I tried a version of this at a delicious restaurant called Tao's in Zurich. They didn’t want to share the recipe, so this is what my tastebuds put together upon returning. My husband loved it. My oldest son asked for seconds. And my three-year-old gave me stink-eye and didn’t want another bite…Three out of four ain’t bad!

This is a crowd pleaser, and the “late additions” make it possible to please even picky eaters. If you have any left, it freezes well.

This is one of my family’s favorites, and fortunately, it’s super easy. Sometimes we grate a little raw cheese over it just before serving, like a baked potato!

There are lots of ways to cook lentils. This recipe includes potatoes, which are usually highly child-approved, so, if lentils are new to certain tastebuds, potatoes can help ease the introduction. Plus, rather than using brown or black lentils, these end up being a light orange color, which is pretty kid-friendly, as well.

Whatever it is about chicken soup that’s so cold-curing and there are many theories), this soup has one extra health benefit: astragalus. I just add some astragalus root to the cooking broth, and it adds a lot of immunity-boosting power to the soup!

This is a DELICIOUS soup to make in the middle of summer, when basil is plentiful. Alternatively, you can chop the basil in the summer, store it in your freezer, and make the soup later in the fall, to bring back some summer tastes!