Hearty Vegetable Soup with Savoury Whole Wheat Dumplings by Delores Burkart

SHOT 1: Vegetable Soup ingredients:
4 large carrots chopped
3 large celery stalks chopped
1 medium beet chopped
2 small tomato chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 large potato chopped
1 clove garlic chopped

1 cup cold water
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 – 1 tsp. salt (taste preference)
1 tsp. fresh chopped or dried parsley
1 tsp.freshly chopped or dried dill weed
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

6 cups homemade or canned chicken / turkey broth ( lucky me, I still have frozen turkey broth from my thanksgiving turkey !)
*** If you like a thinner soup, just add another cup of broth.

SHOT 2: In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil on low heat. Sauté the onions, garlic, potato and celery...just for a minute or 2.
Then mix in the all of the other vegetables. Add the water, salt, pepper, dill and parsley. Bring it to a boil. Then turn heat to low med. and cook with the top on until the vegetables are soft and 3/4 of the water has evaporated. (as pictured )

Place 1/2 the vegetable mixture in a stainless steel or glass bowl and roughly mash with a potato masher. Return the mashed vegetable mix to the pot.
Add the chicken/turkey broth. Bring back to a boil and then turn to simmer.

SHOT 3: Dumpling ingredients: (I use this amount when making large pot of soup or stew...so for this soup cut the ingredients in half )

1 C whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. fresh or dried thyme
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. parsley
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
3/4 to 1 C skim milk ( or whatever milk you traditionally use )

In a mixing bowl, mix together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, thyme, poultry seasoning and parsley. Cut in the butter/margarine with a pastry cutter or by rubbing through with your hands (my preferred method)! Slowly add the milk and mix until a very thick batter.
*** Note: You can use whatever seasoning you prefer for the dumplings.

SHOT 4: Using a tablespoon, drop the dumpling dough 1 at a time into the soup. Cook with the top on for 15- 20 minutes.
*** DON'T peek at the dumplings before 15 minutes time.

SHOT 5: Ladle the soup and dumplings into a bowl....and as my mom and my dear aunts used to say..... Schlucht !!