Long Life Veggie Soup

By Pam Hadder

I have enjoyed making minestrone soup for many years. This vegan recipe is adapted from a recipe found in  Woman's World magazine, and it originates in Sardinia, the Italian island which is known to have the most centenarians in the world!  Apparently the locals of Sardinia attribute their long life to this wholesome vegetable soup.   The flavour is amazing -even better when I have my own fresh herbs (parsley, basil and oregano) from the garden.  But in the winter, I have to be content with dried herbs.  Serve it over fresh pasta and grate your favourite vegan cheese over top.  I hope you will try and enjoy this simple, delicious recipe - I think the deal maker with this recipe is the fennel, so don't leave it out xox

Long Life Veggie Soup

Ingredients:
1 can (approx. 19 ounces) white beans
1 can (approx. 19 ounces) chick peas
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium cooking onions (yellow onions), chopped finely
5-6 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 large potatoes, peeled and diced in 1/2" chunks
4 large carrots, peeled, quartered and chopped in 1/2" pieces
4 ribs celery, chopped finely
1/2 large fennel bulb plus 3 stalks fennel, chopped in 1/2" pieces
2- 28 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped fresh herbs - Italian parsley, basil and oregano
(or 3 Tbsp. dried herbs - 1 Tbsp each of the above herbs)
2 tsp. sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
4-6 cups water, depending on desired consistency

Other: fresh cooked pasta (oiled and or buttered - vegan butter); grated cheese

Method:
Add the oil to a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add in the chopped onion, salt and black pepper, stirring occasionally, loosely cover and cook onions until soft and translucent (about 7 minutes).  Add in the garlic, potatoes, carrots, celery, fennel and stir occasionally; cooking loosely covered for another 20 minutes. Add in the tomatoes and enough water to ensure all veggies are covered.  Reduce heat to medium-low or low, and cover tightly to simmer for 15 minutes.  Add in the herbs and canned beans, including the liquid from the beans - no need to rinse. Simmer another 10 minutes to heat through. Serve over a large scoop of hot, buttered pasta and garnish with grated cheese.

NOTE: this soup freezes very well; just reheat, make some fresh pasta to accompany it, and you are set. Also delicious on its own, but the pasta is a great addition.  I have substituted dill for the oregano and basil for a change - when I have had some awesome fresh dill on hand; it is also really wonderful. When using the dill, try cooking some basmati rice instead of the pasta as an accompaniment.