Tomato, Onion, Cabbage & Asparagus Soup

"Leftovers in their less visible form are called memories.  Stored in the refrigerator of the mind and the cupboard of the heart."

 - Thomas Fuller

Peace and healthy wishes to one and all!  May we place our differences aside and begin to learn acceptance of diversity.  Wouldn't this be a most wonderful planet if we all worked together, ended senseless hate, and worked for the common goal of improving this place we call Earth?

Tomato, Onion, Cabbage & Asparagus Soup

Note:  I apologize for the picture above but this was a last minute post ideal.  It was the last remaining bowl of the soup and I quickly shot the pic during my lunch at the office today.

Okay... First and foremost I probably should not have titled this blog as "Tomato, Onion, Cabbage & Asparagus Soup".  A more accurate description would perhaps be "Leftover Soup".  That's the crux of this post.  What to do with aging vegetables and otherwise leftover vegetable pieces?

Tiffany and I found ourselves with 1/4 head of purple cabbage, a couple of aging tomatoes and asparagus pieces resulting from the picking & cooking process.  You know, those 1" to 2" pieces of asparagus left over when you snap the fresh from the whole asparagus.  You're supposed to toss these pieces out with the compost but it's nutritious and quite edible provided you process them.

Diced tomato, onion, red cabbage and asparagus ends.

As we sat on our back porch relaxing over the weekend, I cranked up the gas grill and cooked these leftover parts and pieces in an aluminum pan.  Afterwards, they were frozen for another time.  Guess what?   That "other time" quickly arrived.  I've got 1/2 can of crushed tomatoes in the refrigerator that also needs to be addressed.

Mmm... grilled vegetables

Yes, you've got it...  It's time for Chucky to think outside that culinary box.  A little bit of this and an little bit of that later I found myself staring at a most delicious batch of "Tomato, Onion, Cabbage & Asparagus Soup".

INGREDIENTS:

• Left-over fresh vegetables, your choice of what is available and reasonable for making soup.
• 2 cups vegan-based broth
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Round up and dice left-over vegetables.  Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Cook on high heat until vegetables are thoroughly cooked and slightly charred.  Use immediately or freeze for later date.
2. Blend grilled vegetables until smooth.
3. Pour blended grilled vegetables into medium sauce pan.  Add vegan broth and crushed tomatoes.
4. Add dried basil and oregano, stir, bring to boil and reduce to simmer.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Allow to cook for at least 15- to 20-minutes allowing flavors to meld and spices to do their job.
6. Serve and enjoy.

What have we learned here?  Instead of waiting for food to spoil, why not simply anticipate its demise and put it to good use.  Grill it and freeze it as a soup component.  When the time arrives that you retrieve it from the freezer and make the soup.  You will be so justly rewarded!

Hi-dee hi-dee minimize-your-waste-and-stop-composting-nutrition-ho my friend.

Recipe