Recipe time!

(Photo courtesy of someone at the All Local Farmers Market, where I bought most of the fixin's for the soup)

So I invented a recipe this week, and not to toot my own horn, but it turned out delicious! I wanted to write it down so I don't forget it, and I figure, hey, why not share it with my friends in blog-world!

This soup is like spooning Autumn into your mouth; it's quick, easy, and loaded with nutrient-rich seasonal veggies.

Ingredients:

-3 cartons of organic, free-range chicken broth
-1 cooked rotisserie chicken
-1/2 an onion
-2 tablespoons minced garlic
-1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced
-1/2 of a large eggplant
-3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
-1 can great northern beans
-1 cup orzo
-Lotso' pepper and salt to taste
-A dash each of ginger and nutmeg
(I also threw in some finely chopped snow pea sprouts for color and yumminess, but those might be harder to find.)

Now I come from a family that makes chicken soup the old fashioned way; an entire chicken simmering in a pot allllllll day long to make the stock, noodles made from scratch, the works. And it's amazing. But sometimes I just don't have the time for all that mess yo!

Cheaters version? Buy chicken broth, bring to a boil, and throw a pre-cooked deli chicken, all your veggies, and some orzo in for about an hour. Done and done. And still delicious.