Instructions: Id get out my trusty little soup pot, put in just a teensy bit of olive oil, and saute some chopped white onions till theyre transparent, or even caramelized, depending on my mood. Somewhere along the line Id add some 1" diagonal slices of scallions (white and green parts), some diced carrot, and some chopped garlic, but I wouldnt cook those as long as the white onion. Id chop those tomatoes and add them (I wouldnt peel them, but you can if you want). Then Id throw in some chopped parsley.

Then, from the pantry, Id put in a can or two of low-fat chicken broth or some vegetable broth. Knowing me, Id also put in a can of drained, rinsed beans-black, great northern, garbanzo, pinto, red kidney or ?

At this point, Id taste the soup base. If it wasnt tomato-ee enough, Id add a can of diced tomatoes, or perhaps a can of tomato sauce. Id probably want some coarse-ground black pepper in there. Depending on my mood, Id add a generous amount of ground cumin and/or Mexican oregano and/or Worcestershire sauce and/or Melindas Original Habanero Sauce and/or ??? Finally, I MIGHT add 1/3 cup of rice (white or brown), then leave it all to simmer, covered, for 30 minutes to hours.

NOTES : I make a soup like this for myself at least every couple of weeks, and never tire of it, because there are so many variables-you can have limitless variety. The soup can have a Mexican slant, or Italian, or almost any ethnicity.

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