Homemade Vegetable Soup

I watched a random Rachel Ray episode in late fall or early winter, that was directions for making a spur of the moment vegetable soup with whatever veggies you have on hand. The premise of this struck me - I can experiment with making soups! I kind of enjoy having recipes. It's a predictable outcome if you follow directions :) But I have tried the soup idea a few times and I always enjoy my result so I think I'll share with you. Maybe you will feel inspired to give it a shot and adjust it to your tastes. I begin with a little oil in the bottom of my heavy soup pan. I heat the oil over medium heat. Add 2-3 cloves of garlic (I love garlic but not everyone does so if you don't maybe stay on the lower end of this one). a few shakes of crushed red pepper (to give it a little zing and clear out your nose if you have a cold) Heat for a few minutes until the garlic "speaks" in the oil (sizzles) Add a chopped onion and cook until onion becomes translucent. From here - it's really your own tastes. Personally I like: A can of diced tomatoes sliced and peeled carrots (about 2) sliced celery (about 2 stalks) about 2 cups of chicken broth or more to your taste a few shakes of dried basil a shake of black pepper I let this simmer for about 10-15 minutes on medium-low. Then I add: sliced and peeled zucchini (1 big or two smaller) maybe some frozen or canned green beans or any other veggies you like :) Cook for another 5-10 minutes, taste testing and adjusting the flavors as needed. Yesterday I made the above soup and cooked some small frozen tortellini in there with the zucchini step. The tortellini adds something special and makes this a stand-alone meal. I also cheated yesterday and used the canned carrots to speed up the whole process. It still tastes good to me! You can add white beans, Broccoli, cauliflower or any other veggies you like. To make this all vegetarian, you could use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth. Take the plunge and experiment! It's worth it to have a homemade veggie soup. Enjoy