Several months ago on an office birthday, we went to a downtown restaurant called FAB, where I tried a white bean and truffle oil soup that rocked my world. I have not stopped thinking about this soup since.
Yesterday I did a quick Google and saw the title "White Bean and Rosemary Soup" pop up in my browser. Without doing more than skim the recipe, I went home and made it my own. It's easier than you could imagine (though not quick):
Boil about 4 cups of water, a veggie buillion cube (I used vegan sea salt with herbs -- no MSG), half a cup of dried navy beans, a tsp of minced garlic and some rosemary (this is discretionary - I used 3 tsps of ground rosemary and it was a bit too much -- I recommend fresh or dried for future tries) in a saucepan on medium low heat and covered. I did this in three 20 minute intervals because I ALWAYS burn beans (and rice, and quinoa, and barley, if we're being honest). This way I can check, stir and add more water as needed. I tried to make it so there were about 2 cups of water when the beans were tender.
When done boiling, pour into a blender with about 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and puree until smooth. Add more water if it's too thick.
Now, taste it, and think, "Holy crap, this isn't a $10 bowl of French restaurant soup!"
Note: Increase accordingly. This recipe makes about 1 bowl of soup. To enjoy a more reasonable calorie content, I am eating it in half cup servings (140 calories per half cup, approximately). The bowl would be about 420 calories. You could use only one tbsp of olive oil to decrease the content to 300, but it would be slightly less yummy...
