Day 353- Beef Vegetable Soup

Isn't funny how certain tastes and smells can bring back strong memories? There aren't very many dishes that remind me of my grandma, but her vegetable soup was one of them; well that and the rock hard brownies she always made that everyone for some reason always seemed to love.

Her soup is probably something that no one will ever be able to recreate in it's entirety, but I have a feeling that many of us will continue to try. The soup outside from the warm and cozy house that it was originally served in is irreplaceable, hence so is the most important ingredient in her soup.

I do have to commend myself on my first attempt. It may not be exactly as I remember, but it was close enough for me.

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 bag of shredded cabbage, or 1 head of cabbage diced
• 2 cups of diced carrots
• 1 onion sliced
• 1 carton of organic free-range chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 1 pound of 100% grass-fed ground beef
• 1 can of diced tomatoes, or about 2 cups of fresh diced tomatoes
• 1 bunch of celery, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon of dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

Directions:

1. In a crock pot add the ground beef, chicken stock, carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes.
2. Cook for for about 8 hours on medium heat
3. Add the cabbage, tomatoes, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper
4. Cook for an additional 1-2 hours or until all vegetables are tender

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP