A Garden in a Bowl

Hot summer weather calls for light-tasting foods that are quick and easy to prepare.

Canned nonfat chicken broth is the base for this light yet substantial soup. Use homemade broth if you have it, but be sure to remove all the fat. Use vegetable broth--either canned or homemade--for a vegetarian soup.

The brief cooking time--only 10 minutes--makes the vegetables crisp, yet tender, and lets the flavor of the broth and each vegetable come through. The soup tastes best when eaten right after cooking; if it is refrigerated overnight, the flavors tend to mingle.

Deane is director of The Times Test Kitchen.

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FRESH VEGETABLES IN BROTH

1 (49-ounce) can nonfat chicken broth

1 large carrot, thinly sliced

1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4-inch slices

2 baby bok choy, cut into 1-inch chunks

2 cups diced nappa cabbage

4 mushrooms, sliced

2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

Heat broth to boiling. Add carrot, celery, bok choy, cabbage, mushrooms and green onions and simmer until vegetables are crisp yet tender, about 10 minutes. Spoon into bowls and serve hot.

4 servings. Each 2-cup serving:

62 calories; 1,027 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.73 gram fiber.

Romulus Craft bowl from Freehand, Los Angeles.