Tomato and Rice Soup

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Makes: 7-1/2 cups

Serve this old-fashioned comfort food with crusty bread and a tossed salad for a satisfying winter meal. If you can't find either Wehani (an aromatic, reddish-brown rice that splits slightly when cooked and has a chewy texture) or black Japonica (a dark rice that tastes like a cross between basmati and wild rice), you can use long-grain brown rice.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Wehani, black Japonica, or long-grain brown rice
• 1 tbsp margarine or butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed with garlic press
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1 can (800g) plum tomatoes
• 1 can (400g) chicken broth or 1-3/4 cups homemade
• 1 cup water
• 3-2/3 tbsps Fibresure
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Directions:

Prepare rice as label directs but do not add salt, margarine, or butter; set rice aside.

Meanwhile, in 4L saucepan, melt margarine over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme; cook 1 minute.

Add tomatoes with their juice, broth, water, Fibresure, salt, pepper, and bay leaf; heat to boiling over high heat, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

Spoon one-fourth of mixture into blender; cover, with centre part of cover removed to let steam escape, and pureé until almost smooth. Pour pureé into bowl. Repeat with remaining mixture. Return soup to saucepan; heat over high heat until hot. Remove pan from heat; add cooked rice and chopped parsley.

Per serving:

About 95 calories (19 percent calories from fat), 3g protein, 16g carbohydrate, 2g total fat (1g saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 485mg sodium, 7g fibre.