Clean Out the Kitchen Soup: Garbanzo Bean & Chicken Soup with Vegetables

If you are like me you like to have your fridge stocked with vegetables: carrots, potatoes, celery, and anything in-season. As I realized that I was not able to force much more into the fridge, I realized that this was an excellent opportunity to make a unique soup, or clean the fridge, the latter of which I will do some other time :) . Marina has taken a liking to garbanzo beans and we just happen to have a jar full that I have not used in who-knows-how-long, so I decided that we would center the soup around the beans and a rich chicken stock. I always have a couple of chicken bones in the freezer for such occasions. Stella (7 months old, still no teeth) is beginning to enjoy and eat solid/pureed foods, therefore soup is really the perfect dinner for everyone. For this soup you can really use any ingredients that you have in the fridge that are vegetables; use your own discretion. The essentials are:
-a good soup stock
-protein, as in beans & chicken stock as used here
-lengthy cooking time to infuse the ingredients with eachother

So, now that you have your basics, here's the

GARBANZO BEAN & CHICKEN RECIPE:

You will need:
1-2 chicken bones, cooked in the 4 quarts of water for 2 hours
4 quarts water
herbs for chicken stock: sprig of rosemary & thyme, 2 bay leaves
2 1/2 cups garbanzo beans, soaked 1-4 hours
4 medium carrots, sliced
4 stalks celery, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 cup green beans
1 cup purple beans (like green beans, only purple, you can get them at the farmer's market this time of year)
2 cups sliced and quartered russet potatoes, about 2-3 big potatoes or more if they are small
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
soy sauce or tamari to taste

To make the CHICKEN STOCK boil the bones and Garbanzo beans in 4 quarts water for minimum 2 hours with above mentioned herbs and salt, take out bones and chicken fat but retain any meat & beans. (My dogs love the chicken fat and gristle from this recipe) Check the beans to see that they are soft. If so, add all the vegetables: potatoes, carrots, celery, green & purple beans, onion, garlic. Cook until vegetables are soft to your taste, about 30 mins +/-.

This soup serves A LOT or makes great leftovers. You can also freeze it and use it later.

ENJOY! And may you have love, laughter, and joy!