Ok Miss Pat I’m gonna take a stab at telling you how I make the soup I have been eating for the last year. I have dreaded this for a while. I guess that’s why I keep forgetting it. LOL! So sorry I know its not funny! Let me begin by saying this is not a recipe really because I have never measured anything to make it so I’m just gonna tell you what I do when I make it. I’m starting to think I should ask Gail to help me with writing out my recipes but it seems like a lot to ask considering there is no real recipe to any of them and I change things every time I make it. LOL!
***My soup is all free veggie except when I decide to add a small stalk of celery or 1 carrot peeled down in strips or chopped. I still don’t count them because they are such a small amount in a big pot.
For my Free Veggie Soup I start with…
1 large onion
1 large green bell pepper (or frozen mixed peppers)
1 clove garlic
1 small stalk celery
1 celery top
1 yellow squash (cut in halves and quarters)
1 zucchini “
Handful of mushrooms
½ to 1 cup green beans (fresh, NSA canned or frozen)
½ to 1 cup frozen NSA spinach
1 can NSA diced tomatoes
1 can NSA tomato sauce
1 to 2 cups bean fresh bean sprouts
Cabbage thinly sliced to finish filling the pot
Dark Balsamic Vinegar
Arrowroot Powder
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Smoked Paprika
Pepper
NSA chicken seasoning
1 bay leaf
A few shakes of (not sure how much, I like quite a bit)…
Oregano
Italian Seasoning
Basil
Sometime depending on my mood I will add Mrs Dash Fajita seasoning OR Chili Powder OR Mesquite seasoning. I play around with it a lot but my favorite tastes are adding smoked paprika and NSA chicken seasoning.
** First chop the first 4 ingredients (plus the celery if I use it) and sauté on medium low till slightly translucent. As it begins to stick I will add a few splashes of balsamic and continue to stir making sure not to burn. At this point I turn it down very low or add a little water or diet rite as a broth. (The diet rite does not make it taste too sweet like you might think, it actually works great with the balsamic for a great taste)
**While the first ingredients are sautéing I am chopping up the squash, zucchini, mushrooms, (carrots if I use them) and anything else that needs to be chopped.
** I dump the rest of the veggies in the pot and I add all the seasonings and sauté for a while with more balsamic till warmed through.
** Next dump the bean sprouts, the canned tomatoes, and the tomato sauce. Mix well, cover to top of veggies with water, and bring to a boil.
** Add the bay leaf and celery top here.
** While the veggies are coming to a boil I cut up a head of cabbage in strips to resemble noodle shapes and add them to the pot to finish filling it up. Then I add water to cover everything leaving enough room at the top of the pot to boil with out overflowing too much. LOL! I always make a mess to be honest. You gotta love that Clorox clean up. teehee!
** Often I will add more seasonings at this point for lots of flavor. After it comes to a boil I let it simmer on medium low heat for about 45 minutes to an hour. It will kind of depend on how soft or firm you like your veggies.
** The last step for me is to bring the soup back to a boil, and add 2 tablespoons of Arrowroot thickener to about a ½ to ¾ cup of cold water and mix well and dump it into the boiling soup and stir. Once it is stirred in it will begin to thicken and I take it off the heat and let it set with a lid on for a little while.
** I love to take this soup and pour a few spoonfuls over my broccoli or other veggies to make different tastes and combinations. It is especially good to mix up with your rice and chicken or turkey servings. It is almost "casserole like" that way. The best part about it is it is hot and hearty and free as long as you use only the free veggies in it. There is no excuse for not getting full with a big pot of this in the house!
Like I said I am no good at writing out recipes so I hope what I have written out will help you figure out your own methods for what you like best. The measurements of frozen veggies can go lower or higher depending on what you like the most. This is a staple in my kitchen and I have lost so much weight eating it. I look forward to hearing any other ideas for addins and such.
Pat!!! I did it!!! 
I finally got it written out. LMAO! 
I finally got it written out. LMAO! 
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