Bean Soup

Amber gave me the box of"Gourmet Bean Blend" to try. The problem is that the beans, peas, and lentils are cooked at different times. Here's what I did to get a soup that I will make again.

 2 cups of bean blend, soaked in cold water overnight
2 tsp salt

 1 T olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 box chicken stock

 about 1 tsp each:
oregano
thyme
garlic powder
red chili flake
 Cook the beans in just water until done. It took several hours to get everything soft and the lentils are over cooked. I added the salt after 2 hours.   Drain the beans when they are all cooked to your liking.

 Saute the celery, carrots, and onion in olive oil until soft but not brown. Add stock, seasonings and cooked bean mix. Simmer about 30 minutes.

 This is not a soup that you would "feed the queen" but it is a good basic soup for commoners. You can use vegetable stock to make this completely vegetarian.