White Bean & Vegetable Soup

White Bean & Vegetable Soup
Serve with crusty whole grain bread.

Serves: 4

• 1 cup dry white pea beans, soaked by quick method directions
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large stalks celery and leafy tops, chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups liquid (water + bean liquid)
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 3 tablespoons chicken broth powder or 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)
• 1 - 28 ounce can tomatoes
• Salt, to taste

Heat oil in large saucepan; add celery, onion and garlic. Sauté 2-3 minutes. Add liquid, beans, oregano, basil, chicken broth powder and pepper. Simmer 1-1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.

Add parsley if desired and tomatoes, breaking them up with a fork. Heat 10 minutes over high heat or until hot. Serve with cheese and whole wheat bread or crackers.

COOKS NOTE: For each pound of dry beans, any variety, add 10 cups hot water. Remember, beans will rehydrate to at least twice their dry size, so be sure to start with a large enough pot. (Note: Up to 2 teaspoons of salt per pound of beans may be added to help the beans absorb water more evenly.) Heat to boiling, let boil two to three minutes. Remove from heat, cover and set aside for at least one hour (Quick-Soak Method), but preferably four hours or more (Hot-Soak Method). The longer soak time is recommended to allow more sugars to dissolve, thus helping the beans to be more easily digested. Whether you soak the beans for an hour or several hours, discard the soak water.

Per Serving: 301 Calories; 8g Fat (23.0% calories from fat); 1 g Saturated Fat; 15g Protein; 46g Carbohydrate; 11g Dietary Fiber; trace Cholesterol; 884mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 2 1/2 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat.