The carrots, celery, broccoli needed paying attention to so I thought I’d throw the whole bunch into a pot and make a soup.

Ingredients:

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

3 tbs olive oil

3 medium carrots

3 stalks of celery, peeled

1 bunch of broccoli (but two might be better, if not for colour alone)

3 new potatoes, medium, peeled

1 litre of veggie stalk

2 cups water, boiled

*1/4 cup cooked green lentils if desired

squeeze of fresh lemon

pinch of dried oregano, marjoram, basil

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil and add chopped onions and garlic.  Separate the broccoli florets from the stalk and set aside.  Peel the stalk and cut into 1/2 inch pieces.  Add carrots, celery and broccoli stalks, cook for about 3 minutes.  Add potatoes, cook for a couple of minutes then add oregano, marjoram, basil, salt and pepper, stir till spices coat everything.

Add about 1 cup of veggie broth and stir, bringing almost to a boil.  Then add the rest of the veggie stalk and the two cups of water (I use boiled water).

Bring to a boil then immediately turn down to low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or as long as it takes to cook the veggies (don’t overdo).

From the broccoli florets, separate out a handful of mini-florets and keep them aside.  After veggies are cooked through, add the large broccoli florets and simmer for a few more minutes until the florets are cooked but not limp.

Pour the broth into a blender and puree until smooth (don’t overfill the blender because if it overflows you’ll have hot soup all over your kitchen – do it in batches).

*if you want lentils, you’d add them here

Put puree back in pot on low and add the mini florets.  After a few minutes add the lemon, stir, and then it’s ready to serve.