Cream of celery soup recipe, and how to get kids to eat vegetables

Despite my best efforts, there has been a lot of junk food in my kids' lives lately. I've got a new job, so I'm cooking less. More meals in restaurants always seems to equal fewer vegetables and more fried stuff. You know how it goes. Sometimes you just need to find a way for your family to detox.

Soup is the one thing my kids will rarely turn down. Even Hot Dog Boy loves his soup, and always the ones that surprise me: "beta carotene" soup, leftover lettuce soup, artichoke soup, and now this cream of celery soup. Of course, Hot Dog Boy loves his celery, so maybe I shouldn't have been too surprised this time.

For parents trying to figure out how to get kids to eat vegetables, soup is a winner. Here are a few soup-for-kids tips that have worked for me:

• A handful of croutons makes any bowl of soup more fun. If not croutons, try french fried onions (yes, the ones in the can), crumbled Triscuits, or even popcorn. Just float something they can chase around with their spoons.
• Pureeing soup bypasses the picky eater's "What's that? What's THAT?" with each spoonful. Buy an immersion blender immediately, if you don't have one.
• Don't serve the soup too hot. Or serve it hot and let the kids add their own ice cubes. Melting ice is quite distracting.
• For a change, serve the soup in a coffee cup or a pretty tea cup, and let them drink it instead of eating it. With a straw, even.
• Keep a few secrets. If you don't want to tell them which vegetables are included, call it "Orange Soup" and let them guess. How many orange vegetables can they name?

By the way, this soup uses only five ingredients, contains no dairy, and tastes exactly like the Campbell's cream of celery soup I remember from my childhood. Only, you know, better.

Cream of celery soup

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 4 stalks celery, washed and diced
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup cooked white rice (or 1/4 cup raw white rice)
• salt to taste

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and saute the onion until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the celery, chicken stock and rice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer the soup about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft. If using raw rice, make it about 30 minutes.

Puree the soup with a hand-held immersion blender and season to taste. Serve hot with lots of croutons.