Snow and Soup

Today we experienced our first snow of the winter.  Only a dusting but still lovely as it is Sunday and tomorrow is a holiday so no need to worry about traveling to work.  What a perfect day to make a pot of soup.

We have a wonderful company here in Oregon called Bob's Red Mill and they make the most amazing whole grain, flour, beans, and a plethora of other natural products. I found a package of their 13 Bean Soup Mix at the store last week and the variety of colorful beans looked so fantastic.  Knowing I had a ham bone in the freezer left over from Christmas I knew that a bean soup just had to be made. 

This soup turned out so well.  It is hearty yet it is made with no added fat so it is also healthy. It has just the right amount of heat from the chili powder without being overwhelming and the cumin gives it some added flavor dimension. A great soup to have on a snowy Sunday and leftovers for lunches throughout the week.  Perfect!

13 Bean Soup

2 cups 13 Bean Soup Mix

1 Ham Hock
1 cup chopped onion
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 15 oz can tomato sauce or 1 quart tomatoes
1-1/2 tsp to 1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground coumin
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic or 2 tsp garlic powder

Wash and soak 13 Bean Soup Mix overnight.

Drain and rinse beans. In a large pot, bring 2-1/2 quarts water to boil with beans and ham hock. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 to 3-1/2 hours.  Remove ham hock and let it cool. Remove any meat from the bone, chop it into small pieces and return it to the pot.

Saute in another pan, chopped onion, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, pepper,chili powder, cumin, and garlic.   Add the sauteed vegetables and the tomatoes into the soup pot. Simmer 30 minutes.

Makes about 8 servings.