Vegetable Soup

Here's an easy soup with a lot of flavor.
It goes very well with a grilled cheese sandwich.

10oz Yellow Onion, finely chopped
5oz Carrot, sliced into 1/4 inch disks then quartered
5oz Zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch disks then quartered
1 tsp Minced Garlic
14.5oz can Diced Tomato
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (omit if you don't like it spicy)
1 tsp Dry Parsley
1 tsp Dry Basil
4 cups Vegetable Broth
1 cup Frozen Peas
2 tbsp Olive Oil

Heat Oil is a soup pot at medium heat.
Add Garlic, Onion, Carrots, and Salt.
Cook covered 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add Tomatoes, Zucchini, Broth, Pepper, Basil, and Parsley.
Raise heat and bring to boil then reduce heat back to medium.
Simmer uncovered about 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the Peas.

Serve!

Mushroom Leek Soup with Wild Rice

Mushroom Leek Soup with Wild Rice

6 oz (1 cup) raw wild rice
3 cups vegetable stock
2 T oil
8 oz (2 cups) of leeks rinsed and chopped (2 large leeks or 3 small. Use white/light green parts only. Not the dark green part)
4 oz (1 cup) of carrots peeled and chopped
4 oz (1 cup) diced celery
1/2 t dried rosemary
1/2 t dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 t salt
4 dried shiitake mushrooms crumbled into small pieces (no stems)
4 oz fresh wild mushrooms rinsed and chopped (no stems)
4 cups water
3 T soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry or white vermouth
black pepper to taste

In a large pot with a lid, bring rice and 3 cups of stock to boil.
Reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a soup pot and saute leeks for 5 minutes.
Add carrots, Celery, Rosemary, Thyme, Bay Leaves, Salt, Fresh Mushrooms, and Shiitake Mushrooms and saute for another 5 minutes.
Stir in water, soy sauce, and sherry/vermouth.
Simmer 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves. When rice is finished
cooking, combine soup and rice. Stir and add pepper. Serves 4 to 6