I admit it - I love soup. I could eat it even on hot days. I could eat it three meals a day. I often have soup for breakfast. Strange, I know. I get that a lot.

So today - it’s coldish and raining. The rain droplets feel cold on my face. All I can think about is how I want soup. I have some mushroom soup and tomato soup in the fridge and I think that sounds like a very pleasant snack.

My favorite soup is Avgolemono - or Greek Egg and Lemon Soup. But I also love Vegetable Soup because it’s easy to make and I always have the ingredients on hand.

Simple Veggie Soup

Just add the following to a soup pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 45 minutes.

1 can crushed or diced tomatoes

Water (I just fill the tomato can after I put the tomatoes in a pot)

4-6 cups of broth (I use beef or chicken)

Chopped veggies (about 4 cups) like carrots, celerey, onions, brussels sprouts, broccoli, etc

If I decide to add past, I add it after I simmer the soup for 45 minutes and then let the soup cook for another ten minutes until the past is tender. You can also add kidney beans or chickpeas or other legume. I use the canned version and add it with the vegetables.

We’ve been blessed with sunny weather up until this week. Now it’s raining, and cold. I finally get to wear my new sweater from Christmas (70 degree days don’t inspire that kind of wardrobe) and I found a soup recipe I’ve been excited to try all day.

That got me thinking about soup. If I had my way, I’d have soup three meals a day. A big enough bowl with the right ingredients can be a great low calorie, well balanced meal. And anyone who’s been on a weight loss plan knows that soup can be your greatest ally. A broth based cup of soup before a meal can help cut your calorie intake.

The soup I am going to try is a healthier version of the classis split pea soup. I found it in the Winter 2009 edition of Clean Eating Magazine, one of my favorite publications at the moment. Clean eating is all about eating good, healthy food and dropping pounds or maintaining your weight while you do.

Beware, this recipe won’t have exact measurements. I don’t believe that soup really should. The concept of a soup is to throw stuff in a pot and simmer it for an hour. You can play with the ingredients. For example, you can make curried chicken soup or chicken tomato soup. Anything goes!

My recipe is rather simple. I roasted a chicken this weekend. After we were done eating it, I took all the chicken off the bones, threw the bones in a pot, filled the pot with water, added salt and pepper, and brought the water to a boil. I then simmered it for an hour, let it cool down, and then put it into containers.

That wonderful stock will be the basis to my soup, as is the leftover chicken. I am going to put some of the stock in a pot, the leftover chicken, and add onion powder, fresh chopped parsley leaves, garlic powder, basil, salt, pepper, and some kind of small pasta. I’ll simmer that for an hour and voila, I made soup!

If I felt like it I could chop some veggies like carrots and celery and add whichever ingredients I want - but this is my basic recipe and one I thought I’d share. I think everyone needs to try cooking without measuring at least once in their lives.