Kellie's Belly

I have purchased Hurst’s HamBeens 15 Bean Soup several times in the past for my science students to use for classification activities and making dichotomous keys, but have never actually made a batch of the soup with the mix until now.  The package boasts of being “high fiber” and “low fat” and includes clear cooking instructions for making a batch of basic soup.

(Please note that the soup above was NOT made with student-handled beans!)

I do not usually cook with ham, but since the recipe called for it I figured I’d give it a try.  This soup recipe could be a good way to use up leftover ham after a holiday gathering, and it makes a fairly large batch of filling, high protein soup.  If I buy this soup mix again for cooking purposes, I will probably try one of the recipes on the Hurst Beans website, as there are quite a few interesting, healthful, and kitchen-tested recipes available to choose from.  I will probably also omit the ham flavored powder. I am fairly certain that it added an odd sweet flavor to the soup that I needed to balance out with large quantities of hot sauce…

A couple of weeks ago I bought some tofu and noodles without a plan.  Let’s just say the purchase was coupon-inspired.  I decided I wanted to try using both products in the same dish, so I checked out the Nasoya website for recipe ideas, and found a recipe for Vegetarian Hot Pot.

I was happy with the results: a hearty vegetarian soup that had a nice spicy kick, was slightly sour and yet not so sour or spicy as to overtake the flavors of the vegetables.

I also like how colorful the soup is.  It reminds me of a noodle bowl I once had at the Thai Orchid restaurant in Orono, Maine