Soupermom and Souperdad tried to teach me about seasonal foods at a very young age. So my first “teddy bear” was Sammy the Sweet Potato – he arrived in November. In May, I went to sleep every night with Bobby Broccoli. In the summer – Timmy Tomato. So imagine the trauma when I saw mom pureeing Sammy to make soup! I ran crying to Souperdad! He scooped me up and explained some very important things. While sweet potatoes make wonderful friends, they are also loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. And Soupermom was pureeing Sammy along with some homemade peanut butter and a touch of Harissa, to give the soup protein and a little kick! Sammy was going to make one heck of a creamy, delicious, thick pureed soup! I was skeptical, but I listened. When Soupermom gave me a taste of the soup, I was blown away. I demanded that Soupermom start pureeing all of my “friends.” That was the day my parents stopped naming produce and bought me my first teddy bear.

“You know I’m not like other pureed soups,” Ralph, the peanut soup said to me the other day. “I have protein. I’m a full meal. Some call me luscious. LUSCIOUS, Soupergirl! That’s not a word that’s thrown around a lot!” “I know,” I replied, hardly paying attention. “I’m also really healthy. I have a ton of vegetables. Plus, you don’t really go overboard with the amount of homemade peanut butter you use.” “Nope, no I don’t,” I agreed. He then pointed out that he was thick, naturally sweet, and could dance. I looked up from the paper I was reading and stared at him. “What,” he asked. “You don’t think I can dance?” Then he grabbed me and began to swing dance around the Starbucks. This was embarrassing on many levels – his soup was flying everywhere. Ani DiFranco was playing in the background. And mostly – swing dance? Really? What is this, 1995? Seriously, Ralph. Seriously.