Back from adventures and Minestrone Soup.

Well, I have been back in the land of Oz for a wonderful week and a half. Jet lag was a killer and my stomach had a few bumps handling some of the food. In certain parts of Europe, much of the food was incredibly rich and intense. My diet here is usually full of fresh foods. Hence, my stomach hated me for quite a while towards the end of the trip. Seriously, just the thought of tinned asparagus makes me want to barf... but anyway.

I had an amazing time. We drank a lot of beautiful cider (which, I'm sure my stomach also now hates me for) and met up with so many friends. We saw their hometowns and went to weddings. I felt so blessed to be surrounded by such love and have the opportunity to explore everyday.

I hardly slept on the way home, save for half an hour at Singapore airport. On both flights, I had one of those seats in the middle of the plane where you are super crammed in. I was honestly thinking that maybe it is worth the extra few thousand dollars and buying a business class ticket just to save my sanity and my sore body. I think I am still getting over the jet lag. I am still so exhausted.

So... how to fix that?
A big, kick arse bowl of vegetables and warm broth. Yum!

This recipe can be modified to cook in a slow cooker or a pressure cooker. Have a play and see what you come up with.

Serves: 6
Time: Ten minutes prep and forty or so to cook.

Ingredients:

• One Tablespoon of olive oil.
• Two sticks  of celery, diced.
• One carrot, diced.
• One onion, diced.
• A handful of kale or other leafy green, stalks removed and leaves shredded. 
• One zucchini, diced.
• One potato, diced.
• Three tablespoons of tomato paste.
• Eight cups (Two litres) of vegetable stock.
• Half a cup of pasta (whatever you have in the cupboard is fine. Make sure it's egg free.)
• Quarter of a cup of dried yellow split peas.
• One teaspoon of dried basil.
• One teaspoon of dried oregano.
• One bay leaf.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• It seems I forgot to add any garlic. If I were you, I'd add as much as you can handle. :)

Method:

Place the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the vegetables and stir to coat the veggies with the oil. 

Add the stock, the paste, the pasta, the peas and the herbs.

Mix well to combine. 

Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for about forty minutes or until the peas are cooked. 

Serve with toasted soldiers and eat with a blanket on your lap.