After much procrastination and sending my not so little birdie off, time to get some recipes up. The new WordPress is not as easy or simple to use, I will definately feel the absence of my young help.

I might have been too generous and worried about the amount of macaroni that I added in this recipe. Please do cut the amount by half and add more liquids for a less ‘hearty’ Minestone.

Ingredients:

1 400g can diced or chopped tomatoes

1 can of kidney beans

2 tomatoes, cut into chunks

2 stalks celery, diced

1 carrot, peel removed & diced

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups macaroni (reduce to 1 cup for less carbohydrates)

1 cup chicken stock (for a vegetarian version, replace with vegetable stock)

2 cups water (add 1 more cup for a less hearty soup)

1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Method:

• Fry the onion, celery & carrots in some oil in a pot, about 4L capacity.
• When the onion turns translucent, add in all the other ingredients except for the macaroni and kidney beans.
• Add in the macaroni when the stock comes to a boil.
• Remember to stir every now and again to keep the macaroni from sticking to the bottom and/or sides of the pot.
• When the macaroni is at the ‘al dente’ or just cooked stage, add in the whole can of kidney beans including the liquid.
• Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover with lid. This cuts the cooking time down and the macaroni will still continue to absorb liquids.
• Another way of doing this is to precook the macaroni and add to the stock when the carrots are cooked.
• Garnish with celery leaves or anything you like.

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