Years ago, when I didn’t have nearly as much weight to lose as I do now, I joined Weight Watchers with my friend Joan. We had fun losing weight together, but I quickly realized she was so competitive, if she could have gotten weighed naked, she would have.
I wasn’t thinking about my weight loss down to the ounce, but apparently she was. I had to laugh at us both trying to find the very lightest things we had and competitively urinating before our weigh-in. I don’t remember which of us finally lost the pounds, or if we ever did, but I did get a great recipe out of the little Weight Watchers book they gave me.
It was a recipe for vegetable soup, which didn’t thrill me at first. But when I made it and added a can or two of stewed tomatoes, it was delicious! And now that I’m trying to eat less meat and lose weight, it helps me do that with minimal whining. I forgot the zucchini in the one in the above photo, but zucchini really finishes it. I do add cheese on top because for God’s sake I can’t be THAT good.
I suppose if you wanted to you could brown some ground turkey, chicken, Italian sausage, or beef and add it, but that kind of defeats the purpose of vegetable soup, now doesn’t it? (I would never tell that to my friend Carolyn’s mom, who adds abundant amounts of ground beef to hers and it’s delicious.) Love you, Mrs. R!
This is an easy recipe and can be made in about 20 to 30 minutes. As you can see, the pages are well-worn. Over the years, I’ve added a few things and generally increased the amounts of everything because I am my mother’s daughter. It’s a great way to celebrate the abundance of fall, which will be here on September 22nd. Thank God! Me and my hair have had it with the heat and humidity!
And if you love the fern table runner the Weight Watchers book is on, there are others similar to it on Heliographics.com. Dawn will even custom-make a design for you. It washes beautifully, really lasts and is worth every cent.
So, get your pre-fall on and make some soup. And if you enjoy this blog and the recipes and would like to contribute so I can keep writing and stay caffeinated, just click on Buymeacoffee.com/FranTunno and help support my blog and latte habit. I am sending a huge thank you to everyone who has already donated! This is clearly not mandatory, only do it if you’re feeling the love. Also, please feel free to re-post, share, and become a follower. Just enter your email in the box on the top right if you’re on a computer, or the bottom if you’re on your phone. And thank you!
The Best Garden Vegetable Soup
Rinse and dice the celery. Dice the peeled carrots and onion. Mince the 2 garlic cloves. Place all the chopped ingredients into a large pot. Add the olive oil and saute over medium heat until softened, about five minutes.
Add the broth, cabbage, green beans, tomato paste, fresh basil, oregano, and stewed tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower heat and simmer covered about 15 minutes or until green beans are tender. Taste the soup and if it needs salt, you can add it then. It's optional.
Stir in zucchini and heat for five to 10 minutes. Serve hot with grated gruyere or grated Pecorino Romano on top.
