Last week it was 'ocean' week here in my house, and this week we're going with the theme of plants! In doing so, I decided to throw a LOT more veggies and vegetarian dishes into the mix this week. We always have a couple of vegetarian dishes every week, for health reasons, cutting the cost of food, and also because it just makes me feel better all around.

I could easily be a vegetarian. In fact, my daughter was basically a vegetarian of her own accord up until she was about 5 years old. Meat just wasn't something she was a fan of. And I can't say that I was far off from that myself with I was a little girl too.

Ready for a true side story about myself? My parents used to have to tell me that meat came from a meat tree when I was little to get me to eat it!

This Garden Vegetable Soup is exactly what it sounds like; a bunch of vegetables found is almost any garden that are chopped up and cooked low together to make one delicious soup. In fact, this soup is so delicious that my brother just about ate 3 whole servings all on his own. His opinion on my vegetarian dishes always means a lot since... he's the only one in the family that has been (and hopefully will be again) a vegetarian.

I love that this soup is also ridiculously easy to make. It's perfect for busy nights and also for kids helping out in the kitchen! My little girl is 8 years old and I've got her a set of plastic 'chef knives' that she uses often times to help me along with recipes just like this one.

Originally, wasn't so sure about added the cheese into the soup here, but honestly I ended up enjoying it quite a bit! The cheese adds another layer of flavor and texture and reminds me a lot of Swamp Soup. Just... a more Spring/Summer take on it.

Step-by-Step Photos:

Nutritional Claims: Vegetarian, Wheat Free, Egg Free, Peanut Free, Tree Nut Free, Soy Free, Fish Free, Shellfish Free, Sesame Free, Kosher