13 BEAN SOUP

I had a bag of Bob's Red Mill 13 Bean soup, which is a little mis-leading because it's really just a mix of 13 different kinds of beans and lentils....ie. no spices, dehydrated veggies etc.  I prepared the bean mix somewhat according to the package.  Rinse and soak the beans (2 cups dry) overnight in about 2 quarts of water and then cook for about 3 hours.  Now that I had the cooked beans, what to do?  By the way, you can always use pre-packaged (canned) beans, make your own mix or any combination thereof.  I wanted to eliminate extra sodium so I cooked them with only sliced onions & garlic with a little liquid smoke.


6 cups Roasted Vegetable Stock (no or low sodium if you don't make your own)
2 tablespoons mellow red miso paste
1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon Mushroom Base (optional)
1 teaspoon Marmite
4 tomatoes chopped (or a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 Yam peeled and cubed
1 carrot peeled and cubed
1 zucchini cut into chunks
1-2 cups cooked beans (as much or as little as you prefer)
2 cups mixed greens chopped (spinach, kale, swiss chard.  I buy Power Greens from Costco)
Cracked Black Pepper to taste (about 1 teaspoon)

In a large Pot add the stock, miso and bouillon.  Bring to a boil and make sure all of the miso has melted into the stock.  Add the carrots and yams and continue cooking for 25 minutes.  Add the beans, tomatoes and herbs and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.  Add the Zucchini an beans.  When it begins to boil again, remove from the stove and let it sit for awhile.  This is one of those things that actually tastes better the next day.  Before serving add the greens to the hot soup and serve with a crusty bread.  *I just ate this a day after I made it and I have to say it's one of the best soups I've ever made.....