Simple Veggie Soup

I love having a serving of a simple veggie soup with my meals during the colder months! Warming foods keep your digestive fire alive, which helps you digest food well and that is really important when trying to clear your skin!

You can use whatever veggies you have on hand. When I don't have any veggies besides onion, carrots, and celery I just make this with potatoes. :)

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp coconut or avocado oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

3-4 celery stalks, chopped

1 box of mushroom, sliced (about 10)

1 1/2 zucchini or yellow squash, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

Spices:

S&P, to taste

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano, to taste

1 1/2 tsp dried basil, to taste

1/4-1/2 tsp red chili flakes, to taste (note: a 1/2 tsp might be too spicy for some people!)

21 spice seasoning mix from Costco (optional)

1 can (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes

water, refill tomato can twice (about 3 1/2 cups of water)

2 veggie bouillon cubes

leafy greens of choice: kale, spinach, or Swiss chard, chopped

cooked chickpeas (optional)

cooked gluten-free pasta (optional)

Toppings:

squeeze of lemon juice

parsley, chopped for garnish

red chili flakes, optional

Directions:

1. In a large pot on medium heat, add the oil, spices, and garlic and sauté for 1 minute or so until fragrant, but be careful not to burn the garlic. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and a pinch of salt and sauté for about 5- 7 minutes.

2. Add the mushroom and a dash of salt and cook for a 3-4 minutes. Then, add the zucchini and a crank of salt, mix and cook for 3-5 minutes.

3. Add the canned tomato, water, veggie cubes, and some more seasoning mix from Costco (optional). Cover pot and bring to boil on high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add chickpeas (optional) and leafy greens, cover and cook until greens are wilted, a few minutes. Turn off heat and add cooked pasta, if using, stir and serve.

4. Top with lemon juice, parsley, red chili flakes, and S&P if needed. Enjoy!

Note: Do not add gluten-free pasta to the soup if you making this for meal prep, it won't hold up. I would just cook some pasta the day of and add it to the soup.