Vegetable Orgy Stew

Hack up the following and drop it in a pot to simmer in olive oil: 

-onion 

-garlic 

-carrots 

-spinach 

-broccoli 

-cauliflower 

-green beans 

-peas 

 Didn't have any tomatoes, but I bet they'd be great, too. 

Oh, and don't be afraid to cheat -- many of these were (organic) frozen veg. :) 

Add: 

 - a couple handfuls of chopped, peeled potatoes 

Simmer it all in a broth made with: 

-a cube or two of whatever random (all-natural!) bouillon needed to be used up 

-sea salt 

-thyme 

-oregano & basil 

-rosemary 

-black pepper 

-arbol chili powder 

-dash of nutmeg 

After potatoes were cooked and the broth started to turn green from all that gardeny goodness, stir in: 

-a handful or two of fine-cut (instant) oats 

Give those 5 minutes or so to dissolve in there nicely, then gradually add: 

-1.5 cups very cold water, in which 1/3 c flour has been dissolved 

Let that simmer for about 10 minutes to thicken; then finally mix in: 

-a bit more olive oil 

-lots of shredded Parmesan. 

What a deliciously warm, savory, filling antioxidant bomb!

Fish Chowder

More soup -- this time, fish!

Ingredients:

- one small (or 1/2 large) chopped onion
- three minced garlic cloves (or a bunch of heavy shakes from the canister)
- 1-2 peeled, chopped carrots
- finely chopped spinach, as much as you'd like
- a couple cups of peeled, cubed potatoes
- lots of dill -- maybe a couple teaspoons
- 1 liter hot water
- ground black pepper
- sea salt (less bitter than the conventional kind, and perfectly matched to this dish)
- a shake or two of red chili powder, if you'd like
- lemon juice (maybe 1/4 cup? I just kinda squeezed to taste from the little plastic lemon)
- several generous sloshes of dry white wine (something tasty, 'cause then you can finish the rest of the bottle, chilled, with the soup for a perfect wine-food pairing!)
- some fish. Shauna and I once used a jar of mussels (delicious!) but I've discovered that even a can of lightly mashed sardines is great. Experiment away! (Just be sure to drain whatever it is before adding ;) )
- 1/3 cup flour dissolved in 2 cups cold milk

Sauté the onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil or butter until just transparent. Then add carrots and spinach and sauté a bit more. Add potatoes, dill, and hot water; then rest of spices (sea salt, black pepper, lemon juice). Bring to a boil, then down to a simmer and add the fish. Simmer until the potatoes and carrots are cooked, maybe 20-25 minutes. Add the wine (or if you'd really like to cook off a lot of the alcohol, you can add it before this). Slowly stir in the flour-milk mixture and stir frequently until it's thickened, 10-15 minutes. (Taste the soup to see if more spices are needed after this -- 2 cups of liquid does often call for the addition of a bit more salt.)

Voila, lemon-garlic-seafood chowdah! Enjoy with the rest of the chilled white wine.