Making homemade soup can be a deeply fulfilling experience. From gathering the ingredients, chopping them up, assembling them all into the pot, smelling the aroma as it simmers… every step is a great place to practice presence. And it is truly satisfying to sit down and mindfully enjoy a fresh bowl of wholesome, homemade soup and appreciate everything that went into it.
June’s Soup is a simple and tasty vegetarian soup recipe, originally shared with us by Cheri’s editor, June Shiver. We routinely receive compliments on this delicious soup. Loaded with fresh broccoli, this soup is delicious AND nutritious. The secret in this recipe is Quorn – a low fat, plant-based protein. See the health tip below for more information!
Gassho, Amy
“June’s Soup”
This is a simple, flexible recipe. The trick here is not to overcook it.
- 5 cups of water (add another cup if volume of vegetables grows large)"
- ½ cup powdered vegetarian soup base (veggie, chicken, or beef flavored) or 5 vegetable bouillon cubes (The amount and type of this ingredient depends on what is available and how light or full-bodied you want the broth to be.)
- 1 1/4 cup dry pasta or noodles of your choice
- 3 cups chopped broccoli (substitute carrots, cauliflower, leafy greens, etc., for part of the broccoli)
- 1 package Quorn Tenders, thawed and rough-chopped into smaller pieces (chopping is optional)
Put water in a large soup pot over high heat. As the water heats, whisk the veggie broth powder into the water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, return to a boil and simmer, covered, on reduced heat for 3 minutes. Drop in the broccoli and chopped Tenders. Bring to a boil and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until the pasta is al dente and the broccoli is fork-tender. Add salt and/or pepper to taste if desired, and serve. (Commercial soup base products are usually fairly salty.)
Serves 6
Cooking Tips: We buy imitation chicken flavor broth powder at Whole Foods. Check out Quorn products at http://www.quorn.com
Health Tip: Mycoprotein is the main ingredient in all Quorn products. It's made from a member of the fungi family, which includes mushrooms and truffles, and is a high-quality meat-free protein that's naturally low in fat with very few calories. Mycoprotein also is high in dietary fiber, which is important for your digestive system, and has the essential amino acids your body needs, with no cholesterol or trans fats. Learn more about this amazing protein source at: http://www.mycoprotein.org/