Hearty Vegetable Soup

I found this recipe in the November 2008 issue of Natural Health. It was very good and I loved the spice to it. Also it was quite simple to make, as a lot of items are from a can. I made it with cornbread. Definitely a recipe I'll make again.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup onion, chopped
• 1 rib of celery, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 cup of fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup of corn kernels, fresh or frozen
• 3/4 cup of kidney beans
• 3/4 cup of white beans (cannelloni beans)
• 1 15 oz. can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes (I only used 3/4 of the can)

directions:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions, celery, carrots and garlic, stirring often for about 10 minutes, until vegetables start to soften.
2. Add salt, paprika, cayenne, and thyme. Stir to combine, then pour broth over everything. Raise the heat and bring to a boil
3. Add beans, corn and tomatoes. Return to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 20 to 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

For the cornbread, I just used a mixture then added the remainder of the corn from the can (as I only used 1 cup of it for the soup) and then added 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a little bit of honey.