Turkey Veggie Soup

I love a good soup. You might say where Mark Sisson revels in his "Big-Ass Salads", I do so equally in a large bowl of soup brimming with veggies, protein, and of course, the addition of good fats and seasonings. (I think this is because I tend to prefer colder weather - 60 degrees is about my favorite temp.)

So, nothing - not even the summer weather - keeps me from occasionally making a veggie soup. Chop up a bunch of onions and veggies, sautee in seasonings, simmer, add fresh herbs and cooked protein. Boom! OK - it may not be precisely that easy, but it is almost that easy.

Turkey Veggie Soup

Ingredients:
1-3 cups pieces protein (see Step 1 for notes)
2 cups onions, any variety
2 cloves or more of fresh garlic
2 tablespoons oil of choice
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1 carton (blasphemy in primal/paleo world, I know!) of broth of choice; I generally prefer organic low sodium chicken broth
4 cups fresh veggies, chopped
Fresh herbs, if desired

Directions:
1. Cook some protein, or have some leftover protein ready. Options: ground beef or turkey, pieces of leftover roasted chicken, etc.

2. Chop up about 2 cups of onions. (You don't have to add onions, but I'm an onion lover and consider them to be the base of any good broth.) You can use leeks, scallions, shallots, traditional white onions, whatever! You can also mix and match, depending on your onion prefs.

3. Chop up some garlic. A couple of cloves or more.

4. Add the onions, garlic, and a couple of tablespoons of the oil of your choice to a stock pot. Turn on high and sautee a few minutes.

5. Add a conservative drizzle of blackstrap molasses. This helps get the process of carmelizing the onions going and gives the broth some dimension. Stir frequently for another couple of minutes.

6. Add a carton of your broth of choice and a bunch of other chopped up vegetables - about 4 cups' worth. Below you'll see zucchini, carrots, button mushrooms, and portabella mushrooms. Simmer for 20 minutes or so.

7. If you have a fresh herb to add, now is the time to add it (if you do it sooner you may run the risk of overcooking and missing the peak flavor). I threw a few big sprigs of fresh rosemary on top and let simmer for just a few minutes longer. This is also the time to add your protein so that it warms but does not overcook.

The rosemary makes for a cute little garnish if you're serving this to company.

But of course, then I just take it off and nom nom nom.