Minestrone

Happy Veteran's Day!

Both my parents were in the military. I remember growing up and my father wearing his uniform. My father had made it a career so we lived all over from Guam and Hawaii to Virginia. Since they served in the Navy, my father told me to join the Air Force. I'm glad I did for many reasons. To this day, I still keep in touch with several service members. I wanted to take a moment to Thank all my fellow Veterans out there and our military members who are still currently serving. It is a tough life. 

Thank you!

I normally do not post two soup recipes in a row but I am cold lately. My oldest daughter is even wearing a coat lately. When there is snow on the ground and it is February, I will have to remind her about her coat but not now. I guess she has to become immune to it once again. The best thing about soups are they normally can be a healthy alternative. I really like soups with lots of vegetables so this is a great pick. This is a great recipe to keep our Veteran's healthy!

Minestrone Soup
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
2 (28 oz.) can fire roasted tomatoes
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can low sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup elbow pasta
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
2. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the celery and carrots. Cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the green beans, dried oregano and dried basil. Salt and Pepper to taste. Cook for 3 minutes.
6. Add the fire roasted tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
7. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Stir in the kidney beans and pasta. Cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked to the al dente or desired texture.
9. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with fresh basil if desired.

 Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger from Food Network.
(If I had planned it right, I should have served a recipe by Sunny Anderson since she is also an Air Force Veteran.)

Did you already know...
-The Veteran's Day National Ceremony is held every year on November 11th at Arlington National Ceremony and it commences with laying a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns at precisely at 11:00 am.
-There are over 23 million Veterans in the United States.
-"1.8 million veterans are women." according to History Channel.