Eat Your Peas! And Beans! And Barley!

Months and months ago, Pereg Natural Gourmet Food sent me several packages of their dried legumes to sample. But since I cook for one (Paul and I don't eat the same things), it takes me awhile to work through a big sample box. I tried the jumbo-sized Chickpeas, the Pearl Couscous, and the Autumn Lentils in various dishes.

And this week, I finally got around to the last item — Pereg Soup Mix.

I grew up eating 15-bean soup, which is packaged as a bunch of dried beans and legumes with some sort of ham seasoning packet. God knows what was in that seasoning. But I remember loving that soup as a kid! I loved all the various textures, shapes, and colors of the beans all mixed together. This Soup Mix brought back those fond memories.

The package contains barley, yellow and green split peas, yellow and green whole peas, black turtle beans, romano beans, Dutch brown beans, and red lentils. Some are big. Some are teensy. Some retain a firm texture. Some get super-soft and mushy. And all those flavors and textures together make for one pretty special soup.

I followed the recipe for Mixed Bean Tomato Soup on the back of the package to make this!

So good. It's creamy and chunky and savory all at the same time. The Soup Mix is cooked with crushed tomatoes, onion, pepper, celery, carrot, and garlic. And it's seasoned with veggie stock, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Such a warming meal on these cold winter nights. I've been enjoying this soup all week with vegan cheesy bread some nights and with vegan cheese and crackers other nights.