BEST COOKING RECIPES

Here's Laura Bush's secret vegetable soup recipe.

Here's the ingredients you will need for this vegetable soup recipe:

1-1/4 cups pinto beans
soaked overnight and drained
1 tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 lb. tomatoes
fresh or canned
peeled
seeded
and chopped; juice reserved
2 ancho chilies
1 lb. mixed summer squash
4 ears corn (about 2 cups kernels)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tbsp. corn or vegetable oil
2 yellow onions
cut 1/4 inch squares
2 cloves garlic
finely chopped
2 tbsp. red chili powder
or more to taste
8 ozs. green beans
cut into 1-inch lengths
4 ozs. jack or muenster cheese
grated
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves
roughly chopped
Whole cilantro leaves for garnish

Here's how to cook vegetable soup recipe:

Cook the pre-soaked beans for about 1 to 2 hours in plenty of water with the salt
bay leaf and oregano. Remove them from the heat when they are soft but not mushy
as they will continue to cook in the stew. Drain the beans
and save the broth. Prepare the tomatoes. Open the chili pods and remove the seeds and veins; then cut the chilies into narrow strips. Cut the squash into large pieces. Shave the kernels from the corn.

Heat the oil in a large skillet
and saute the onions over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Lower the heat
add the garlic
chili powder
cumin and coriander and stir everything together. Add a little bean broth
so the chili doesn't stew for 5 minutes. Stir in the squash
corn
green beans
and chili strips along with the cooked beans and enough broth to make a fairly wet stew. Cook slowly until the vegetables are done
about 15 or 20 minutes. Taste the stew and adjust the seasoning. Stir in the cheese and chopped cilantro
and garnish with whole leaves of cilantro.

Serve with cornbread or tortillas. A great one-dish meal if you have a garden or have just visited the Farmer's Market.