Soup's On!

I am still experimenting with new vegan recipes and, some recipes work, some don't.  Earlier this week, we tried a soup mix that is cooked in the crock pot and let's just say it was . . . and I'm trying to be kind here -- horrible.

I'm glad I didn't try this soup mix in the first couple weeks of our vegan experiment, because it would have turned me off of vegan-ism altogether. The broth was blah, the dried veggies never did plump up and overall, the taste was just not good.  (I'm not going to give the brand name of the soup, because it is made locally and I don't want to damage a small businessperson's reputation.  I may have done something wrong in preparing the soup, who knows?)

Luckily, I have a much better soup recipe which is vegan and delicious!  I got the recipe from the Forks Over Knives book, which contains about 100 recipes.  The soup contains lots of fresh veggies, beans, fresh herbs, vegetable broth and it all turns into a filling, delicious pot of soup that will feed us for two or three days, if we are so inclined.

I'll post the recipe at the bottom of this blog post and, even if you're not eating vegan, try this soup -- it's really good.  Even my definitely-not-vegan Mom liked it.  You will also develop nice bicep muscles cutting all the veggies you need for vegan recipes, so that's a good thing, right?

This recipe calls for cannellini beans, which I had never eaten before.  They are so good!  Creamy and soft, they are one of the best beans I've ever eaten.  Beans are a  great source of protein, they fill your stomach and there are so many varieties, you can easily find at least one that you love. Beans also digest more slowly, which helps prevent spikes in your blood sugar. (Check out http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/beans-protein-rich-superfoods for good information on beans and all the good things they do for your body.)

Here's that soup recipe, and again, it comes from the "Forks Over Knives" book, which is available on Amazon.com or by visiting the forksoverknives.com website, which has additional recipes.

Hearty Minestrone Soup

1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup chopped green beans
1 1/2 cups chopped potatoes (peeled)
1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
One 14.5 ounce can chopped tomatoes
One 8 ounce can tomato sauce
One 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
One 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cups parsley, chopped
1 1/2 TBSP basil
1/2 cup uncooked whole wheat pasta (or brown rice pasta)
Black pepper to taste

Put onion, celery, carrots and garlic in a large pot with 1/4 cup of the broth.  Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally for 2 to 3 minutes, until vegetables soften slightly.
Add remaining broth and green beans, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chickpeas, canellini beans, parsley, basil and pepper to pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and cook for 45 minutes.
Add the pasta, stir well, and continue to cook for another 15 minutes or until pasta is tender.

I served this with some whole-wheat bread and we were quite full and satisfied.  Didn't miss the meat AT ALL!