Rainbow Vegetabe Soup | My Lunch & Freezer Secrets

If you have been around a 5-year-old girl lately, you'd know that rainbows are huge.  Unicorns and rainbows.  What a world they live in!  I started using "rainbow carrots" in our vegetable soup last year and dubbed it "Rainbow Vegetable Soup" at our house.  Emma looooved this.  She loves helping to make it, she loves eating it.  I'm not kidding - loves it.  

I will not pretend that we eat healthy all of the time (you've seen those Oreos on my Instagram!), but this vegetable soup is actually delicious.  The only tricky part about this is that it is never the same.  This is the soup that I make at the end of the week - usually on a Thursday or Friday afternoon.  I make it from all of the vegetables that we have in the fridge that won't get eaten.  You know, because it is going to be the weekend and we'll be eating pizza and Oreos.

It takes about 30 minutes to make.  I make it as big as I can and put it in individual freezer containers so I can get them out for lunch, or a quick dinner.  These work great when Mike is traveling.  Sometimes I get a couple of meatballs out of the freezer or add pasta or tortellini to it for a little more oomph.

This batch was particularly yummy.  We had tomatoes, zucchini and herbs from our garden, that I threw in with onions, pancetta and rainbow carrots.  I cook it in chicken broth and add plenty of sea salt.  Sea salt (and a little crushed red pepper) is the difference between great and not soup.

Rainbow Vegetable Soup

3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 onion, small dice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 pound of pancetta or bacon, small dice
1 pound of carrots, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 tablespoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of pepper (I use crushed red or black)
2 tablespoons of fresh basil, minced
2 tablespoons of parsley, minced
2-3 tomatoes, diced (or 1 pint of cherry)
1 quart of chicken stock
2 cups of kale (or spinach), chopped

Begin by cooking the onions and bacon together until soft and fat rendered.  Add carrots.  Cook until they begin to soften.  Repeat with zucchini.  Add salt and pepper.  Add tomatoes and fresh herbs.  Add chicken stock and bring to strong simmer.  Add kale.  Taste for seasoning.  Simmer until vegetables are soft. 

This recipe has saved me from eating unhealthy lunches while Emma's at school.  The night before, I pull one (or two if Mike needs lunch, too) from the freezer and put it in the fridge.  It reheats in a bowl in the microwave in about 3 minutes.  It is so comforting and yummy every day of the week and packs my mid-day full of healthy veggies.

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White Cheddar & Parmesan Cauliflower Gratin

I think there is something to be said for leaving room for dessert.  Don't get me wrong, there is nothing I like more than a giant plate filled with tummy filling carbs.  However, too many times when we entertain, we prepare too many filling, rich foods that our guests end up uncomfortably full, rather than pleasantly satisfied.  So, when I'm planning a menu I try to make sure I'm not going to over do it... without under-doing it of course.

This Cauliflower Gratin is a perfect example.  It is the almost same sauce as Macaroni and Cheese, but because I knew we were starting our meal with Homemade Soft Pretzels and ending with cobbler and ice cream, I thought I would make a less filling (but just as delicious) version with cauliflower. 

Trust me, know one will even consider this a second best - the cheesy sauce is so fabulous and the bubbly crunchy top is addicting.

White Cheddar & Parmesan 
Cauliflower Gratin

1 head of cauliflower
1/2 stick of butter
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of flour
2 cups of milk
6 ounces of shredded white cheddar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons of butter

In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the cauliflower just until barely tender (1-2 minutes), then drain and pour into baking dish - I use a pie dish.

To make the sauce (I used the same pan as I used for boiling) melt butter on medium, then add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Next add 1/4 cup of flour.  Stir constantly and cook for 1 minute.  Whisk in milk and stir until smooth.  Cook for 3-4 minutes on medium low until bubbly and slightly thickened.  Turn off heat.  Add cheddar and 1/4 cup of parmesan.  Stir in until cheese has melted.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add more milk, if necessary.

Pour cheese sauce over cauliflower.  Top with bread crumbs, remaining 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese and dot with butter.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees until sauce is bubbly and top is browned.  You may want to turn on the broiler for 2-3 minutes to get an extra brown top.

Veggie Soup | Back to School Recipes | Italian Vegetable Soup

 
Veggies can be hard to incorporate into your kids' diet - who am I kidding?  They are hard to incorporate in my own diet.  Mike is more of a Meat-and-Potatoes kind of guy, and I'm a Pasta-for-Every-Meal kind of gal, so we are often finding ourselves vegetable starved.  This healthy vegetable soup is just what we need to get us back into the nutrient rich world.

Vegetable soup can be a hard sell on kids.  I can't remember ever being excited when my Mom said we were having vegetable soup for dinner.  It was just one of those menu items that was 'fine' but not something that I would have requested.  It is not like anyone would pick vegetable soup for their birthday dinner. 

Farmers Market Table Setting | Farm to Table themed Summer Party

Summer Farmer's Market Table Setting:
Farm to Table Themed Party

Who says you have to go to the florist to put together a beautiful table for a party?  When I go to the farmer's markets, I am always amazed at how beautiful the vegetables are as they're all grouped together and displayed.  I decided to add this bountiful farmer's market style to my table for a Summertime "Farm to Market" dinner party.

Did I mention that the menu has some of the same ingredients displayed on the table?  Talk about appetizing.

Summertime Farm to Market Menu (recipes coming soon!):

Garden Tomatoes with Green Goddess Dressing
Eggplant Focaccia Bread
Corn on the Cob with Basil Butter
Classic Cucumbers & Onions
Lemon & Chive Halibut in Parchment Bundles
Peach Crostada with Vanilla Ice Cream

I picked up these kitchen towels at William-Sonoma.  They make great rustic over-sized napkins... after all, who doesn't appreciate an over-sized napkin when you're eating corn on the cob?  The towels came in a package of 4 different patterns of stripes and plaids.  I love the navy and light blue combination with the clean clean white.

I don't know about you, but sitting outside in this heat does not sound like a pleasant evening.  So, I brought the bounty of the season in doors.

I set the table by putting a white hemstitch runner down the center.  All of the different colors, sizes and shapes of the vegetables could end up looking chaotic, so I needed the plain white runner to create a cohesive look.  A burlap runner would add a little more of a rustic style.  You can see the various patterns of the napkins in this shot.

Again, to create a cohesive look, I put all of the vegetables in separate white bowls, then arranged them scattered down the table, separating each color by a complimenting color.  For example, I separated the bright pink radishes from the bright red orange tomato with pale colored potatoes and the neutral green ears of corn.

 

Left to Right :  A jar of homemade pickles, blue hydrangeas in a white creamer pitcher, peaches, round eggplant and cherry tomatoes.

The pickles are a take-home gift for our guests.  If you don't have time to make your own, buy some locally made berry jam and send your guests home with biscuits for breakfast.

The radishes are so beautiful - such a rich shade of pink.

I hope this table inspires your next Summer party!  Stay tuned for recipes to serve at your Summertime Farm to Market dinner party!