Gypsy Soup

This is yet another hardy and healthy (and spicy) vegetable soup that is adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook.

The soup brims with lots of vegetables and beans, and is spiced with lots of spices - not the hot kind, the flavorful kind.

Ingredients:

1. 2 tablespoons olive oil
2. 2 medium-sized onions, chopped
3. 4 cloves of garlic, minced
4. 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
5. 4 celery stalks, diced
6. 4 medium-sized potatoes, diced (or use 1 sweet potato)
7. 1 bell-pepper, diced (preferably the red/yellow/orange one; the green pepper is a little bitter here)
8. 1 tablespoon tomato paste
9. 1.5 teaspoons salt
10. 2 teaspoons paprika
11. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
12. 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon powder
13. 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
14. 1 teaspoon nutmeg powder
15. 1 teaspoon all-spice powder
16. 1 bay leaf
17. 5 cups of water / vegetable broth
18. 1 cup of cooked black beans
19. 1 cup of cooked black-eyed beans
20. 1 teaspoon basil, gently cut

Preparation: 

1. Heat the olive oil in a big sauce-pan or dutch oven. Saute the onions and garlic until the onions turn translucent. 
2. Add celery and potato, and saute on medium-heat for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add salt, paprika, turmeric powder, cinnamon powder, cumin powder, nutmeg, and all-spice powder and saute for a couple of minutes to coat the veggies. Add the tomato paste and stir well with the vegetables for another couple of minutes.
4. Add the bay leaf, 5 cups of water (or as needed to cook the veggies). Cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium-heat.
5. Then, add the diced pepper, tomatoes, and the beans. Add more water if required. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes or until all the vegetables are done. Taste and adjust seasonings.
6. Finally, add the basil, cover and simmer on low-heat for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and serve.