chunky vegetable soup

My idea of a wonderful mid-week meal for a cold winter night: Soup served piping hot.

Weeknight dinners work out great especially if I prepare ahead during the weekend. Like, soak and cook some beans ahead of time, so that on a weekday morning, I can throw things together for a spicy bean soup in the slow cooker, leave it on low, run off to work, and have the wonderful aroma of a hot and ready meal welcome us home...

Well, I am not always well-prepared. So, I look for short-cuts in prep time, not the taste, during weeknights. Of course, some would argue that flavor takes time to develop, and anything I "throw together" can't be all that good...

Hm. Be that as it may... uniform satisfaction so far at my table seems to indicate otherwise:-)

Ingredients:
vegetables of your choice: cauliflower, potatoes, broccoli, carrots, cut into chunks
onions, garlic, green chilies and tomatoes, cut into chunks
salt to taste
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cayenne pepper powder
1 Tbsp Madras curry powder
1 Tbsp cumin powder
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp canola oil
4 cups vegetable stock

Preparation:

1. heat the oil in a pressure cooker; sauté the onions, garlic and tomatoes with a pinch of salt and the spices; allow the spices to bloom
   
2. throw in the vegetables, brown sugar, tomato paste, vegetable stock and some water; put the lid on and pressure cook just enough to get the vegetables soft and cooked but not too mushy
   
3. uncover the pressure cooker, stir well, adjust to taste and gently simmer for a few minutes till flavors come together
4. serve hot off the stove