According to Jewish Law and Lore there are two fast days in the summer, and I love to break my fast on vegetable soup.
Usually, I make a split pea soup, but I didn't have any peas on hand. Instead I found a package of mixed beans, which, as you can see, included:
kidney beans
lima beans
chickpeas
I checked them for bugs and stones and then left them to soak in hot, boiling water. After it cooled, I poured out the water and added more. I've read that beans are digested better if you change the water. Whether it's true or not, I don't know.
Since the beans began to get soft, it was time for stage two of the cooking. I added more boiling water to the beans and began cooking them for real, not just soaking.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kF0LXonRpAPPnMIFWWsBy_zAyV9x3zHb7Iwir99fWN_MiKv3H1Kcdnb2Kl-2iQQaBxoDxKVrKF0662Xmm2jpV1pEMOxDfkl2Utd7Nb_Uqo12lSMfxHbyZWvlaRa7TYF1w9BLAQ/s400/july+09+jm+kids+shiloh+066.jpg)
In a larger pot, I put sliced onions, carrots and squash and sauteed them in vegetable oil. Once the vegetables were partially cooked, I poured in the beans, plus the bean liquid and cooked everything together.
Since I'm trying to cut the carbs, I added some tomato paste for extra flavor. That gave me a low carbohydrate Minestrone style vegetable soup. I added whatever seasonings smelled right to me, like salt, pepper, garlic, parsley. These are all standards I keep in my pantry.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Gf_UydVCCTZ7BgWhbzsrhDuKg5RQJ0PgmlK21yOwTmjjwbkiPn4sFoKBQxbYyLn42rfilTIUKBSzbWteQhi6jXSMOG5RjOSQDObmeljwnrrn-HwdP4ZOCurk_-T67c9ss9vl9Q/s400/july+09+jm+kids+shiloh+069.jpg)
It's funny how the soup sparkles. I guess the flash played on the oil. It really tasted good, and my husband even complimented me on it.
The best thing is that it is very easy to make.