Savory Grain and Bean Pot

Feeds 8-10/3 solid meals for 3 people, with some left over to blend and dip crackers in

Ingredients

2 TBS olive oil or other oil

1 C. chopped onion

2 C. chopped vegetables (carrots, mushrooms, celery…)

1 C. cooked soybeans (I used navy beans)

1 C. cooked tomatoes (I used Pastene Kitchen-Ready)

2-3 peppercorns (I estimated with freshly ground pepper)

pinch cayenne

1/4 tsp each of basil, tarragon, oregano, celery seed, summer savory (which I did not have, and simply added parsley)

pinch each of thyme, rosemary, marjoram, sage

3 TBS soy sauce

1/2 C. brown rice

1/3 C. bulgar or cracked wheat

6-8 C. vegetable stock or broth (I used leftover chicken stock from the bird I cooked up earlier in the week – the little clucker just kept on giving.  Also included the water from cooking the beans.)

Method

Sauté the onions and vegetables in your choice of oil.  Add everything else.  Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1-2 hours, until the grains are tender.  That’s it.

The original recipe says you can pressure cook it for 10-15 minutes.  I sautéed the veggies and combined everything in a crock pot, cooking it on high for the first hour or so, and on low for the rest of the day while we were out.  Perfect!

Top the soup with freshly shaved Parmesan cheese and freshly clipped chives.

Day One: The smell of a long-cooked savory meal begins to waft through the house…  “Mm…  What’s cooking, Mama?”

Day Two: Leftovers smell even better, and the flavor combination of all those spices is even deeper than the day before. 

Like family ties, it gets stronger, and like love, it keeps on givin.’

Enjoy!