Spring Tonic Soup aka Bamah's Toxic Soup

Lovely green tonic soup

It clearly says Tonic not sure why I saw Toxic

I'm on a roll, got the blog app on my phone so getting another recipe posted.  I've thought and planned several posts over the last couple of months but never got them done so I'm determined to be better about posting. We'll see how long it lasts this time. I have a bookshelf full of cookbooks in my kitchen that I've accumulated over the last 34 years of marriage, some gifts, some inherited, some purchased, etc. Last weekend I decided to read one I haven't used before that someone gave me and picked 2 recipes to try, one a marinated salad the other Spring Tonic Soup, the recipe I'm sharing. I generally cook on Saturday for the week, I make at least 2 different things so my daughter and I have lunches for the week and I don't have to cook dinner after work each evening. It really has been a life saver for us and we eat much healthier, plus I get to use my wonderful farmer's market produce. Last weekend I got very ambitious and made 2 different salads, a dip/sandwich spread and this soup, needless to say we had too much food so shared with the office staff where my daughter works. I have to share a funny story about the Tonic soup. I have a mild form of dyslexia and see words different than they are when reading, much to my embarrassment and the amusement of my family. So when I read Spring Tonic Soup, I said Toxic soup when I was telling my daughter about it. She questioned a soup named toxic even if it said it was restorative. We figured out that I had misread it but it will always be known from now on as Mom's Toxic soup, plus it doesn't help that the soup is green so does look a little toxic, but tastes yummy. It's basically a vegetable soup with potatoes and an emphasis on greens (collards, mustard, Swiss chard, spinach, kale, any kind of lettuce, if it's green and leafy add it in), cooked then pureed. I also added cabbage and kohlrabi because I had them even though they weren't in the recipe. Pretty much any combination of vegetables would work as long as there were potatoes and several kinds of leafy greens. After pureeing, I added cheese which also wasn't in the recipe but it's not a tonic in my house without cheese. Here's the recipe. As always, my disclaimer,  I don't really measure so these are approximate measurements.

Spring Tonic Soup aka Bamah's Toxic soup

5 med red potatoes, chopped

1 c chopped/shredded carrots

1 onion, chopped, can also chopped leaks

2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 to 1 c broccoli, chopped

1/2 to 1 c kohlrabi, chopped

1/2 c sweet peppers, chopped

1 to 1 1/2 c shredded cabbage, 1 used a combination of red and green

2 c chopped Swiss chard or spinach or combination (I used both)

2 c chopped greens, mustard, collard, turnip, kale (any kind of greens) I bought a gallon bag of mixed greens at the farmers market and used it

2 c any kind/combination of lettuce, rocket, arugula,escarole

chopped fresh herbs, parsley, thyme

 seasoned salt and pepper to taste

enough water or broth to cover

Put vegetables and seasonings in large pot with enough water to cover and cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until vegetables are tender.  Let cool some then puree.

Place back into pot and add 1 1/2 bags shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 c milk, 1/2 stick butter, salt and pepper,  1/2 t each of  garlic and onion powder, turmeric and parsley , 1 T sour cream,  and a little red wine are optional, I added them because I had them on hand. 

I haven't tried freezing it yet, but it should freeze well. I have a similar broccoli cheese soup recipe 

and it freezes nicely. 

Enjoy and be restored,

Bamah