Of Blizzards and Bean Soup

If you are part of the cyber-connected world, you could not have missed that the East Coast/Mid-Atlantic region was hit by a storm this weekend. When a natural disaster hits the news centers, it tends to become national news.

Here in NYC, the Blizzard of 2016 was the second highest snowfall on record, beat out only by 1/10 of an inch in 2006.

I remember the 2006 storm fondly. We had several days off from school. No such luck this time. Between the blizzard falling on a Saturday, and the smartly-imposed ban on all traffic, most of the roads were clear by Sunday afternoon (unless you live way out in the outer boros).  So school was open on Monday. Walking was a whole lot of fun (NOT!), but the city was functioning smoothly despite the mountains of snow.

Back on Sunday, I was looking for some good, soul-warming food. I'd been meaning to make up a pot of Tuscan White Bean Soup for a while, so that's what I did.

I didn't follow any recipe, just threw in what seemed right.

I started with carrots and celery diced, added low-sodium vegetable broth, and a can of cannellini beans. I like to buy  Eden Organics because they are packed with seaweed. They're low in sodium, but it's natural sodium from the seaweed, not from some chemical preservative.

 I threw in some garlic and dried herbs to taste - thyme, oregano, and rosemary.

After simmering awhile, I tossed in a mix of greens - chard, spinach, baby kale, etc.,  and cooked a few minutes to wilt the greens.

It was that simple.

I topped it with some shredded cheese to serve - because what doesn't taste better with shredded cheese melting into it?












Ever since Virginia's post on baking the perfect Boule, I've been craving bread. I found this fabulous loaf at my local produce store. Look how glossy and full of air pockets it is! I figured Virginia would approve.

All in all, a very satsifying and hearty meal.

What's your favorite blizzard food?