rainy day vegetable soup

happy national soup month (my only excuse for so many soup posts, i guess)! the skinny bovine's kitchen is a part of a new website/parenting forum called babble. i'm honored to be a part of it such a great group of bloggers (food and otherwise) and it really is a great resource for parents.

the folks at babble reminded me today that it's national soup month which fit perfectly with this soup i made last night for dinner. it's been so rainy all week here and i think i'm in good company with the rest of your westerners who are experiencing similar conditions. make this simple soup with a great loaf of homemade bread (i'll post the one i made soon) and you'll feel warm, toasty and satisfied in no time - for a ridiculously low-cal and low-budget dinner.

babble posted an article on soups for kids. here was my commenter's input on getting kids to like soup:
"a trick i used to get my 2 year old to like soup was to strain out the soupy part. then all that's left is the beans, noodles, mushy veggies, etc - all kid friendly and coated in a delicious broth that sooner or later they'll want to try too. i think soup can be intimidating for kids because it's hard to eat - so make it easy!"

and forgive me for no pictures - they turned out terrible for some reason!

rainy day vegetable soup
6 large servings

a dash of olive oil
1/3 of a medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
8 cups chicken broth
1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can french style sliced green beans
1 large or 2 small russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 zucchini, chopped
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 large pinch rosemary
1 large pinch thyme
a dash of black pepper
salt to taste

1. heat olive oil in large pot. add onions, garlic and carrots. cook until onions are soft - about 5 minutes.
2. add remaining ingredients, except zucchini. bring to a boil. reduce heat and cover, simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. add zucchini 5 minutes before serving.