Warm From Your Nose Down To Your Toes

I love it when we get to the time of the year when we can open up the windows and the house is full of fresh air.  During the warmer months, our windows are open 24/7, no matter how high or low the temperature gets.  The only down side to this is the nights when the temperature drops into the high forties and you find yourself freezing.  When I find myself cold no matter how many blankets I heap on, I know that it is time for soup.

This evening, as the temperatures dropped to 48°F, I found myself craving a little something to warm my insides so I turned to my collection of soup recipes.  Many of the recipes for soup in my collection requires hours of simmering to prepare them and that just was not something I was interested in tonight.  Tonight, I wanted something relatively quick but I did not want to cut corners on flavor.  I did not have enough vegetables on hand to do a vegetable soup and my Magic Chicken Noodle Soup simply takes too long to make.  Then I found a recipe I had not made in a long, long time:  Peanut Soup.  It is simple, quick and tasty and I just happened to have all of the ingredients I needed on hand.

Peanut Soup is one of those recipes that are so tasty and simple, you have to wonder why you don’t make it all of the time.  The flavors are bold without being over the top, it tastes creamy without containing any cream and you can dress it up and serve it on an elegant table or dress it down and serve it on a basic table.  No matter how you choose to serve it, there is no mistaking that Peanut Soup will keep you warm from your nose all of the way down to your toes!

Peanut Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 cups vegetable broth
• ½ small onion, diced
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 – 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 cup cooked rice
• Peanuts

Directions

1. In a medium sauce pan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil.
2. Add the diced onion and zucchini and allow to simmer for 2 – 3 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, tomato paste, peanut butter and soy sauce and stir until well combined.
4. Allow to simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through, stirring occasionally,
5. Add cooked rice, stir to combine and allow to simmer for 3 – 5 minutes.
6. Garnish with peanuts and serve hot.

What kind of soup warms your insides on a cool evening?  Comment below and let me know!