Low calorie Vegetable soup

• 1 cup carrot, sliced
• 1 cup celery, sliced
• 1 cup zucchini, sliced
• 3 cups pumpkin, small diced
• 12 cup onion, chopped
• 1 -2 teaspoon garlic, crushed
• 12 cup dried soup mix (barley/split peas etc)
• 2 teaspoons vegetable stock powder (or to taste)
• 6 cups water
• salt and pepper

1. Soak the dried soup mix in water overnight, or several hours.
2. Drain away the water and rinse.
3. This cuts down the cooking time and removes the'gasiness' from the dried mix!
4. Chop up all the vegetables.
5. In a large non-stick pot cook the onions and garlic until softened.
6. Add all of the vegetables and cook stirring for about 5 minutes.
7. Add all of the water, soup mix and stock powder.
8. Simmer for about 40 minutes.
9. Time can be more or less depending on how small you diced your vegetables or how long you soaked your soup mix, or just how mushy you want the vegetables!
10. So check regulary until done to your liking.
11. Season to taste.
12. If you like your soup a big thicker just mash some of the vegetables with a potato masher (I do it right in the pot) or put a stick blender in there for a few seconds.
13. This soup freezes very well and the recipe is easily doubled or tripled.
14. I make a batch of this on weekends and freeze in individual portions to eat for lunch during the week.
15. Reheat from frozen for 5 minutes in the microwave, stirring once.

carrot, celery, zucchini, pumpkin, onion, garlic, dried soup mix, vegetable stock powder, water, salt

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/low-calorie-vegetable-soup-69570 (may not work)