Reprinted with permission from
Norene's Healthy Kitchen: Eat Your Way to Good Health
by Norene Gilletz

This scrumptious low-cal, low-carb autumn soup is wonderful any time of year.  The recipe comes from Valerie Kanter of Chicago, editor of the kosher cookbook, Crowning Elegance.  Her family loves it, especially her children, who devour two or three bowlfuls at one sitting.  Valerie often serves it from her slow cooker for the Sabbath lunch.  It's a winner!

Food Editor's Notes:  I have never made a vegetable soup before with this assortment of fall vegetables.  It is very tasty and quite filling, perfect for a lunch or supper in the sukkah, along with a good bread and a green salad, perhaps with cookies and fruit for dessert.  As I didn't have several hours all at once to make this, I prepared the vegetables the night before and stored them in plastic bags in the refrigerator.  The next morning it was easy to sauté and mix everything together and then let the soup cook while I did other things.  I let the soup cool in the pot and the starchy vegetables broke down on their own, with little mashing needed.  Of course the degree of chunkiness is one of personal preference.  I did add a little more salt to my bowl, but the soup is full of flavor, with a bite from the black pepper, and many people may not need to.  This is a great addition to your soup repertoire – different, delicious, and healthy!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oi
1 large onion, chopped
2 to 3 stalks celery, chopped
6 medium carrots (1 lb/500 g), peeled and chopped
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
1 medium butternut or acorn squash, peeled and cut in chunks (about 5 cups)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 medium zucchini, cut in chunks
10 cups water
4 to 6 bay leaves
1 Tbsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill weed
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic (about 1 tsp minced)

1.  Heat the oil in a large soup pot on medium heat.  Sauté the onion, celery, and carrots for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.  Add the sweet potatoes, squash, mushrooms, and zucchini; mix well.

2.  Add the water, bay leaves, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  If the soup becomes too thick, add a little more water.  Remove the bay leaves and discard.

3.  Using a potato masher, coarsely mash the vegetables while still in the pot, leaving the soup somewhat chunky.  Stir in the dill weed, parsley, and garlic.  Serve hot.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings (about 15 cups).  Keeps for up to 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator; reheats well.  Freezes well for up to 4 months.

78 calories per cup, 15.1 g carbohydrate, 3.8 g fiber, 1 g protein, 2.0 g fat (0.3 saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 548 mg sodium, 443 mg potassium, 1 mg iron, 46 mg calcium

Norene Gilletz is the leading author of kosher cookbooks in Canada.  She is a culinary consultant, cooking teacher/lecturer, cookbook author, and freelance food writer, focusing on healthy cooking.  Norene's Healthy Kitchen (Whitecap Books, 2007) is her seventh cookbook, several of which are among this Food Editor's all-time favorites.  Visit Norene's web site, http://www.gourmania.com/, for information on her cookbooks and ordering instructions, plus more recipes and lots of helpful hints and food-related resources.  Highly recommended!