Small Garden Birds - Quick Healthy Soup

Kitchen Window Flowers for this week include rosemary and

 snowdrops from the garden, and buttercups picked on an

 afternoon walk.

Simple is pretty. 

The English cut glass vase given me decades

 ago by my mother makes this posy extra special.

~ Carolina wren ~

Winter feeding of the Carolina wrens on our porch and feeders was, 

as always, fun to watch. Cheerful entertainment on the most cold and 

bleak days of the pandemic. The entire winter was a great one for

 bird watching and made days of smiles and happy feelings when

 everything else was often uninspiring.

I purchased another nesting box and hung it on the front porch. 

Made specifically for wrens and chickadees our smallest birds, 

other than hummingbirds who come here later in summer, 

the 1-1/8" entrance hole is the favored size for these two

 birds - hopefully one or the other will start a family here this spring.

~ Black Capped chickadee ~

Other small to medium sized birds include these - House finches

 (two males) and Northern Cardinals (one female).

It's been raining this morning and the fig tree buds now

 appear a wee bit greener at last.

I'm still often making soups - always vegetarian - and tried this one

 for the first time recently. 

May make a pot again today as it was really quick and tasty - second

 day reheated even better.

PESTO BEAN SOUP

Makes 4 servings

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 large carrot, chopped

4 cups of low sodium vegetable stock

1/4 cup basil pesto

1-15 oz can cannellini beans,

drained and rinsed

2 cups baby kale, spinach or chard 

or a mix of all three - remove hard stems

and roughly chop

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1  Warm olive oil in medium-large pot

over medium heat

Add chopped onion, sauté about 3 minutes

Add chopped carrot, sauté 3 minutes or until

onions are soft and translucent

2  Add vegetable stock, pesto and beans

Stir to combine

Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and 

simmer about 10 minutes - adding the greens

for last few minutes

3  Season to taste 

(I did not add additional salt, just ground black pepper)

Serve with Parmesan cheese, if using

Notes: 

I make my own pesto in summer and freeze in small containers

or snack size baggies - that way I can control the amount of added salt.

Baby kale is so much better than large leaves - if you aren't growing your 

own, or have a generous neighbor as I do, it is available in grocery stores.

Always use extra-virgin olive oil, the least processed and retains more

nutrients than other oils.

Bon appétit!

****************

 

Camellias are lovely right now - azaleas starting to bud but late this year. 

Our deck repairs/refurbishment are completed, we are very happy with
 the work and now have a great 'handyman' whom we feel we can call on
 for future jobs around the house.
That's a good feeling.