Vegetable beef soup with V-8 juice

I think that cooking is similar to coaching because both are concerned with finding the right combination of ingredients to nurture and feed you. In the case of soup, it's to nourish your body. In coaching, it's to create a life and business that makes you feel nourished in every way. This is one of the soups that helped me garner the title, soup whisperer. 

So many of the ingredients in this recipe are interchangeable, but here's something I've learned about vegetable soup. The one thing I never put in the pot is a white potato because if I refrigerate or freeze it, the potatoes taste funny to me. What I use instead is a white turnip, and no one ever knows. They have the texture of a potato without the mushiness or refrigerated taste that bother some people.

I also have a few other secret ingredients, so let's get started, and I'll give you all the details.

Course: Soup/Main Dish
Preparation time: 15-30 minutes
Cooking time: Varies

Ingredients

2-3 tbs of olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 oz baby carrots, sliced

4 oz of celery, diced

Chopped garlic, measured with your heart, or 1-2 cloves if you're a newbie (in the video, I use garlic confit that I make myself)

1 small head of cabbage, diced or substitute1 or 2 - 12 ounce package(s) of cole slaw mix

1 bunch of kale (any type) ribs removed and chopped

1 large or 2 small turnips, diced

64 oz of V-8 juice

1-15 oz can of petite diced tomatoes (substitute crushed or pureed tomatoes)

32 oz of Beef Broth (if you want extra protein, you can add in or use bone broth instead)

1-2 tbs Worcestershire Sauce

1 heaping tablespoon of Beef flavored Better than Bouillon

1 rutabaga, diced (can substitute a sweet potato or leave out all together)

Beef bones or oxtails (optional - adds collagen and extra flavor)

1-2 pounds of stew meat, diced (can substitute ground beef, and/or ground sausage)

1 teaspoon to one tablespoon each of onion powder, garlic powder and ground pepper to taste

Frozen green beans

Frozen peas

Tools

Stock Pot - I like this one even better than the one I have because of the glass lid - https://amzn.to/46JmEp3 

Deli containers for freezing - https://amzn.to/3VUetjw 

Labels and label maker so you know what you made and when you froze it - https://amzn.to/492kq5s 

Directions

Heat 2-3 tbs of olive oil to the stock pot on medium heat until the oil shimmers.

Add your onions, carrots and celery and saute for 2-3 minutes. 

Then add your garlic, stirring to incorporate and cook for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. 

Next add the chopped cabbage or cole slaw mix, stir and let that cook down for a minute or two.

When the cabbage begins to wilt, add the kale and stir to combine.

Add each of the other ingredients except the green beans and peas, unless you're using fresh green beans. If you are using fresh, add them now. 

Otherwise, onion powder, garlic powder and ground pepper and give the soup a mix before putting the lid on the pot and cooking the soup on medium until the stew meat is tender.

Add the frozen green beans and peas and cook for another 15-30 minutes until the green beans are to your liking.

Notes

 I have found that this soup comes together so much better when you start by chopping all of your vegetables first, but here's a secret. I love using fresh vegetable because they are more affordable and feel like they're full of life to me, but if you prefer frozen, do what works for you. I wouldn't necessarily recommend canned vegetables because of the salt content and they could turn to mush, but if that's all you have, use them. I would suggest that you rinse them first, though to help with the sodium level.