A little of this, a little of that.

When the temperature drops, it's time for soup. Only one little flaw with this plan-today it was 80 degrees. Never mind that. Gabe has been rambling on about vegetable soup for days now and this seemed as good a night as any.
I love soup, I really do. I even love to make it. The problem is that when you are a carnivore married to a vegetarian, it is often difficult to find recipes that please both palettes. So I made up this pleasingly simple, quite hearty and rather quick-cooking recipe.

a satisfied customer - hope he'll be as satisfied tomorrow night, and the next- this makes a lot of soup!

Simple Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

1 medium onion, thickly sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 can whole, peeled tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped
2 small gold or red potatoes, chopped
3/4 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
2 small zucchini
1 yellow squash
any other veggies you like
1.5 t dried thyme
a pinch of red pepper flakes
2 T balsamic vinegar
a few dashes of Tabasco
1 32 oz carton, plus 1 14 oz. can of organic vegetable broth (of course you could make this yourself!)
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Saute the onions in olive oil over medium heat for about 7 minutes, until soft and a bit caramelized. Add the garlic and saute about 1-2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and carrots and raise the flame to medium-high. Add the thyme, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 4 minutes just to give the carrots a head start. Add the rest of the vegetables and the broth and simmer at a lower heat until the potatoes and carrots are cooked through. Add the vinegar and adjust seasonings as necessary. Serve with a few dashes of Tabasco. Mmmm.