Refridgedeezer Soup

Inspired by a post over at Big Brass Blog and that for some people free space is needed in the chill zone, I present my ever-changing recipe for Refridgedeezer Soup. Ready in as little as 15 minutes, extremely tasty in 30.

I like to start with a chicken base and mine is found in the refrigerator. Minor's is my favorite and can be purchased in the spice section at Costco. I can use as little or as much as I need. it has less sodium than the others and upon rehydration solid pieces of meat and vegetable are present. In this recipe it is a base, its flavor is to blend not predominate. If you wanted chicken soup you should have roasted a chicken the day before, purchased some chicken feet and simmered those puppies up overnight.

After a gentle simmer has been achieved, check refrigerator for recent (within 3 days) leftovers such as vegetables, meat, beans, rice or pasta and add to broth and return to simmer. If you only have one or two veggies to add, open freezer and use a smattering of the different veggies you have in there. I also like to keep frozen chopped onions available for soups.

Open spice cabinet and use any combination type seasoning that matches your leftovers. Get creative. Taco seasoning will add a "mexican flavor" and italian seasoning will add ... you get the picture. I also like to add crushed red chiles to almost any soup, but that's just me. Don't forget the garlic. If you simmer for more than 30 minutes you can throw whole cloves in and they will be sweet at the end. At any time a can of tomatoes or tomato sauce, and a can of beans will add substance and flavor. Bring to a gentle simmer for as long as you can wait. Do not boil, it makes the veggies mushy and disperses fats throughout the soup, making it difficult to remove if necessary.

Grab bowl, wolf down. Smile. You cleaned out the fridge, got at least four servings of veggies with their nutrients and fiber for very little effort, and the fewest calories you're going to ingest until next year.

Save leftovers.