Home Sweet Home (how to clear your fridge after weeks on the road)

I've been on the road for nearly 6 weeks now, on and off with short stints at home.  After a day trip to BC today I wanted nothing more than to spend the evening at home cooking and cleaning.  (Seriously, you take these things for granted after a while - my two unpacked suitcases, from two separate trips, have been nagging me from the corner of my room for the past week).

Since beginning this vegan journey most of my time has been on the road.  When I first returned home I was committed to cooking as much food as possible at home.  This began with a trip to Whole Foods Market to stock up on a fridge full of lovely organic veggies.

Fast forward 4 weeks and I am faced with a refrigerator full of produce that is about to spoil if I do not eat it TODAY.

What to do? Make Soup!

This is a trick from my college days, a time when nothing went to waste (scrambles made from leftovers was my specialty). It's quite simple really, look through your fridge, find flavors that compliment one another, add a few spices, a little broth (if you have it) tomato paste and water, set in the slow cooker and a few hours later you have a wonderful soup that will last for days on produce that you were ready to dispose of.

Tonight I pulled together a soup of: kale, zucchini, garlic, carrots, celery, and broccoli.  There are a few items I always keep on hand:  black beans, tomato paste, veggie broth, seasoning, and wild rice (or any wild grain will do).

Some veg items cook slower than others and therefore require a little cooking in advance (easily done in the microwave).

The Recipe
Nothing fancy - and no measuring (a general rule I like to follow) and since this is a clear-out-the-pantry/fridge type of dish, I won't even list the ingredients, but rather the process I follow when making the dish.

1. Look through the refrigerator - what must be cooked, what do you have, what do you enjoy in your soup/stew?
2. Look through the pantry - what do you have that can serve as a base?  A grain, a can of beans, a can of tomatoes? Pull those items out and place on your kitchen counter
3. Look through your spice rack - which seasonings do you enjoy?  Basil?  All purpose seasoning? Smell the seasonings and spices in your spice rack while looking at the ingredients you have pulled from the fridge, which one do you think will complement the dish the ingredients you are planning to cook?
4. Prep - cut all of your veggies to bite size pieces.  Separate the delicate items from the hearty ones (mushrooms cook fast and are delicate, carrots are slow and require extra time in the slow cooker)
5. Pre-cook Hearty Veggies - Carrots, Potatoes, and Root Veg will need additional cooking time.  I am impatient and prefer to precook these in the microwave.  An easy 2-3 minutes should be sufficient.
6. Throw everything in the slow cooker (including no more than a cup of grain), cover with water, add seasoning.
7. Let the slow cooker do all of the work and enjoy 2-4 hours later.

One batch will usually provide for multiple meals.  Enjoy now, save some for lunch tomorrow, and freeze anything you won't consume in the next 72 hours.