Moose Poop and Soup

Another Souper Sunday under my belt. Oh yes - I'm on my third in a row! I'm not sure I can keep this streak up - let's be honest. It's a lot of pressure, but the soups have been warm and cozy and a nice cozy lunch to have during the week too. I saw this recipe for veggie soup and decided I had everything, let's give it a try! Right in the middle of the chopping, which was a lot of chopping, so much chopping, I needed to roll out my roll dough - where on earth was my french rolling pin? Oh, wait... I knew something fell behind the oven drawer, it was the rolling pin. I finally just yanked the drawer out and oh.my.word. The mess I found under there. Dog toys, random things Bernard tore up that snuck under, my rolling pin, a book... FUR - SO MUCH FUR! Thanks, Bernard but more so Rusty. I even found a cat toy. (We don't have a cat.) But the one thing that disturbed me the most? Mouse Poop... which I always call moose poop first for some reason... MOUSE POOP. NASTY. Those little devils were pooping in my donut pan too... They probably thought those wells were the perfect place to put their butts and leave a gift... well they can keep it... Yuck. I found the hole they like to come up - I may need to see if I can put a trap there... dang critters... Grrrr. On this topic I have strong feelings - can you tell? Soup, Erin, tell them about the soup...
The Soup - it was delicious. Full of healthy veggies that stay crisp, no noodles to get soggy and weird. Well worth all the time chopping, maybe not finding the moose poop... but certainly the chopping. This soup gets better over time - so be sure you have some leftovers - it's well worth it.

Vegetable Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion chopped
3 carrots chopped
2 celery ribs chopped
5 cloves garlic minced
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 medium zucchini chopped
6 Yukon gold potatoes chopped (about 2 cups)
3 (14.5 oz) cans vegetable broth
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups frozen green beans
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas

Instructions
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add in the garlic, red pepper, zucchini, and potatoes. Cook for 3 minutes.
Add the vegetable broth, tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let the soup simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
Stir in the green beans, corn, and peas and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through.
Remove the bay leaves and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve warm.