegetable stock and tomato and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for about 4 minutes or until the tomato is getting tender. Add the zucchini, pattipan, and parsley and cook for a few more minutes before adding the peas, which only need a couple of minutes.

I like to use an immersion blender and blend a little of the soup just to make the consistency a little thicker, but be careful when working with hot liquids!

Adjust seasoning if needed.

When you are ready to serve ladle the soup into a bowl and add as much chopped spinach as you like. The heat of the soup will 'cook' the spinach. Finish the soup with a drizzle of olive oil and some freshly ground rainbow or black pepper.

Enjoy.