Thursday, September 04, 2008

A full serving of vegetables

Dear foodies,

Vegetable soup
There are evenings when I get back from office and am in no mood to cook anything and I blankly stare at the pantry shelves and the refrigerator trying to look for inspiration. Most days its a pasta tossed with a lots of veggies. I am really conscious about the quantity of vegetables I use on a daily basis. Since I cook only one dish per meal unlike my mom, I try and add as many as possible. I've noticed that there always has to be a red and green component; carrots, tomatoes, roasted red-peppers, sun-dried tomatoes help with the red, while peas, lima beans, edamame, capsicum, zuchini, green leafy vegetables take care of the green. Corn, chickpeas/canned beans, cauliflower and cabbage then join the party to form the final dish. I always have one from each group in my kitchen, and am trying to spread out a little since this assortment is getting a little boring now!

One such evening I did not want to eat any pasta or rice and decided on a soup. I had a couple of yellow and orange carrots and tomatoes in the fridge and a lone can of vegetable juice and capers in the pantry, so I set out making this delicious and hearty soup that tasted great even the next day with some chunky bread. My friend had bought a bunch of the vegetable juice cans and left before this lone guys turn came up, I just cannot bring myself to drink a can of vegetable juice ...no! and hence its role in the soup.

Vegetable soup
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup - diced Carrots
  • 1 cup - chopped tomatoes (~2-3 vine ripe tomatoes)
  • 1/2 cup - Edamame
  • 1 nos - medium Onion, diced
  • 1 nos - large clove of Garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp - Capers
  • 1 5.5oz can - Vegetable juice
  • 1/2 Tbsp -Olive oil
  • 1 tsp - roasted Cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp - Cayenne powder/red chilli flakes
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup - small pasta (optional) eg: orzo, elbow macaroni, orecchiette, pin wheels
  • 1/3 cup - Lentils (optional) eg: yellow/green lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans (from Rads comment)
Method:
  1. Heat oil in a saucepan on medium setting, add the garlic and let it soften for a minute, don't allow it to brown though. Next add the onions, some salt and let them cook, about 2-3mins.
  2. Add chopped tomatoes, cover and cook until they soften up. 
  3. Now add the vegetable juice, carrots, edamame (I added frozen ones and let them thaw directly in the soup), cumin powder and cayenne pepper. Check for seasonings and simmer until the carrots cook through. Add water only if its too thick as there is no thickening agent in this recipe.If using pasta, you can add them at this stage along with a little additional water.
  4. Toss in the capers a few minutes before switching off the heat.
  5. Serve warm with crusty bread or a light salad.
This soup was surprisingly warm and delicious. There is a slight heat from the cumin powder, capers and the celery in the vegetable juice which is very comforting and yet not 'spicy'. The soup is a little chunky and the edamame holds a little bite even after being cooked. I did not add pasta to it the first time I made it, but a bowl of soup was filling enough for dinner. The excuse for using up that can of juice turned out to be such a delicious one, I am definitely holding onto this idea. You can go ahead and add any combo of veggies you have at home, this recipe is perfect for the day you decide to clean up that crisper full of odd numbered veggies.

Enjoy your day!

26 thoughts:

Mrs.Kannan said...

waw,Soup looks great,I thought of giving a try to have some soup,i may try this one.The colors of veggies will make you eat i guess..Yummooo

FewMinute Wonders said...

Very good looking veggies priya. They make the soup look appetizing.

Srivalli said...

hey priya nice picture!

sunita said...

I make something similar even at times,when I'm not pressed for time :-D....throw everything together and out comes this bowl of comfort. We can have this anytime :-)...can we come over ;-)

Vaidehi Bhave said...

wow veggies are looking so colorful..I love the recipe

Unknown said...

Planning on a diet.This recipe should help..

Jayashree said...

Very colourful. I too drink vegetable juice only if it is hidden away inside soup.

anudivya said...

How colorful, bet itz delicious.

Anonymous said...

Looks healthy and comforting.

karuna said...

i just made a similar soup with lots of veggies sometime back. love the colours in ure soup. nice and comforting.

raaji said...

hey thats a nice try....its my first visit to your site....looks like i have lots of dihes to try from ur blog

Cham said...

