As a member of the American Culinary Federation I am extremely lucky to have the opportunity to volunteer with a fantastic organization called TOT’s kitchen. This is a program aimed at teaching children about food and nutrition, and gives children a chance to have hands on experience with food preparation. Chef’s and/or culinary students are assigned to an area school and are given a specific topic to discuss, present, and be creative with. The school that our chapter is affiliated with is Creative Achiever’s located in East Point, Georgia.
When I learned that my lesson plan last week was all about the wonder of vegetables, my creative juices starting flowing. In my previous experiences with these adorable and very attentive little ones of ages 3-5, they are excited to color, chat about their favorite foods and of course taste what we are talking about! I decided to bring a few snacks for us to enjoy while we tackled our vegetable coloring sheets—baby carrots and celery with Ranch dressing to start, followed by my Hearty Vegetable Soup. A great way to use whatever vegetables you desire, this chicken broth-based soup is filled with carrots, zucchini, squash, cabbage, beans and tomatoes. Not only is this a perfect way to ease into Fall, but a great way to educated children about the nutritional value and array of vegetables available to us this time of year!
Photograph by Scott Martin
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Hearty Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 5 carrots, cut into rounds
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 large zucchini, cut into rounds
- 2 yellow squash, cut into rounds
- 1 head of green cabbage, core removed and cut into thin strips
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
- (1) 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 8 cups homemade or store bought chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
Directions:
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large stock pot. Add in the diced onion and cook for 3 minutes or until the onion starts to become tender. Add in the chopped carrots, celery, zucchini, squash, and cabbage to the stock pot. Season with the salt, pepper and thyme.
- Cook the vegetables, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the cabbage is wilted. Add in the canned tomatoes, beans and chicken stock. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 45 minutes. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings if necessary.
Tagged: cabbage, cannellini beans, carrots, celery, chicken stock, diced tomatoes, dried thyme, soup, squash, TOT's Kitchen, vegetable soup, vegetable stock, zucchini
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