Garden Vegetable Soup

No words are needed for this one. Just look at the pics to see how wonderfully healthy and wholesome tasting this is! For those that are not familiar with leeks, you should be able to find them in any major grocery store. They look like really large green onions and have a mild onion flavor. The important thing to remember with leeks is that they hide a lot of dirt in their leaves. So, you should cut off the dark green tops and then fan the remaining white leaves/stems and rinse them in cold water, removing any dirt. Then slice! One more thing about this soup, it is best to try to get as many ingredients as possible either local or organic since the soup is all vegetables!

Garden Vegetable Soup
recipe from www.foodnetwork.com courtesy of alton brown, slightly adapted
Serves: 6
2 Tbs olive oil
2 cups chopped leeks, white part only (3 medium size leeks)
2 Tbs minced fresh garlic (about 2 large cloves)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cups carrots chopped into rounds (2-3 medium carrots)
2 cups diced potatoes, i used golden potatoes because it is what I had in my pantry
2 cups fresh green beans, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
2 quarts vegetable broth, low sodium if store bought
2 14oz cans no salt added diced tomatoes, drained
2 ears corn, kernels removed
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup packed, chopped fresh parsley leaves, i used flat leaf parsley
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 a lemon

1. Heat oil in large soup pot over medium low heat. Once hot, add leeks, garlic and salt. Cook approximately 7-8 minutes until leeks begin to soften. Add carrots, potatoes, green beans and cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add stock, increase heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add tomatoes, corn kernels and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until vegetables are tender. I found you had to cook them at least 45 minutes, but start checking to see if the potatoes are tender at 30 minutes and continue to check every 5 minutes until they are tender. Remove from heat and add parsley and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve!