Produce with Amy

“Snow provokes responses that reach right back to childhood.”-Andy Goldsworthy

It would be a lie if I said that I did not do a jubilant snow-day-dance in my kitchen this morning when I got the call that school was cancelled due to inclement weather. I tapped on the window and mouthed the words to Mike, “SNOW DAY.” It may have been an act of unkindness considering the fact that he was brushing my Jeep off at the time. He scowled up his face in mock disgust. About forty-five minutes later he was headed out the door to work. He grabbed his Arctic Carhartts, planted a kiss on my mouth, and left the house with a smile plastered on his face from ear-to-ear. Mike is so thankful to be employed right now and loves his new job. We are so fortunate and will never take for granted the opportunities that we are given or our network of support. Last year at this time Mike was a full-time college student and we were stressed about our finances. It feels wonderful to have two incomes again and to be catching up on our bills.

Athena absorbing the snow day magic from her chair.

This morning I enjoyed a silent house and the company of our furbabies. I had a bottomless cup of tea and felt my energy levels restore. While I spent my afternoon working on lesson plans (yes, a snow day really throws things out of whack) this morning I allowed myself to be steeped in the bliss of writing in my journal, yoga, and brainstorming future blogs.

Today’s recipe is one that I have been meaning to share for quite a long time. It is an old healthy favorite that my mom and I loved making when I was in high school and college. In fact, I talked to my mom today and she said she was getting ready to make a pot. I have seen recipes for many different versions over the years and this is a recipe that I often share with my Weight Watchers members.

I am going to share a basic recipe and you may decide to bulk it up with pasta or beans and flavor it with your favorite spices. You can also add other vegetables (I have added zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale or whatever I have on hand). When I ran it through the recipe builder it came out to 1 PP per cup but I do count it as 0 when I follow the Simple Filling Technique (even though juice is not a Power Food).
CABBAGE SOUP

*1 medium head of chopped cabbage
*1 medium chopped onion
*4 ribs of chopped celery
*3 chopped bell peppers (I use one green, one red, and one yellow. I really like the flavor that the bell peppers bring to the soup)
*2 cups of chopped carrots
*6 cups of tomato juice (You may want to buy a low sodium version since tomato juice is often high in sodium. Sometimes I use 3 cans of tomato juice and 3 cans of vegetable stock depending what I have on hand. I especially love this soup with my mom’s “homemade” tomato juice from her garden tomatoes)
*2 Tablespoons of minced garlic
*1 Tablespoon of coconut oil (or your oil of choice)
*Salt and pepper to taste
*Lemon juice to taste
*Worcestershire sauce to taste
*Hot sauce (Optional. I recommend adding it to your cup or bowl before serving. If you like some heat you could also add a diced jalapeno pepper to the pot)

Sautee garlic, onion and celery until soft and add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer 45-60 minutes.

Printable Recipe: Cabbage Soup

That is it. It is a simple and versatile soup and it is packed with flavor and nutrients. While it is wonderful hot, I must say that I even enjoy it cold (similar to a gazpacho). One of my WW friends, Linda, tried this recipe a couple of weeks ago and she said she swapped out the tomato juice for fire-roasted tomatoes. One of my other friends Theresa said that she loves to have a cup of vegetable soup at night for a filling and healthy snack.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and please share your feedback. I always love to hear the tweaks and additions that people make to dishes to suit their tastes. If you are interested in other soup recipes, please check out my Soups tab.

Pin recipe HERE.

Have a wonderful and healthy week my friends and thank you for sharing my recipes with the world. Make sure you find my page on Facebook and stay tuned for more fruit and vegetable filled dishes. In the next couple days I will be sharing a new Mason Jar Salad that features blue/purple fruit and vegetables and a homemade tangerine dressing made two ways. Thank you for sharing this journey with me!