Creamy White Italian Bean Soup

The weather is getting cooler, and that means it's time for soups! I love making homemade soups, and D loves it too. It's wonderful to experiment as well as soothing to come home to a nice bowl of hot soup on a cool evening.

`course, as I have mentioned before, we have some picky eaters at home. Sometimes, the soups have to wait until they are somewhere else or else they may get a substitute soup from a can that they do like. There are few soups they like. All of the children love tomato soup, especially if I make grilled cheese to go along with it. They also love chicken noodle soup. When I make potato soup, only one of them eats it. Same with the broccoli and cheese soup (oh it's delicious). And none of them will eat the various bean soups I make, which are all good.

So, our first soup of the Autumn Season is one of our favorite soups: Creamy White Bean Soup with Spinach with cornbread. (REAL cornbread, not from a box)

Creamy White Italian Bean Soup
(makes 6 cups at 295 calories and 5 grams of fat per serving)

• 1 tblspn vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium celery stalk, diced
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 2 cans cannellini beans, drained (you can use navy beans; I use dry ones for lower sodium)
• 1 can chicken broth (I use the low sodium broth)
• 1/4 tspn pepper
• 1/8 tspn dry thyme
• 2 cups water
• 10-12 oz fresh spinach (I use baby spinach)
• 1 tblspn lemon juice

1. In a 3 qt saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and celery. Cook 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring.
2. Add beans, broth, pepper, thyme and water. Heat to boiling over high heat.
3. Reduce to low heat, simmer 15 minutes uncovered.
4. With a spoon, remove 2 cups of the bean mixture from soup. Blend in a blender, with the middle part of the lid off to allow steam to escape. Add back to the saucepan.
5. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted. Add lemon juice.
6. Remove from heat, Serve topped with Parmesan.

Southern Cornbread
(not so healthy, but good)

• 2 cups of self rising corn meal
• 1 3/4 cup of buttermilk
• 1/4 cup of oil

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 9 inch ovenproof skillet or 9 inch square pan; place in oven to heat.
2. In large bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well.
3. Remove heated pan from oven, and pour batter into the pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes.