Anytime Vegetable Soup

Up until today, the weather in our southern town has been uncommonly warm. But today is rainy and cool. Predictions are that the temp will only reach about 58 degrees. I know...in some places, 58 degrees sounds positively balmy, but not here in the south.

The minute the weather turns cool, we're ready at our house to drag out the soup recipes. The following one is versatile and diet-friendly. For those who prefer a heartier soup, just add potatoes or macaroni. For those who don't like cabbage, or mushrooms, or any of the other ingredients, leave them out. Without potatoes or macaroni, the calories in this soup are negligible.

Anytime Vegetable Soup

1 46-ounce can tomato juice
46 ounces water
6 envelopes beef bouillon
1 celery stick, cut up
1 4-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained
2 cups shredded cabbage
3 zucchini, sliced
1 cup canned cut green beans, drained
4 carrots, peeled and chunked (or equivalent of baby carrots)
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped, or equivalent of garlic in a jar
Salt and pepper to taste

Put everything in a large pot, cover and cook until vegetables are tender (we like to simmer it about an hour). About 20 to 30 minutes before soup is done, season with 1 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. basil, and 1 tsp. oregano. This soup improves with age.