Garden Vegetable Soup

Thanks to Kitchen Club Kids the boys and I have been spending more time in the kitchen together! All opinions are my own.

As the kids are getting older, I am finding that it is really important to get them into the kitchen while I am cooking. They have always wanted to be big helpers when I was cooking. But their helping was more dumping and stirring than actual cooking. 

And that’s not a bad thing! But as they get older, it’s time to start giving them more responsibilities in the kitchen. When Kids Kitchen Club reached out to me and asked if I would review their  award-winning children’s series focused on cooking and eating healthy, I jumped at the chance! 

Experts say one of the best ways to help children develop problem-solving skills is to cook together. It’s from this love of food, fun and sharing that Kitchen Club Kids was created. Focusing on basic counting, colors, food recognition and critical thinking, you can experience the lessons of the kitchen in any room of your home. Plus, each story introduces a real recipe that can be prepared in the kitchen by cooks of any caliber.

It’s been cold and rainy the past few days which means it’s the perfect time to make some soup! We grabbed our Garden Safari Vegetable Soup book and got to cooking! 

Garden Vegetable Soup

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Garden Vegetable Soup

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 small yellow onions, diced
• 3 small blue, or red potatoes, cubed
• 4 stalks of celery, sliced
• 5 carrots, peeled and diced
• 6 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced (or 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes)
• 7 cups of chicken broth
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 9 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil)
• 1 cup water
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add diced onions, celery, carrots, and potatoes. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the onions become transparent.
2. Add broth and diced tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Add brown rice. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until rice is tender.
3. Stir in chopped basil and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve hot with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and crusty bread!

The Kitchen Club Kids series was developed with the intent to help teach young kids (2-6 years old), basic counting, food and color recognition, while also working to develop their problem solving and critical thinking skills. Each book uses colorful illustrations that take kids and parents on a fun cooking adventure, introducing important cooking and counting fundamentals, while promoting healthy eating habits. At the end of each book, there is an easy-to-follow recipe that can be prepared by cooks of any caliber. So, beyond simply reading these books, preparing these recipes presents a great way for families to spend quality time together in and around the kitchen