wednesday nights are a bit tricky : the challenge is feeding the whole family a nourishing meal that can be as tasty + fresh + the right temperature/texture when some of us dine at 5 (before soccer) while the rest of us don't dig in until several hours later. last week we enjoyed foil-parcels-of-yum (so much so that we had them again earlier this week - salmon this time, oh yum!). this week's fare was inspired by the cool breeze and sunshine on this almost-Fall day... soup. and not just any soup, it was a day for what is now officially termed supersoup ::


into the roasting pan went onions, leeks, zucchini, parsnips, carrots, celery, garlic, tomatoes, potato and an acorn squash. that's 10 vegetables, people - super, indeed. toss with a hearty drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, salt + pepper and into the oven for 45 minutes on 400. out it came and into the soup pot with about 4 cups of chicken stock (vegetable stock would have been wonderful, as well). it simmered for about 1/2 hour, gave it a quick whiz with the immersion blender and dinner was served! we ate it topped with a sizeable round of chevre (yum!) and a hunk of fresh baguette.

one of the girls licked the bowl of roasted vegetable goodness clean and subsequently tore up the soccer field. and then there's her sister, who - despite being little miss veggie lover - only ate a few spoonfuls. and reluctantly, at that. the goat cheese + bread disappeared of course, but a bowlful of soup remained on the table as we headed out to practice. and manno, was she dragging the entire time. and she knew it, informing me afterwards that next week she'll eat up her whole bowl of super + soup so she can keep up with the team.
all in all, i declare yet another meal challenge met. now to ponder what next wednesday will bring... and who will eat it. xoxo