Very colorful bowl of goodness :)

Unknown said...

Frist time here. ur blog is innovative & Fantastic..

Nice entry....Very good looking veggies priya. They make the soup look appetizing.... Great click...

bee said...

where is chocolate? the cacao beany vegetable?

Anonymous said...

thanks for dropping by at escapades....do lemme know how you liked it!! btw, this dish looks delish!!

rads said...

I love this kind of soup. I usually do the lentil mix but that requires more time and works great in winter. I so totally use V8 whenever tomatoes are required for a base.. quite delicious if you ask me, discovered it as a last resort too :)
Lovely pictures. You are a rare thing among your species you know. Am sure you knew that anyway ;)

Bhawana said...

wow Priya, delicious, mouth watering and tempting pics. Perfect :)

Priya said...


Mrs.Kannan, its a simple yet satisfying soup. Let me know if you like it.

Srimathi, they sure do, a colorful dish is often what appeals to us.

Srivalli, thank you :)

Sunita, Is 6'O clock a good time ? Last winter I made soups nearly twice a week, this year I am armed with two good soup books

Vaidehi, Welcome! let me know if you try it :)

Divya, diet, why ?! but this soup is perfect to ward away any cravings :)

Priya said...


Jayashree, now I need to buy some more of it to use in soups :))

Divya, it sure was, want to try some ?

Mona, really healthy, you will not feel guilty having an extra cup of this :)

Karuna, Welcome here :) aren't these the simplest to make and yet filled with so much flavor..

Raaji, Welcome, welcome :) I hope you like them. I am heading to your blog now.

Cham, its good and good for you :))

Srikar, welcome and thank you for your kind words :)

Priya said...


Bee, ofcourse, thats mandatory! How can you even make that a question ?

Arundati, its slated for this weekend :)

Rads, a rare weirdo :P Adding lentils is a great idea, way better than pasta I think, I'll add it to the post too, thank you :)

Bhawana, thank you :)

Manasi said...

Sounds heart warming! One quesion: Any replacement for Capers? Do they add a spl. taste? Hv never tried those so hv no idea...

Priya said...


Manasi skip them and you will still be fine, they are mostly a garnish only. Capers are actually pickled buds of a plant, hmmm may be a little like the dill pickles in flavor but not exactly the same. I bought a small container of these sometime back and so used it.

Vaishali said...

Priya, Nice job with the soup. It looks delicious, and I like the addition of edamame which adds a whole-protein component.

Anonymous said...

Priya,

naaku nacchina (occhina) oka vipareetultimate sinma ninchi oka khatarnaak dialog quote chEyaalnanTE,

wah, vaarevaa, kyaa baat hai - Sabbaash!

mee blaagu Saili chakkaha, vraasE vidhaanam enchakkaha naajooggaa unnai - kannu Sabhaash andi.

mee vanTala gubhaalimpu tagalagaanE, mukku Sabhaash andi

mee pasandaina vanTala photo-lu chooDagaanE, kaDupu aakaalandi!

ee mooDu OK aitEnE, naa chEtulu keyboard andukoni comment post chEstaayi

(praasa, dialog originality pOkooDani ee kav(p)itvam - naakantha scene lEdhu :))

okka maaTala cheppaalnanTE - khatarnaak undi mee blaagu! (OK, okka maaTala cheppuDu veelu kaale - ee saariki ila adjust aiponDi)

iTu dikkocchuDu idE farsTu - rads gaari blog ninchi occhina. iga ostanE unTa :)

ingilpees anTaru sooDurri - banDal EstanE ponDri!

ps. aa dialog yE sinmaanO chEpte meeku oka 1574587475 brownie points (mee eggless brownies-E! asalu eggless brownies recipe chEsinanduku, adi n(m)aaku cheppinanduku, meeku ongi ongi salaam koTTaale)aa brownie points enduku panikostaayO inkeppuDanna chepta :D

amna said...

lovely colours!

Anonymous said...

Hi Priya,

This soup looks so colorful and delicious -- great way to use up the V-8! Sometimes I do a different shortcut, using a can of vegetarian veggie soup and some extra potatoes and MTR to make pav bhaji without the pav! ;)

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