"Raise the Dead" Veggie Soup

Winter is here, which means that soup season is in full swing. Admittedly, I don't get enough vegetables into my body as I should, so I figured a good vegetable soup might just take care of that. This recipe isn't your ordinary, watered-down vegetable soup. It's about as thick as a soup can get, has amazing flavor, and gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling that we all need when the mercury drops. With five nutrition-rich vegetables, along with vegetable stock as a base, it is very possible that this soup could raise the dead...it's THAT good.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes (for veggies), 15-20 minutes for soup

Preheat Oven: 400 degrees

Ingredients

1/4 c. olive oil

1 small butternut squash (or 1/2 of a med. squash), peeled, seeded, and cubed

2 c. baby carrots

1 large parsnip (peeled and cut into small pieces)

1 med. zuchinni (peeled and cut into small pieces)

3-4 cloves of raw garlic (crushed)

1/2 vidalia onion, quartered

1 tsp. thyme

4 c. vegetable stock (32 oz.)

salt to taste

Directions

Place olive oil in a large bowl. Add the prepared vegetables and toss until coated in the oil. Add a few pinches of salt and 1 tsp. thyme. Spread out the vegetables in a single layer on one baking sheet.  Roast for 50 minutes until tender, turning the vegetables occasionally to make sure they brown evenly.

Remove from oven, and transfer the vegetables to a large pot. Pour the vegetable stock into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, season to taste, and simmer for 10 more minutes. Transfer the soup to a food processor or blender (or use a hand blender) and process for a few minutes until thick and smooth. Return the soup to the pot to heat through.

Serves six.

Hungry for more? 

If you want to add a bit of protein to this soup, throw in some cooked shrimp, or even some left over meatballs that you may have in your refrigerator.

Happy Eating!

Mouth Watering Meat Loaf

For reasons I will never understand, meatloaf is one of those dishes that I absolutely had to figure out. It was almost like some sort of code I had to crack. Granted, a good meatloaf is all a matter of personal taste, but after many years of searching and experimenting, I think I may have finally cracked the code. Even my mother gave this recipe the thumbs up. (And she's a tough critic!)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50-55 minutes

Preheat Oven: 350 degrees

Ingredients

1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. ketchup (+ 1 tbsp.)
1 lb. lean ground beef

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt
1 small onion, chopped (or 1/3 of a large vidalia onion, chopped)
1 med. size green pepper, chopped

1/2 c. frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
1 c. whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

canola oil

Directions

Chop the onion and pepper into small pieces. Cook the onion, pepper, and spinach in a skillet over medium heat (with 1 tbsp. canola oil) for about 10-12 minutes. Add 1 tbsp. of ketchup to the skillet, and blend. Remove from heat. Place 2-3 slices of wheat bread (or enough to make 1 cup bread crumbs) into a blender or food processor. In a large bowl, mix together the beef, eggs, salt, bread crumbs, garlic powder, and thyme. Add the vegetables to the beef mixture and blend well. In a 5x9 loaf pan, grease the bottom and sides of the pan with canola oil. Press a layer of brown sugar on the bottom of the pan. Spread ketchup over the top of the brown sugar. Shape the beef mixture into a loaf and place on top of the ketchup/brown sugar. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Serves 6-8.