Oh, Hell, She's Cookin' Now! Vegetable Soup

It's not that it's New Year's Day and I'm all full of resolutions and goals and dreams and visions (although I am)--that's not why I decided to make this soup today. The reason I did it is because...well, a while back I had Panera's 10 million vegetable soup, and pretty much became obsessed with it. It was delicious, and healthy (although the various other Panera goodies I inhaled at the same time probably undermined its healthy benefits). I've been meaning to make an inferior imitation of this soup for a while, and today has been the first time in a while that I made a point to slow down and cook something for myself.

So yeah, maybe that it's New Year's does have something to do with it. Whatever.

I chose this recipe from Hummus Sapien, and stuck (mostly) to it. Rather than put in two medium potatoes, I just put in one large one. I did throw in some broccoli and cauliflower, and probably was too wussy with the seasonings. And also--sorry, y'all, I just do not keep bay leaves laying around my apartment. Call it a moral failing of mine, if you will. 

Verdict? It turned out pretty damned delicious! And with plenty left over for the next couple of days. One thing that was missing was a crusty loaf of bread. I know what I'm picking up at the store tomorrow!

Only after I was done cooking the damned thing, when I happened to peep into the fridge, did I realize that I forgot to throw in the zucchini and orange pepper I had picked up for this purpose. This was just as well, as the pot was pretty much at capacity. If I want to add more vegetables in the future...well...We're gonna need a bigger dutch oven.

I'd like to try another couple of recipes before I call this my ride-or-die vegetable soup, but it certainly was a satisfying dinner on this chilly New Year's Day.