Hearty Get Better Vegetable Soup

This soup contains lots of great cheap vegetables to make a hearty and healthy soup for sickies.  I have a 3 1/2 year old sickie right now and we want to get better by Thanksgiving!  I recently discovered leeks and love them!  They have a nice mild onion-like flavor so I would think they would be more mild on the acid as well.

Leeks, garlic, carrots, parsnips, and celery sauteing

Potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, and spices added.

Hearty Get Better Vegetable Soup

1/4 - 1/2 c Canola oil or your choice of oil (do some research about high heat on olive oil if that is your preferred oil. It is not safe.)
3 Leeks (Here is a great simple picture tutorial of how to slice your leeks at whfoods.com. Make sure you take the outer layer off and wash them well to get grit out from between the leaves.)
3 Cloves garlic, minched
1 Parsnip, diced
3 small carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
4-5 small russet potatoes, diced
1/2 a cabbage, chopped or shredded
1 can diced tomatoes
4 cups water or brother of choice (if you don't use brother you will need to salt heavily)
Your choice of dried or fresh herb (I used basil)

1) Heat oil in dutch oven or soup pot to medium high heat. There should be enough oil to coat all the veggies. Add leeks, garlic, carrots, parsnip, and celery to hot oil. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add salt and pepper and choice of herb.
2) Add potatoes and cabbage and stir in well. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often to keep food from sticking to pan. I like to try to cook soup ingredients together first before adding much liquid so it does not dilute the flavor action happening.)
3) Add can of diced tomatoes and 4 cups of water or broth and let simmer for 30 min to 1 hour.

You could also add chicken and even some chicken or beef broth.

The only veggie not fresh in this soup is canned tomatoes.

Enjoy!  It's not often I actually have my own recipe for something.