What do you call this?

by Barb Jarmoska

Freshlife Founder

As we gave thanks and dipped our spoons into steaming bowls of homemade soup, my friend asked that question. “Everything-I-Found-While-Cleaning-Out-The-Refrigerator Bean Soup” came my reply. And it was true.

I seldom cook with a recipe;,much less make soup by following exact directions. Trying new and different soup combinations is one of the best things about winter (much like “Everything-I-Found Pasta Salad” is a summertime favorite).

For great homemade soup, the only rule is – there are no rules! There are, however, a few helpful tips such as keeping a bag or two of Freshlife’s soup blends on hand. These delicious combinations of beans and whole grains and pasta can form the foundation for hundreds of different soups. Choose from:

• Holiday Mix (split peas, kidney beans, lima beans, lentils, blackeyed peas, great northern, pinto, barley, black turtle beans)

• Thirteen Bean Blend (soy, great northern, kidney, pinto, red lentils, black turtle, lima, navy, blackeyed peas, garbanzo, adzuki, black soy, red beans)

• Harmony Blend (a 100% organic blend of: hard winter wheat, pearled barley, pinto, kidney, green split, red rice, black beans, navy)

• Hearty Blend (yellow-green splits, barley, lentils, alphabet pasta. Because of the pasta, do not soak this blend overnight)

In addition to the blends, keep a bag of Kombu in the cupboard. This healthy, mineral-rich sea vegetable not only lends nutritional value and flavor to the stock, its one of the best ways to keep beans from being gassy.

If you’re good at planning ahead, rinse the beans well, cover with water and soak overnight. If you forgot to soak the beans, but are going to be home for several hours, no problem. Soaking isn’t mandatory; it just speeds up the cooking time. Either way, begin the cooking process with fresh water and crumble a stick of Kombu into the pot. Check the cooking time on the blend you chose, and increase by about 50 percemt it if you’re using a crock-pot. If you have a soup bone, put that in the water with the beans.

Once the beans are cooked, much of the water you started with will be absorbed and evaporated. From here, you want to remove the bone if you started with one, add soup stock or more water, and seasoning. Again – anything goes. Better Than Bullion paste (available in vegetable, chicken and beef) is one of my favorites.

Here’s where the fun begins! Pull out that package of leftover meat or poultry you tucked away in the freezer 2 months ago and dump it in the pot. Open the produce bins and examine your options. You might be surprised to find wilted celery, limp parsley, sprouted potatoes or rusting carrots have made their way to the back of the drawer. If it’s still edible – it’s fair game. If it’s raw, it gets scrubbed, trimmed or peeled, chopped and added to the pot first. If it’s light and leafy (parsley, escarole) or already cooked (leftover green beans), hold off until the more dense veggies such as parsnips and broccoli are tender. Add your favorite herbs (ex: dill, thyme and basil) or spices such as chili or curry powder, tasting as you go, and knowing that the flavor of the seasonings will intensify as the soup simmers. If it suits your fancy and your seasonings, open a can of diced tomatoes and add those to the array.

After all the ingredients are added, cover the pot and turn the heat down to simmer. (This is where a crock-pot is a great asset.) Let the soup work its magic for an hour or so, as the ingredients and seasonings weave a spell all their own, one that promises to deliver a reward for your efforts and the blessing of good health.