Warm Goodness

I've been meaning to get this recipe up for months. I'm so sorry that you've missed a whole season to make this. Good thing today was gray, with lots of rain and thunder looming. What a perfect day to make soup! I think this was our favorite soup EVER! You could also add chicken to this, but why add the extra expense and trouble when this soup has all the components of a tasty meal already?

White Bean Chilli

1 lb white beans (like Great Northerns)
2 large onions, diced
2 Tbs ground cumin
1 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp poultry seasoning
2 4 ounce cans diced green chilies
1 8 ounce can salsa verde (optional)
7 cups "chicken like" or vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1/2 pound tomattllos, cleaned and quartered
1 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
1 cup chopped green onions (for garnish)
Sour cream (optional)

Soak beans overnight or use quick soak method (bring beans and water to cover by 1" to a boil for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and cover. Let sit 1 hour, then proceed) ***I cheated, and bought 3 cans of white beans. Save yourself the trouble and do the same!***
Pour off soaking water and cover beans with fresh water and bring to full boil. Lower heat and simmer. While beans simmer,***if you bought the canned beans START HERE*** in a large soup kettle or Dutch oven, saute onions any way that gets the job done, when translucent, add cumin, chili powder, poultry seasoning, green chilies and salsa verde. Saute for 5 minutes, adding a little stock if it begins to stick. Then add the rest of the stock, bay leaves, and tomatillos and 3/4 cup cilantro. If you're using canned beans, this is another part to skip- yeah! Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered while beans continue to cook. When beans are just tender (1-2 hours) add them to the soup pot and simmer everything together for another 1/2 hour. Add the beans to the other mixture, season with salt and peper to taste. Just before serving, add the rest of the cilantro and the lime juice (lime juice is a nice touch, and SO worth it), stir to blend. Ladle into big bowls and top with green onions and an optional dollop of fat free sour cream.