Name: Winter Vegetable Soup
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 cup coarsely chopped onion; 1 cup peeled, cored and coarsely chopped Granny Smith apple; 1 cup peeled and coarsely chopped turnip; 1 cup peeled and chopped butternut squash (seeds discarded); 1 cup coarsely chopped carrot; 1 cup peeled, chopped sweet potato; 5 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock; 1/4 cup maple syrup; Cayenne pepper; 1 small whole-grain baguette; 3 oz goat cheese; 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

The holidays are gone, and the relatives have left. You can also say farewell to the season's fatty foods with this veggie-loaded soup created by Lulu Powers, Madonna's caterer. One bowl dishes more than all of your RDA for vitamin A and 20 percent for potassium. Bonus: Eating soup before a meal means you'll consume fewer total calories.