Mixing it Up

In keeping with our dried soup mix theme that I began earlier in the week, here's a great formula for making a terrific bean soup mix, and giving it to your friends.  Recycled glass Mason jars or vacuum seal jars make a nice presentation or you could pack the beans into cellophane bags, and arrange the bag into the bowl of a soup ladle or for a larger gift, a soup tureen.  If you decide the go the larger gift route, add a bread mix, or cake mix to enhance the "basket" whatever it may be.  Make sure to buy your beans at a health food store, or natural product store from bins; old beans in bags at the supermarket will take forever to cook. 

Hill o' Beans Soup Mix
Makes 10 two cup packages

1/2 pound small white beans
1/2 pound Great Northern beans
1/2 pound kidney beans
1/2 pound red beans
1/2 pound soy beans
1/2 pound garbanzo beans
1/2 pound yellow split peas
1/2 pound green split peas
1/2 pound dried brown lentils
1/2 pound red lentils
1/2 pound baby Lima beans
1/2 pound black eyed peas
1/2 pound pearl parley
24 crumbled chicken bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons garlic salt
20 sun dried tomatoes, crumbled
10 bay leaves
Stir all the beans together in a large mixing bowl, or stock pot.  In a separate bowl, mix together the chicken bouillon, chili powder, garlic salt,tomatoes and bay leaf.  Measure out 2 cups of beans into gift packages, seal airtight.  Accompany each package of bean soup with 1 tablespoon of the dry spice mixture.  Store in airtight containers with a 2 month expiration date.

Hill o' Beans Soup
Makes about 2 1/2 quarts

1 package Hill o' Beans Soup Mix
2 quarts water
1 smoked ham hock
One 15.8-ounce can chopped tomatoes and their juice

In a Dutch oven, wash the beans and cover with water to soak overnight.  Drain the beans and add 2 quarts of fresh water, the dry ingredients, ham hock and tomatoes.  Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 3 to 4 hours, or until the beans are tender.  Remove the ham hock from the soup, and chop the meat from the bone, return the meat to the soup, remove the bay leaf, and serve the soup. 

I'm on my way to DC this afternoon, but hope you have a lovely day filled with joy.  I'll be back this weekend with a few more goodies for you to try.  Enjoy your day!