Farmers Market Fall Soup

My friend, Andrea Lussing, cooks fabulous, healthy, vegetarian meals! She is always telling me that she does not like using recipes and rather use her own skill and taste to develop her masterpieces. She has inspired me to be a bit more daring in the kitchen and put aside the recipe books!

The thought of going with out a recipe is both a bit terrifying and liberating, as I am not extremely confident with my natural cooking abilities. But, going without a recipe allows you the freedom to use what is in season and available to you!

My friend gave me a recipe for adzuki bean soup that she highly recommended, but I could not find half of the ingredients. Here is my compromise. All the produce is organic and most was bought at the Halifax Farmers Market!

1 Butternut Squash- pealed, de-seeded and cubed

2 white onions- peeled and finely chopped

5 carrots- chopped

312g of spinach

450g of Jacob’s Cattle Beans (or any other available dried bean)- soaked overnight

2 tsp of turmeric

2 tsp of cumin

2 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp of cayenne pepper

4-6 tsp (depending on taste) of Vegetable stock mix

3 cups of cooked brown rice

2 liters of cold water

*Parsley and Romano cheese (optional)

1.     Boil the soaked beans, cook according to package. Drain and rinse cooked beans.

2.     Place cooked beans, vegetable stock and cold water into a *large pot, bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes.

3.     Add the vegetables, cumin, turmeric and simmer for another 15-20 minutes

4.     Add the cooked rice, cinnamon and cumin cook for 1-2 minutes

5.     Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute. Take off the heat, as the vegetables will continue to cook even while the heat is off.

6.     Sprinkle with a bit of Romano cheese and parsley

·      I use Romano cheese, as it is full of flavor so there is no need to have more then a couple of teaspoons per serving.

·      This makes a lot of soup. If you do not have a very large pot I suggest splitting the recipe in half or dividing it between two pots. I like to make a lot and then freeze it in individual serving sized containers.