Self Conscious Disclaimer: Yes there’s a recipe below but a bit of context might make this more enjoyable. Or just page down; you know what to do.

I’m a proud member of my local science fiction community and a popular question that came up at a convention I was attending recently was “What is your super power?”. I thought about it and gave some kind of crap answer. It took cooking this for a friend to realize what my super power is: I can generally pick the one recipe from a cookbook that is worth making. I got this recipe initially from a long lost cookbook of soup recipes and everyone who has ever had it has universally loved it. It is:

  • Delicious
  • Cheap
  • Simple to make
  • Healthy
  • Entirely gluten free and easily made vegan
  • Unique

So that’s my super power – I can generally pick out a recipe worth making from any cookbook. Now onto the recipe!

Tools

*Cutting Board

  • Chef’s knife
  • Soup pot
  • Measuring devices
  • Blender
  • Collander

Ingredients

Used Initially

  • 6 cups stock either Chicken or Vegetable. If you want vegan then use vegetable stock
  • 1 large onion or 2 small onions diced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 2 cans cannelini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 large or 3 small carrots (but not baby carrots) cut into a small dice; yes it is a soup but small dice gives up more flavor since there is more surface area from the flavor to transfer
  • 1 dried guajillo chili pepper, stem removed and diced (yes you want the seeds to be in the soup)
  • 1 dried arbor chili pepper, stem removed and diced (yes you want the seeds in the soup)

    Used Part of the Way Through

  • 1 cup dry roasted peanuts, unsalted preferably

    Used At The End

  • 1 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup diced dry roasted peanuts, unsalted preferably
  • Minced cilantro

Steps

  1. Combine all the ingredients in the Used Initially section in soup pot.
  2. Bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce to a simmer.
  4. Set a timer for 10 minutes.
  5. When the timer goes off then add the 1 cup peanuts.
  6. Set a 20 minute timer.
  7. Transfer the bulk of the soup to a blender. Leave roughly a cup or two of the chunky bits in the bottom of the pot to enhance the soup.
  8. Blend and add back to the soup pot.
  9. Add the red wine vinegar and stir well. The effect of this will be to “brighten” the flavor palette of the soup.
  10. Top with the cilantro and diced peanuts.