Savoy Cabbage and Root Vegetable Soup

It has been so long since I posted a new recipe that I bet you wondered if I had abandoned this blog.  No abandonment....just some set-backs with my own health (hepatic encephalopathy) and neck surgery for my husband.  But all seems to be getting back to normal.  For a few days after Tom's surgery, he was not able to eat solid foods without pain.  Ah....he discovered the joy of  my pureed soups in the freezer.  He particularly liked the sweet potato and kale soup, which is the same as the Sweet Potato and Swiss Chard soup except that it uses kale rather than Swiss Chard. He also appreciated the Super Soft Turkey Meatloaf, which I made with almond milk this time.

This soup is my own creation based on what I needed to use from the garden supply, which was an abundance of savoy cabbage, leeks, parsnips and a variety of carrots.  I used white, rather than orange, carrots so it wouldn't turn the soup brown when mixed with the green cabbage. 

When Tom pulled carrots from the garden, he discovered some pairs of white and orange carrots hugging around one another.  Carrot love.   

It was hard to know which photos to include on this post.  I think the green savoy cabbage is quite beautiful, with it's dimply green leaves.   I become as excited about taking photos of vegetables as others do of flowers.  

To create this soup, I simply sauteed the chopped leeks, carrots, and parsnips in coconut oil first, then added the savoy cabbage and vegetable broth.  I anticipated needing to add spice of some kind, but was captivated by the simple earthy taste of this soup that highlighted the goodness of each of the root vegetables.  Our son, Caleb, suggested that a small amount of celery seed might be a good addition, and I did, indeed, like it. Pzazz!

Savoy Cabbage growing in the garden

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1 3/4 cup chopped leeks
1 cup peeled & chopped white carrot
1 cup peeled & chopped parsnips
3 1/2 cups shredded savoy cabbage
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
Celery seed (optional)

Abundant harvest of parsnips, leeks, carrots, savoy and red cabbage

Savoy cabbage, leeks, white carrots, and a big hefty parsnip

Preparation:
Heat oil in medium sized saucepan. Add leeks, carrots, and parsnips and saute about 10 minutes until just starting to get tender. Add the shredded cabbage and the broth ((I used Pacific Natural Foods Organic Low Sodium Vegetable broth), and simmer till the cabbage is tender. If using, add a dash of celery seed. Puree with an immersion blender in a 4-cup Pyrex glass container. Serve and eat with Pzazz!!

Cut Savoy and Red Cabbage

Nutrition per serving:
Servings per recipe: 3
Serving Size: 1 1/3  cup
Calories: 141
Total Fat:  2 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 254 mg
Total Carbs:  29 g
Dietary Fiber: 8 g
Protein: 4 g