Years ago, and I mean years ago, I was part of a household staff that worked in the mansion of a magistrate. Despite his considerable wealth, and the fact that he paid others to take care of almost all the daily tasks of running a large home, I found him each morning in the kitchen making soup for the day.

When you are young, you take some of the oddest jobs, that in retrospect, do not seem to have any bearing on your eventual professional successes. But I digress. Back to the story. One morning, he gave me quite a long lecture on the health benefits of homemade soup. I admit I have been fascinated and a fan of soups ever since.

Soups are relatively inexpensive to make, and can be packed with nutrients. You throw all the ingredients into a large pot and leave it to simmer on the back burner of the stove, or in a slow cooker, until hours later, with a crust of bread and side salad, you have a satisfying meal. At the end of the day, in the small amusements of a stay-at-home mother, I can almost imagine someone else has made dinner -- because in many ways -- soup makes itself.

To celebrate spring, the American Institute for Cancer Research is offering delicious soup recipes loaded with cancer-fighting nutrients and phytochemicals such as Black Bean Soup with Avocado and Watercress; Fresh Spinach Soup; Spring Vegetable Soup; Chilled Strawberry Soup with Mint; and Asparagus and Scallion Soup with Almonds.