Winter Veggie Soup

It's fall and that means the beginning of cold and flu season. While I tend to stock up on wellness tablets, zinc, olive leaf, vitamin c and herbal tea, the best remedy for tummy, head and soul is soup – of the homemade variety. You can throw anything into this soup – beans, chicken and other veggies. This happens to be my favorite superfood combination.

Ingredients:

64 oz free-range, low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
2 parsnips, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
8 fingerling potatoes (purple if you can find them), chopped in thirds
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 T dried oregano
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 package frozen whole wheat cheese tortellini
1 cup red chard, roughly chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring 32 oz of the broth to a simmer over medium heat. Add all ingredients, except the tortellini and salt and pepper. Allow the veggies and seasonings to simmer in the broth until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Add more broth as needed, as the veggies soak it up and it evaporates. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning. Bring the mixture to a low boil and add the tortellini; cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Stir in the chard until slightly wilted. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan and crusty bread.