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By some unwritten law, mothers all over the universe are supposed to find creative ways to connect their children with the healthy things in life. A quite efficient way of doing this is by pureeing any and all vegetables into a thick and nourishing soup and serving it daily. But kids are people too and serving the same soup day after day would never do. So I tried to be inventive. At first I made the regulars: tomato, zucchini and carrot, depending on which vegetables sold for cheap that day. But little by little I became more adventurous and began to mix in other vegetables I had on hand, sometimes even daring to “graft” yesterday’s leftover soup with today’s, resulting in an outstanding outcome.

There are quite a few advantages to serving soup as part of your meal. First of all, you can enjoy produce while at its peak. This usually means your main ingredient will not only be fresh and appealing but will have the most attractive price as well. Another economical option is to buy Grade B vegetables. “B” doesn’t necessarily mean “Bad.” What it does mean is non-superior produce which is just fine for your soup, keeping Grade A veggies for your fresh salads.

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And while you’re at it, why not make a large quantity to divide into portions and freeze for a “rainy day”? Most soups will still be good even two months later. Same goes for leftover soup – freeze in a bag or container for another time. And FYI, you don’t have to freeze the soup if you’re planning to use it again tomorrow or even the day after since it will keep for up to 4-5 days in the fridge (depending on how cold it is in there). And did you know that the flavor of soups like tomato and chickpeas (below) are actually enhanced when refrigerated overnight?

Soup could really be a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies on a daily basis, but most kids I know can’t stand “icky things” swimming around in their soup bowl. The solution? Just puree the vegetables and they won’t know what went in there!

We all know the rule “Input equals outcome” and you’ve probably noticed how important it is in cooking – if you want something to taste great, you gotta put your all into it! I learned how true this is when my finicky eaters would complain about some vegetable or other they didn’t want in their soup. Being a “people pleaser” (and hey, do we have a choice when it comes to our kids?!), I removed the offensive obstacles one by one, hoping the soup would be worthy of more “likes.” But what actually happened was the opposite!

Next time around, I made the soup when no one could see the vegetables I was chopping and simply returned to my original recipe. I made sure the kids would only see the pureed soup in their bowl. And voila! Everyone raved about how especially tasty the soup came out that day! Like I said, we moms need lots of creativity when preparing our meals…

Soup can be an elegant affair as well, so if you’re making a simcha at home, it’s a great idea – especially if you want to economize. Soup made from inexpensive peak-season vegetables will serve as a satisfying filler. This means you can cut the portion size of your pricey main course without the risk of your guests going home hungry.

Then, to add flair and sophistication for thick pureed soups, garnish each portion with roasted pumpkin seeds or pine nuts and your simcha will be of honorable mention.

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Mindy Rafalowitz is a recipe developer and food columnist for over 15 years. She has published a best selling cookbook in Hebrew for Pesach and the gluten sensitive. Mindy is making progress on another specialty cookbbok for English readers. For kitchen questions or to purchase a sample recipe booklet at an introductory price, contact Mindy at [email protected].