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["E is for Eggplant, not usually found in soups, but eggplant works, especially if you can find the small green Thai eggplant.", "You don't even have to peel them, just remove their caps.", "If you don't find Thai eggplant, purple eggplant will do nicely!", "12 small Thai eggplant or 1 purple eggplant, peeled, diced and slightly sauteed in olive oil", "F is for Fungi; that means mushrooms!", "Any mushrooms will work; White button or Shiitake or Oyster.", "2 handfuls of mushrooms, chopped and sauteed with a little bit of olive oil", "G is for Ginger.", "A fabulous root spice, the best of which comes from our 50th state, Hawaii.", "1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Ginger root, peeled and very finely chopped.", "H is for HOT.", "If you like your soups spicy hot, you can add Habanero peppers, which is the hottest pepper of all.", "Not everyone appreciates Habanero; in this soup they are optional and should be handled by grown ups only!", "2 to 3 Habaneros, seeded and finely diced", "I is for Ingredients.", "This is what cooks call all of the things that go into a recipe.", "I have never found a vegetable that starts with the letter I.", "If you can think of one, please let me know!", "!", "J is for Jicama, a delicious root vegetable, which is quite popular in the tropical regions of the world, and looks very much like a potato.", "1/4 cup jicama, peeled and diced", "K is for Kohlrabi, a great vegetable that comes in red, green and sometimes white.", "The leafy top and globe shaped bottom are all good to eat.", "A few diced kohlrabi leaves or 1/8 cup kohlrabi bottom, peeled and diced", "P is for Pepper, the black kind.", "I was once asked if I could pick only 2 spices, which ones would they be.", "My answer?", "Salt and Pepper!", "Pepper to taste (in a pot of soup like this one, 1 teaspoon is a good place to start)", "Q is for questions.", "My question: Have we forgotten anything, like maybe a delicious green vegetable that belongs in our soup?", "I say Yes!", "Let's revisit ""C"" and add some Celery!", "1 small bunch of celery, diced Q is also for Quarter.", "We need a Quarter cup of liquid; you can add water or vegetable juice for broth, which should be combined with 1 teaspoon of butter for a smooth texture.", "R is for Rosemary, a herb which goes wonderfully in soup.", "2 teaspoons fresh Rosemary", "S is for Salt, Sage and Savory Spices--all things that wake up the natural flavor of our vegetable soup.", "1 teaspoon each of Sage and savory Herb de Provence Salt to taste", "T is for Tomato, one of my very favorite things to put into soup 4 red Tomatoes, diced T is also for Thyme, another great herb.", "1/4 teaspoon Thyme Which sounds like ""Time"