[Lightened Up] Winter Vegetable Bisque

Did you think I forgot about you? I know, it's been a few minutes since I've been posting here at A Squared...

Well, check another off another box on the list of parental milestones: Baby's (and parents') first stomach bug. We'd been pretty fortunate with Hannah in the health department until two weeks ago when one morning last week when she woke up sick from what seemed like out of nowhere. I spent two days home from work trying to get her to eat and laundering and disinfecting everything in our house, only to fall victim myself the following weekend. Alex followed a few hours later, so as you might imagine there was some truly stellar parenting happening on that Sunday. Thank goodness for Babysongs DVDs and the fact that Hannah is not super mobile yet!

So, I've been a little preoccupied with getting my family well again and with catching up on all of the chores that piled up while we were all recovering. And I'm a bit behind on posts. But, I'm back today with a healthy and delicious soup recipe-- perfect for the winter blues and also for recovering from the stomach bug or whatever else might ail you. I actually made a big batch of this soup at the beginning of the year so that I could have something healthy and at the ready to pack in my lunches as I jumpstart my new year diet.

This soup is filled with vegetables. It has wonderful flavor and a hearty consistency. That brothy quality of a standard vegetable soup always feels a bit lacking to me, so I love the velvety texture of this one-- and that texture comes almost completely from pureed vegetables with just a little bit of plain Greek yogurt stirred in at the end of the cooking process. This combination of vegetables has a lot of depth too. You could sub in other veggies that you like, but there is a nice balance here of sweetness from the carrots and sweet potatoes with that almost licorice-like bit of the parsnip and celery. And the cauliflower is mild, but gives great body to the soup-- almost like what you'd find in a a creamy potato soup or chowder. Add in some fresh lemon and herbs for some brightness and this is a healthy hearty soup that you are sure to love in this dreary winter months!


Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, quartered
• 7 cups low sodium fat free chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 1/4 cup celery, diced
• 1-1/2 cups cauliflower, chopped
• 3/4 cup sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 4-6 fresh sage leaves
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and saute for another 2 minutes, stirring so it doesn't burn. Pour in the stock and the remaining ingredients through salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, simmering for 25-30 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

Remove the pot from heat. Use an immersion blender or standard blender to carefully puree the mixture until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice and yogurt. Season with more salt and pepper, to taste.

Garnish with a little grated cheese, toasted nuts or seeds, fresh herbs, or croutons and enjoy!

Editor's Note: Recipe inspired by this soup recipe by Bethenny Frankel.