Market Mondays: Vegetable Soup

November 16th was the end of the Chelsea CSA's 2010 season. Less than 3 weeks later, I find myself craving the CSA's weekly fruit and vegetable delivery. As a result, I made a personal vow to introduce "Market Mondays" into my weekly regimen by shopping at the Union Square Farmer's Market and incorporating its wealth of healthy, seasonal ingredients into Monday nights' meals.

For my first go at a Market Monday dinner, I picked up yellow and orange carrots, butternut squash, potatoes, spinach, and pinto beans; the perfect ingredients for a wintery soup (it's been freezing in NYC). I sautéed carrots with salt, pepper, celery and shallots, and once tender, added chicken stock. I threw in diced potatoes and butternut squash, pinto beans (having previously soaked them for 2 hours), thyme, and a can of Trader Joe's fire roasted tomatoes. After bringing the soup to a boil, I covered it and left it to simmer for approximately 35 minutes, added torn spinach leaves and anci de pepe, let it cook for another 15 minutes- give or take, and finished it with grated parmesan, salt, and pepper.

A large bag of pinto beans is $4 at the Union Square Farmer's Market
The season's best- butternut squash, potatoes and spinach
Yellow and orange carrots
The start of the vegetable soup- carrots, shallots and celery sweating in oil
Simmering- with spinach leaves, carrots and butternut squash floating on top
The final heart-healthy soup, served with not so heart-healthy parmesan cheese and buttered bread