Adzuki Vegetable Bean Soup

Baby its cold outside!

Recently it's been 20 degrees and below! Not gonna lie, it's getting harder and harder to run outside everyday because all I can think about is the freezing cold air that I feel in my lungs every time I take a breath. After some time, I usually start to forget about the temperature, and get used to it, until I remember how cold it is again. Luckily, I have a delicious warm soup to look forward to after I get home from practice.

If you take a close look at the ingredients, you'll notice that I don't start the soup with olive oil and garlic with onions. If you want to, you can certainly make start the soup that way, but I'd prefer to not add any oil. This soup is very light, so I can understand if you'd like some more flavor or richness. To make it creamier, you can add 1/2 -1 cup of cashew cream instead of more vegetable broth. I've made this soup both ways, and they are both DELICIOUS!

I loaded up this soup with so many hearty ingredients, there is no way you will still feel cold after having a bite of this. I used 3 different kinds of organic sprouted beans - adzuki beans, mung beans, and green lentils. Adzuki and mung beans are used a lot in Asian cultures, specifically in desserts. If you've ever had "red bean" ice cream, you were actually eating adzuki bean ice cream. In chinatown, you can find some of the best "red bean" (adzuki) and "green bean" (mung bean) desserts. Sadly, most of them are not vegan. I'll definitely make some kind of Asian inspired vegan bean dessert soon, I really miss it! In the mean time, I hope you enjoy this soup. Stay warm!

Ingredients (makes about 8 servings):

• 1 1/2 - 2 quarts vegetable broth (you can decide how thick you want the soup) 
• 1 can of organic sprouted adzuki beans
• 1 can of organic sprouted mung beans 
• 1 can of organic sprouted green lentils
• 1 bag organic string beans 
• 1 bag organic yellow string beans 
• 2-3 large carrots, chopped
• 1 can organic chunky tomatoes
• 1 bag organic frozen corn
• freshly chopped basil
• 4 potatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large pot, boil the chopped potatoes in the vegetable broth. After 10 minutes, add the fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables, freshly chopped basil, and tomatoes. Add the beans, and spices and let the soup simmer on a low heat for 1 hour. Serve and enjoy!