Basic Vegetable Soup -

2 c Water

1 c Tomato juice

2 Potatoes -- medium size

3 Carrots -- diced

1 sm Onion -- diced

2 Celery stalks -- diced

1/4 c Green peppers -- diced

1/2 c Green beans -- chopped

1/2 c Lima beans

1/2 c Corn

4 tb Margarine -- solid

1/4 ts Black pepper

1/2 ts Salt -- or to taste

6 cups liquid. You may mix chicken and beef broth (canned lowfat, not bouillon cubes) with water and tomato juice or vegetable juice cocktail to suit your tastes.

1. Melt 4 tablespoons margarine in skillet. Add the

chopped green peppers, carrots, celery and onion. Saute on low heat until vegetables are softened and onion browned lightly. Add this to the broth mixture which has been placed in a large, heavy pan with lid. 2. Add to this the potatoes, green beans, lima beans

45 minutes or until all the vegetables are done. Add the salt and pepper.

3. Remove about 2 cups of the mixture and put into blender. Puree this mixture and return to pot with rest of soup. Turn off heat and cover soup. Best if allowed to set for up to 1 hour to blend flavors. Since this is a basic recipe for soup, you can add the vegetables you prefer and follow the directions above to finish the soup. Some suggestions: Add bay leaf, shredded cabbage, chopped zucchini, diced turnips, fresh tomatoes, okra or parsley. For added nutrition, serve with a sprinkling of lowfat cheese on the hot soup. Also good sprinkled with toasted croutons. This stores very well in refrigerator and is actually improved with time. Recipe By : Jo Anne Merrill