Soup Recipe

Hello All!
So, today I am going to post a soup recipe I found in a recent magazine. I decided to try it the other day. Along with the recipe will be pictures that I took, shown step by step. Its a tomato based soup.

Here's the ingredients list:

Olive Oil

Cayenne pepper

Cumin

Fresh Parsley

Fresh Cilantro
Vegetable juice

Ground Chicken

Onion

Bell pepper

Fresh Garlic*
Crushed tomatoes
Beans

I didn't include any measurements for the very reason that I didn't follow them myself. I mainly used the recipe as a guide.

 * Now, for the record, I am not a fan of fresh garlic at all! The peeling, the chopping, the stickiness.. It's tedious and so not my cup of tea. Maybe it's because I have fat fingers, I don't know... Anywho, give me garlic powder, and I'll be fine.. However, since this particular recipe called for fresh, I decided to go on and add it since its my first time trying this recipe.

Well, now lets get started!!,

1) -Chop up your onions and bell pepper, garlic. Yes, Although I have an electric chopper, I hand chopped; for the simple fact that I actually enjoy cooking and prepping the ingredients(just not garlic).



Best Friends : )



2)- Saute Chicken in Olive oil(I just boiled in water then drained)

   

3)- Saute Onions, bell pepper, garlic in olive oil. Just enough to soften, not to brown. 

Olive oil I used

                                                                     

4)- Combine Crushed tomatoes, chicken, and veggies, Mix well.

 5)- Add Beans(I couldn't decide which beans to use, so I used two kinds!)












6)- Add Vegetable juice, Mix well over medium heat





.......and more juice



.......and MORE beans?!? 
Yup-remember ppl, beans are chock full of fiber and vitamins!














7)- Add Cayenne, add Cumin. Continue to cook over Medium-High heat until boiling



Smells soooo Good!



8)- Bring on the Parsley and Cilantro-o-o-o!! Can you tell which is which?                                              

9)- Sprinkle parsley and cilantro                                                                                                                 



3x to emphasize the beauty !!!

10)- Stir, and expect to be amazed...not really, it's just soup                                                                      

Now, I'm not sure if I mentioned this, and I'm not going to scroll alllll the way back up just yet to check, but I added more seasonings including a bit of salt. Now, the soup on its own had a very delicious, very fresh, aromatic taste. It just needed something to bring it out a bit. That being said, I only added to my liking after following the recipe then sampling it.  So, I gave it a fair chance on its own, then I had to doctor it a bit.. All in all, it was a hit!