Healthy-Healing Colorful Vegetable Soup

Beets are amazing! I bought some about a month ago and forgot about the 4 small ones that just sat there, waiting, in the bottom corner of my vegetable drawer. I scrubbed and cut away a little bit of outer dried area at the top, but they were just great, without being peeled!

Slice or chop everything shown. Melt some of Costco's amazing Kirkland brand Organic Ghee in a big pot, then start with the scrubbed, unpeeled vegetables that require the most cooking, the Brussels sprouts and carrots.

Then the can of tomatoes, cauliflower, beets and green cabbage - (tucked in there at the top center) - about 1/3 of a medium head. I omitted the onion, (shown in the photo) to make it a healthy meal option for my dog also.

After all this sauteed until crisp-tender, I added the chopped fresh spinach, seasoning, some filtered water and a big serving spoonful of chicken Better Than Bouillon, but if you want this to be vegetarian, use the vegetable version. Obviously, the beets have done their thing with their pink carotene. . .but. . .who doesn't love bright pink soup? . .😃. . .Lin

Spicy-Healthy Vegetable Soup (gluten & dairy free)

Recently it was Chicken Bone Broth Day for me 😁

Chilled out on my deck overnight, fat scraped off the top, it was begging to be made into something healthy. Made with only skin, bones, bay leaves, 1/3c white vinegar and water, so it would be dog safe for my Oliver as well. This morning I got a call from someone close to me, who is sicker than sick! Alrighty-Then! Healthy soup it is. Sorry Oliver...next time 😉 

The chicken was used in a previous soup, and a 3-meat pasta creation a couple days ago. I didn't have any other meat thawed, so other than the chicken bone broth, this ended up vegetable only. Lighter for someone really sick, so it's actually better this way.

I started by sautéing  chopped carrot and celery in several tablespoons of avocado oil. Then added the rest shown, sliced or chopped, after about 7 minutes. About 1/3 of a medium head of green cabbage, 1/3 of a red pepper, 5 smashed-minced garlic cloves, 1/2 a big purple shallot. Sauté all the vegetables over low-medium heat in the covered pot, stirring often, for another 10 minutes. Measure  3c fresh cold water and add a little of this if needed to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pot. Take the stems off 12oz. fresh baby spinach. Gather this up into a clump and slice very thin. Add this to the pot for the final 5 minutes of simmering. 

Sprinkle the vegetables with seasonings, to taste. I used about 1t ground turmeric, a good shake of ground cayenne pepper, 1-2t of a salt and pepper based garlic and herb seasoning.

Stir, then pour in the rest of the water and 3T± reduced sodium Chicken Better Than Bouillon soup base. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook another 5 minutes or so. 

Heat the big pot, containing 2-3 quarts of bone broth, to a low boil. Stir in 5oz. thin rice noodles and simmer a few minutes. Add the pot of vegetables to the noodles and broth, stir gently to combine, simmer another minute or two and serve. Mmmm, this made about 6 quarts total, for me, and lots to share. . .

Stay Healthy Everyone! . .Lin