Bite Of Minnesota: Seven Vegetable Soup

As much as I don't want to admit it, the weather dictates a lot of what I do. It affects the way I dress, my daily schedule, my eating habits, and of course it affects my mood.

I spent the weekend in Bayfield, Wis. and the drive home was downright depressing. We started the drive with sunny blue skies, admiring the variety of colors in the fall leaves and reflecting on a fun wedding weekend of two close friends. A couple of hours into the drive home it started to rain, followed quickly by snow. Before we knew it, the colorful trees were gone and replaced by heavy branches of snow covered leaves. My sunglasses were tossed aside and I found myself reaching for a blanket to offer some warmth while muttering, "I am not ready for this."

Luckily the snow started to dissipate as we got closer to the Twin Cities, but according to the weather forecast, our turn for snow isn't too far away so it's time to get ready. Food wise, I've already started the transition with my fall canning adventures and now it's time for comfort foods like soups, stews, and casseroles. My small crop share ended recently but my fridge is still stocked with plenty of produce to use and a friend shared this veggie packed soup that is just perfect for this time of year.

Chock full of squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, celery, carrots, onion, and garlic, it's like a natural vitamin, and since everything gets pureed, it's a great soup for kids too. My friend's son ate several bowls and just loved it! My favorite ingredient in this recipe is nutritional yeast. It offers a cheesy and nutty flavor and is something I use regularly in gravy, on top of mac & cheese, as a popcorn topping, and even as a breading. It is found in the refrigerated bulk section of the co-op and looks like yellow flakes.

Don't try to substitute baking yeast -- it won't work. If you can't find nutritional yeast, leave it out.

I topped this soup with toasted pepitas to give it some additional protein. Feel free to use whatever toasted nuts you have on hand or serve it alongside a meal. Recipe can be found here on the Oh She Glows blog. I made it almost exactly as directed but added additional nutritional yeast and a little more veggie broth to thin it out a bit.