My new theme for Sundays is “Soup and Sandwiches.” Sandwiches tonight was tuna melts and vegetable soup. I’m open to new ideas for the sandwich part of the Sunday menu. I have an endless variety of soups, but the sandwich part seems to alternate between grilled cheese and tuna melts.

Vegetable Soup

2 carrots, sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 onion diced.

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 small cabbage, sliced

12 leaves kale, chard or some combination

1 turnip, diced or 1 potato, peeled and diced (optional)

1 cup green beans

3 cups diced tomatoes or equivalent canned

8 cups chicken broth

1 can beans (white, kidney, whatever you like), rinsed and drained

1/2 tsp pepper

1 summer squash, green or yellow, sliced

1/4 cup fresh basil, diced

salt to taste

Saute the onion, carrots, and celery in the olive oil for a few minutes. Add the chard/kale and cabbage and cover and cook for 5 minutes, until wilted, stirring periodically. Add the green beans and turnip or potato, cover and cook another few minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, pepper, and beans. Cover and cook 20 minutes.

Add the summer squash, basil, and salt (after tasting). Cover and cook another 20 minutes.

This is a very flexible soup, of course, as most are! Saute the firm vegetables, wilt the green leafy ones, then cook everything up in the chicken broth basically. Tonight I used Roma tomatoes and basil from the garden, frozen green beans, homemade chicken broth, and everything else from the store. It always comes out good and my girls will happily eat a big bowlful as the first course to just about anything, knowing it counts as the vegetable. I’ve taught them to be aware of variety, a la the 5 a Day campaign, which I like since it makes it easy for the kids to count up colors!