Eat, Drink and Be Merry...

But if you're like, probably, 95% of the population you're already starting to have thoughts like "in the new year I'm going to eat healthier" or " I need more vegetables" or even " I want to drop a couple of these pounds that crept on over the holidays".  Well fear not, you can do all those things with this super easy, super healthy, but still super tasty recipe.

You can make many variations on this soup, and use many different vegetables, but I suggest you use this as a base-

2-4 carrots, peeled and sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces

1-2 stalks of celery, also sliced into 1/4 inch pieces

1 medium onion, 1/4 inch dice

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 sprig of thyme

2 sprigs of rosemary

Several tablespoons of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

Sauté all ingredients, except the tomatoes over medium heat until beginning to become soft (do not brown.  Add the tomatoes.  Then, add in any other chopped vegetables you have on hand and cover entire thing in plenty of water.  Simmer up to an hour, or until all items are cooked and the flavors are coming out.  Of course, be sure to add salt at each step and taste often.

I used in this batch-

Cauliflower 

Broccoli

Peppers

Purple Kale

Yellow Squash

And one small can of Great White Northern Beans

Now, here's the kicker.  Make a pesto of fresh basil, Parmesan, raw garlic and olive oil.  You can do this with a food processor, or immersion blender or just by hand.  Serve the soup hot and spoon a generous amount of the pesto on top to stir in.

Happy New Year!!!