ANY BEAN SOUP

The freshest ingredients!

The following is a great way to enhance the flavors of a pre-packaged soup, add nutritional content, and at the same time make it your own.  For this particular recipe I used KEDEM's pre-packaged 7 bean soup recipe, but that is only because it was the only thing I had in my cabinet (sorry Kedem)!  You can really use any bean soup with this recipe  and it should come out all right...or, if you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can skip the packaged soup seasoning and make your own.*

*If you are taking this route, I recommend Trader Joe's 17 bean dried soup package...you can follow their directions or make your own broth.  When I'm making my own broth I usually use a combo of Italian seasonings, hot sauce with a bay leaf or two, and salt and pepper!

INGREDIENTS!

• 1 package KEDEM 7 bean soup mix with flavor packet*
• 6 c. water
• 2 c. veggie stock
• 1/8 c. Olive oil (for sauteing)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 gold potato, peeled and diced
• 1/2 green pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into pennies
• 1 celery stalk, peeled and cut into pennies
• 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/4 Tbsp onion Powder**
• 1-2 drops Blair's Jersey Death Sauce ***
• Salt and pepper to taste

*You can really use any bean combo you want...I usually use a 15 or 17 bean soup mix but tried something a little different this time because it was all I had in my cabinet!
**If you desire to use fresh onions, use 1/4 c. olive oil instead of 1/8 c. and replace the onion powder with one large yellow onion, minced and saute with the rest of the veggies.
***Or I suggest Conchy Joe's Bahamian Hot Sauce...it has a hint of mango and adds an interesting twist!


DIRECTIONS!

• Boil water for beans, add beans and reduce to a simmer
• About an hour after the beans begin cooking, heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat and add minced garlic.  Saute until slightly browned.*
• Next, add potatoes, carrots, celery, and saute until slightly browned
• About 1/2 hour before the beans are done cooking, add the sauted veggies, the seasoning packet, the onion powder, the hot sauce, the bay leaf*
• Voila! a soup to die for!

*be sure to keep an eye on the firmness of the beans...don't let the get mushyor else the whole thing gets kinda weird!
PICTURES!

Ingredients...minus garlic woops!

the pre packaged soup de doup

saute garlic yea

simmer beans yea

chop up veggies yea

saute veggies yea

veggies up close...ohhhhhh yeaaa!