Whew! Finally back from the road & ready for SOUP!

Finally! I am back in my own kitchen on the West Coast instead of traveling across the east coast of the U.S. for work. It was a fun trip through Florida, where I tasted many a fresh fish, diver scallop, discovered some new techniques that I want to share with you, and ate way too much!!! But good fun.

Despite the good times I had and the good food I ate, I couldn't wait to get home and eat some of my own soup. As you may have read in an earlier post, over the last 14 months or so, I have managed to drop an amazing amount of weight and one of the ways that I have been able to that was by eating a lot of soup. All kinds of soup: butternut squash, veggie soup, stews, and more. But, my go-to favorite soup is my own version of Tuscan White Bean Soup. It's so delicious and hearty. If you're doing the Weight Watchers program or lifestyle, white beans are what they call a "filling food," i.e., a food that keeps you more satisfied than one filled with sugars and processed foods.

Before I digress, let me share you my quick and easy version of my soup. I like to make everything simple, so there's literally one of everything. You'll see. Just read on.

Tuscan White Bean & Ham Soup (eliminate the ham to make it vegetarian!)

¼ cup sliced red onion
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
4 oz. "off the bone ham" from the deli counter, sliced about 1/4" thick or 1/2 a ham steak from the meat dept and cut into small bite-size squares
1 Tablespoon garlic powder (or to taste)
1 Tablespoon parsley flakes
Scant ½ teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can great northern white beans
1 can vegetable broth
1 can water
1 sprig FRESH rosemary

Heat medium saucepan over high flame, add butter or margarine and melt. Once melted, add onions and cook until caramelized (brown but take care not to burn). Once caramelized, add chopped ham, all spices, beans, broth and water. With a fork or potato masher, smash some of the beans (not all of them), helps thicken the soup. Stir well and bring to a rolling boil. Lower heat and simmer for approx. 20 minutes until liquid is reduced. Remove pan from burner and add rosemary sprig, run through soup and then let sit for approx. 5 minutes. Serve with warmed, crusty French bread.

Make approx. 3-4 servings depending upon how hungry you are. I adjust the spice levels all the time, so play with it.

If you want to really put this soup over the top serve it with a drizzle of truffled olive oil and baked proscuitto crumbles that you add just before serving.

You may store left over portions in the fridge and eat them throughout the week. My general rule of thumb is 4-ish days for soup and then it's history.

Until next time my hungry friends!
Suzie Q

Image courtesy of agoodappetite.blogspot.com