The Best Soup I've Ever Made/Had

Years ago when I was traveling through Italy, I came to love Minestrone Soup. I tried it in every restaurant I went to while I was there and my favorite was found at a little cafe in a small alley in Torin. It was the only place open when we arrived, tired and starving (during Siesta, everything is closed) and I thank my lucky stars for that. Even today, I remember how good it was, although I can no longer remember the name of the Cafe.

Since that time, it's been a favorite even though nothing has ever lived up to that Cafe in Torin. I only tried making my own once, almost 20 years ago when my cooking capabilities only consisted of following recipes with absolutely no imagination of my own. Well, I can confidently say my imagination has taken off over the past 5 years and my cooking is the better for it and with the popularity of Pinterest I can find inspiration anywhere, even in the market, by using my phone.

This is my version and it was so hearty and GOOD!

I found a recipe that looked delicious (I love seeing what my food is supposed to look like) especially because she put Tortellini in it. I purchased all the fresh Organic produce and ingredients I would need and I went to work. Here is the link to the original recipe. With props to WinnieAb I only used her ingredient list, minus the bacon (I avoid the use of pork and beef whenever possible). I found the canned ingredients in BPA free packaging (because I get a little crazier every year) and in case you're interested, here's an article highlighting which brands are listening or not regarding the BPA issue. Now many have asked for the recipe, which you can find at the link above, but that's not how I cook. I can tell you if it says 3 cloves of garlic, I'm going to AT LEAST double that. I like my Minestrone to be chock full of fresh veggies so I just cut up what looks good for me. I eyeball most everything according to my taste and improvise where I think it's appropriate.

Here's my ingredient list:

more than 1 cup	Organic Basil AND parsley FRESH!
2	Organic Carrots
2	Organic Celery, ribs of
1 15 oz. can	Organic Chickpeas, cooked
10 large cloves	Organic Garlic
2 cup	Organic Kale, chopped
1	Organic Leek
1	Organic Yellow Onion, large
4	Organic Potatoes
1 28 oz. can	Organic tomatoes, with juice
1 basket	Organic cherry or grape tomatoes
1	Organic Zucchini
1/4 Cup	Homemade Pesto
1pkg	Pesto Tortellini
2 bx	Organic Vegetable Broth

Here's how I made it. First I gently sauteed the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, leeks and cherry tomatoes all together. I start with the tomatoes, carrots and celery because they need to cook longer and the tomatoes need to burst, adding in the garlic, onions, leek. Then I added the broth, canned tomatoes, chickpeas potatoes, pesto and holding off til the last 15 minutes or so to add the Tortellini, finally adding the Zucchini and Kale (because I don't want them overcooked). I reserved some of the pesto for garnish, but added a good portion to the soup. If you want a cook time, I can't tell you exactly, but I taste it regularly adding Salt & Pepper when needed. Once the potatoes are cooked through and the Tortellini looks perfect, then it's basically done. I served with a dab of pesto, some fresh cut basil and Parmesan cheese on top.

I didn't know how much I was going to have but at the end it was close to 14 cups so I froze a bunch of 2 cup containers for future meals. 

I'll note here that I did not add Parmesan to my Pesto. This is an old trick I learned from a friend. I make my own pesto then freeze it in a flat glass container, cut it up into cubes and keep it in the freezer and add it to sauces. It's an amazing flavor addition to any Italian dish and you can always add the cheese once it's defrosted.

The Number 1 Rule of Healthy Eating? If You Don't Know What it is...Don't Eat It!

So you've decided to give up Gluten, you want to go Vegan and you're concerned with products that have GMO's. Nutrition is a mine field to maneuver through when you're trying to do the right thing by your body. Manufacturers don't make this any easier on us. Believe me, I'm a label reader and what I don't understand I Google. The more I learn, the more I'm appalled at the wool being pulled over the consumer eyes.

Here's a good example. This product is made by a company that's family owned... ahhhhh, warm fuzzy feeling. It's comparable to Doritos, but it claims to be made from Beans and Rice... that must mean it's a complete protein, right?...and there it says 4g Protein, right on the bag with that handy little arrow letting me know that that chip I'm about to eat has not only Protein, but Fiber too! Even better, they're 'All Natural', 'Gluten Free', 'Corn Free' 'Non-GMO Project Verified' AND the one that hits it home for most, 'Vegan'... oh happy day, they must be really good for me!

Let's get one thing straight. They are a processed food. A combination of ingredients, flavored and shaped into resembling a processed food that no one on the planet should consume. All the marketing all over the front of the package may sell it to some, but for me it's a huge red flag. They're overselling it, why, because it's a processed food that metabolizes to sugar and gets stored as fat in your body. That in and of itself is why, if you are trying to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle, you should not eat these or any other processed food.

A look at the list of ingredients on the back read okay until they got to the 'Flavoring'. This is where they get you my friends. They have to make sure it tastes good so you'll keep buying them, or better yet, eat all 6 servings in one sitting (840 calories) and believe me, they're flavored with a list of ingredients that you would not recognize, are highly questionable and 1 of which is Lactic Acid, which came up on my NO CORN list only yesterday. Digging a little deaper, I found that according to GMO-Compass.org 'The nutrients of GM plants that are used for the production of lactic acid are not subject to a labeling requirement.'  Interesting. So even though it's NON-GMO Verified, it may contain an ingredient that may contain GMOs but are not required to label it as such.

Confused? Good. Let me make it easy for you. Vegan or Not. Gluten Sensitive or Not. Trying to lose weight or not. Don't eat processed foods. Once in a while, I'm not going to tell you no. I did have to try one of these, for you guys. (I did it for you.) For the most part, 90% of the time, just eat real food. The way nature intended. Fresh, clean, organic, single ingredient, real food.