Simple, wholesome autumn soup

One of the best things about autumn is the crisp dry air that signals the end of summer and the coming of winter. I love this time of year and today was a spectacular fall day in Boston.

The coming of fall also means that my trusty crock pot -- furloughed for the summer under the wooden kitchen cart -- gets to again spread its wings and fly.

I was at Trader Joe's earlier today looking for some hearty root vegetables for a "semi-homemade" soup I have planned for tomorrow. Nothing caught my eye so I picked up some boxed soups and decided to whip together a simple meal that will cook tomorrow while I'm at work.

This soup is hopelessly easy to make. Just mix the following together in a crock pot:

* One 32 oz box of Trader Joe's Garden Patch Veggie Soup

* One 32 oz box of Trader Joe's Organic Vegetable Broth

* 1/2 cup dried lentils

* For small red potatoes, diced

* One small red onion, chopped

* 3-5 cloves of fresh garlic

* 1/2 cup chopped button mushrooms (optional)

* Salt and paper to taste

Cook for 5-8 hours on the low setting, sprinkle on some nutritional yeast and enjoy!