Added Value
Last week I made a really bad leek and potato soup.
Really bad.
I don’t know what happened; I make it the same way each and every time, Russet potatoes (skin on), a couple of garlic cloves, a full leek, salt, pepper, and boiling water or vegetable stock into the Vita-Mix. Sometimes I saute or roast the veggies beforehand, sometimes I don’t.This time, I didn’t. Sometimes I add a carrot. Like this time.
Instead of my usual thick and creamy comfort food, I got bitter and chalky, horrid soup!
My friend Lauren was in town for the weekend, and convinced me not to throw it out. She suggested instead that we try and save it.
OK, fine.
I poured the yuck fest soup into containers and and froze them. The next day, Lauren decided to work on the soup by sauteing red onions, stretching it with water, and throwing in some more garlic along with vegetable bouillon.
Talk about saving the day!
Whatever bitterchalkyjustawful flavor that was became a deliciously thick potato soup, and we were good to go.
Last night, I was feeling particularly lazy about dinner, so I took out another container of the soup (I tend to make extra soup to freeze for days when I don’t feel like cooking) as well as some leftover barley (also frozen). Keeping Lauren’s earlier steps in mind, I went to work. In addition to the above ingredients, I added French lentils, collard greens, and the barley (at the end, since it was already done).
Talk about some homecookin’ love!
Who needs chicken soup when you have lentils and collard greens?
It was so good I helped myself to another bowl. 
Soups can be surprisingly easy to make from scratch, and improvised soups can save vegetables that are just about on their way to the compost (you do compost, right?). Soups are also a great way to add more vegetables to your diet. Dried lentils are great because they don’t take as long to cook as other legumes, and any kind of grain you have – rice, barley, pasta, quinoa, etc. will do just fine.
And even though having your own vegetable stock on hand is best, as you can control the sodium, store brands work just as well and gives soup the extra oomph it needs to be filling and tasty.
