A broke girl's gotta go cheap.

Cat break!

My precious darlings, Ena (left) and Teto. It seemed like baby Teto had to follow his big sister's lead and try to become one with nature.

I was spending the day reading To Kill a Mockingbird - I recently got a new job in St. Johns County, and that is part of the summer reading requirement. I was unsure if I even wanted to cook. As the day wound down, I figured I should, and recognized the need to use things I already had at home. I knew I had a lot of canned tomatoes (which I use like CRAZY, and my father recently donated some to my pantry.) I knew I had bulgur (which I love, and is good for you too.) A quick search brought up a recipe from Whole Foods - but I wasn't sure I wanted the cinnamon in my soup. I decided to go with this recipe instead, but retained the ground coriander from the Whole Foods recipe. I liked that the second added white wine (a favorite flavor-adder of mine), and celery, which always increases flavor and crunch. I only had to buy celery and vegetable broth. Oh, and I got some Kombucha, a drink that always makes me feel energized and clean. Which I probably shouldn't have gotten, since I'm so broke. Oh well.

See second link for exact measurements.

First, I sauteed the onion, celery, and garlic in oil until softened:

Then added the white wine. After a minute, in went the tomatoes, thyme, and 1/2 tsp. of coriander (that isn't listed in the recipe. I retained it from the WF recipe.) This I cooked for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, I still had squash and yum-yum peppers. I decided to roast them, after tossing with oil, fresh oregano, salt, and pepper. (Roast at 400 until at desired tenderness. I like mine a bit burned, but not cancer burned.)

To the soup I added the bulgur and 4 cups of vegetable broth, and 1 cup water. I bought 2 quarts of veggie broth, and didn't want to use them both - hence the cup-o-water. I use veggie broth like CRAZY, just like the tomatoes, so I wanted to save the other one. Economy.

We had to buy the big bag of kale at Publix for those burgers - and I really don't like the brand - but I'm trying to use it up. I sauteed it with olive oil and onion, then tossed with some lemon juice.

The soup only took about 10 minutes after adding the bulgur. It is quite tasty and filling. A very healthy night for us!