Hearty Winter Bean and Grain Soup

My favorite thing to sit down to dinner with in the winter time is a hot and hearty bowl of soup. It's supposed to warm up a little here in Minnesota (for a week), but this soup kept me warm on those -30 degree nights. I was given a free bag of Bob's Red Mill Whole Grains & Beans Soup Mix when I worked at one of my local natural food stores. It was sitting up in my cupboard, just waiting to be used!

I love the idea of having a bag of grains and beans already mixed together that are made to work well together in a dish. You should see how many different grains and beans are in this thing! So delicious! I'm going to have to try the other ones that Bob's has! Here's how I used mine:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 bag of Whole Grains & Beans Soup Mix (soaked over night)
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 medium onion - diced
• 2 cloves of garlic - chopped
• 1 large carrot - diced
• 2-3 medium potatoes - diced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1/2 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 quart Vegetable Stock

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the diced onions and saute until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add in your basil, rosemary and bay leaf. Add the garlic, carrots, and potatoes and saute for 1-2 minutes more. Stir in the frozen corn and peas. Pour in your soaked Grains and Beans mixture and cover with 1 quart of vegetable stock.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour.

Enjoy and Happy Eating!