Root Veggie & Rice Soup

It's been cold and snowy in southeast Michigan, the perfect weather for soups and stews! One of my very favorite soup cookbooks is Twelve Months of Monastery Soups and last week, we had a simple, delicious soup from the December section. I barely tweaked it. It's officially called "A Hermit's Soup" but since we ate it together, I am calling it "Root Veggie & Rice Soup" in our household.

Here's how to make it:

1 potato

1 turnip

Half a small cabbage

2 carrots

1 onion

3 tbsp. olive oil

1/3 c. rice

2 quarts water or stock (I added a couple Knorr chicken bouillon cubes)

Salt, pepper, & a pinch of thyme

Cut all of the veggies into tiny pieces. I sliced the cabbage very thinly and cut everything else into fine dice. Sauté the veggies for a few minutes in the oil. Add the rice & water. Stir well and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for an hour. Add seasonings just before serving and stir well.

I served this with crusty farm bread and a fruit salad of Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples, oranges, and chopped-up dates, tossed with a dressing of equal parts lemon juice and olive oil.