ZUPPA TOSCANA RECIPE
This soup was delicious beyond expectations. It's a healthy version of a soup that is very popular at Olive Garden restaurants. My son, daughter-in-law, and daughter have been enjoying it for over a year and have been encouraging me to make it. The finished product picture below is my daughter's...too pretty not to use it!
You can find the original recipe at “Ciao Florentina” blog: Vegetarian Zuppa Toscana Soup
This soup is so good, it deserves herbs/spices that have not expired. If needed you can buy small amounts of herbs/spices at the Good Foods Co-op in Lexington in the bulk section. They might seem expensive when you look at the price per pound but when you buy a teaspoon of something it is pennies! Fear not!
See the end of the picture section for a PowerPoint slide about the difference between herbs and spices.
Here are a couple of short videos by Dr. Michael Greger about plant-based meat substitutes:
What I did differently and clarifications:
-Did not use vegan sausage. Instead used 1 pound baby bella mushrooms, chopped
-My potatoes were Russet, steamed to soften a bit, then peeled and chopped
-My onion, once chopped, measured 1 cup
-I was gifted some homemade salt free vegetable stock from my daughter so used that
-Did not add wine or olive oil
-Used 1 tsp dried thyme instead of the fresh sprigs
-Instead of fennel seeds used 1/8 tsp ground fennel seeds
-Reduced red chili flakes to 1/2 tsp
-Used 12 oz bag frozen spinach instead of fresh greens since what I had on hand
-Only used 1/2 batch of cashew cream to lower the fat calories
-On stovetop dry sautéed mushrooms and onions with red pepper flakes. After the mushrooms had released much of their water, added garlic and cooked a minute longer. Added spices then potatoes, then stock. Added nutritional yeast (and the fennel which I had forgotten to add previously). Added the frozen spinach when potatoes were fully cooked and once heated, added the cashew cream.
-Let people add desired salt and pepper to their own bowls
