Creole White Bean Soup with Vegetables

Once again, we are really stretching it here. On the National Front, it’s Orchid Day, Eggs Benedict Day, Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day (my personal favorite!), Healthcare Decision Day and National Bean Counter Day. Now I know that I could have shared a recipe for Egg Benedict today. That would have been easy. But you know me, always thinking outside the box. Bean counter – beans – bean soup! Makes sense to me!

National Bean Counter Day was founded by Kevin Wenig, a CPA from Trumbull, Connecticut, to make April 16th as an official “day off” for Accountants. After months of preparing tax returns, buried in a whirlwind of debits, credits, receipts and forms, their brains need to rest. The point of the day is that we, the non-accountant folks out there, are not to call, text, e-mail, or contact our accountant in any way on National Bean Counter Day. So I say let’s make some bean soup, take it to work and eat it while wearing our pajamas! Are you with me?

And look – no meat. Perfect for Holy Tuesday, the 36th Day of Lent. So grab a spoon and let’s get going.

Creole White Bean Soup with Vegetables
1/2 cup Carrots
1/2 cup Celery
1/4 cup Italian Parsley
4 cans Northern White Beans
4 cups Chicken Broth
2 cups Red Salsa
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
2 teaspoons Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
2 teaspoons Onion Powder

Peel and dice 1/2 cup of carrots. Place in a soup pot. Dice 1/2 cup of celery, then mince 1/4 cup of parsley. Add to the pot with the carrots.

Drain canned beans and rinse well, drain again.

Place beans into the soup pot along with the broth and seasoning-spices. Mix well, taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Bring soup to boil and reduce heat, simmer about 20 minutes or until carrots are tender.