SLIMMING SUMMER VEGGIE SOUP

  Recently I have strongly craved for vegetables. Cooked ones for a change. This is the latest form I have eaten them in:

This was actually my breakfast today. =) I made it yesterday for dinner, and it was simply the fastest grab this morning.

Packed with flavor and fiber, but low in calories. This soup can virtually be made with any vegetables in season, so it is a good choice around the year. Here I used carrots and  red bell pepper (which I happened to have in the fridge) as main ingredients soaked in tomato-based broth.

  The recipe:

a kettle full of seasonal vegetables, chopped into bite-size pieces
(carrots, red bell pepper, celery ribs, zucchini, and spring onion in mine)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 quart/liter vegetable stock (I used 1 vegetable bouillon+water)
1 cup (2 dl) puréd canned tomatoes
fresh herbs (lovage and oregano in mine)
cayenne pepper, to taste
1-2 bay leaf(s)

+ Heat the oil in a big pan and lightly fry the vegetables in it, until just beginning to soften. Add the tomato puré and enough stock to cover the veggies. Stir in the bay leaf and cayenne pepper and let simmer until the veggies are al dente (a.k.a. nearly softened but still a bit crunchy). Remove from heat and add chopped fresh herbs.

  This summer veggie soup resembles the cabbage soup in cabbage soup diet in a way, that it can be eaten freely, as much as desired, all day long, without getting fat. But I went taste first, and the slimming effect was just a nice bonus to my soup. =)
  Makes a nice any-time-of-day meal with wholemeal bread, pasta, or brown rice!