Instead of going from zero to 60 in no time flat, we’ve gone from the 90s to 60s in less than a week. I’m talking temperature.

Just last week I was panting at my desk and now I’m stepping outside for a spot of sun every time my fingers freeze up at the keyboard.

I have to confess that I’ve been eating nothing but salads, raw tomatoes, cheese, fruit, bread, and sometimes leftovers for lunch lately. But now I want soup. The hot weather had gotten me a little out of the habit of hauling out the big stock pots and turning on the stove, so in truth, I’m feeling a little lazy.

But I still want soup. And I want it homemade. I just want it to be easy and streamlined. As a way to ease into soup making season, I’ve hit up some of my favorite food blogs for three simple soup recipes, each with very few ingredients, to get you back into the soup-making swing of things.

From 101 Cookbooks, we’ve got a warming (and vegetarian) red lentil soup recipe. The addition of brown rice makes it a complete meal.

Here’s a recipe for Barley Beans and Chard Soup from The Dinner Files that can be made vegetarian or not, depending on the stock you use. I bet you have most of these ingredients on hand already. I often make a similar soup with rice (in case you don’t have the barley).

My favorite dry-farmed potato vendor is back at my local farmers’ market. Cooking with Amy provides us with the simplest ever Potato Leek Soup. She’s right, the less you fuss with additional ingredients the better.

Image: Claire L Evans

The post Time to Kick Off Soup Making Season appeared first on EcoSalon.