Texas Tropical Habanero Vegetable Soup

On a cold autumn night, nothing beats a pot of Texas Tropical Habanero Vegetable Soup! Yes, the weather’s turned chilly! It won’t last; we’ll have a few more super hot days before winter hits, but yesterday and today were cool. Weather-wise cool.

What could be better for dinner on a chilly night than a pot full of homemade vegetable soup?

Nothing, that’s what.

So we stripped the tomato vines of the last of the cherry tomatoes, searched the fridge and freezer for all the leftover vegetables, cut up a few fresh vegetables, and put them all in a pot with a big can of tomato juice, some spices, and some Texas Pepper Jelly’s Pineapple Orange Habanero Pepper Jelly and Mango Habanero Pepper Jelly. It’s a combination that can’t miss.

Vegetable soup can be made with almost any combination of vegetables – canned, fresh, frozen, leftover. . . it’s all good. Here’s how we made our batch of vegetable soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 large can of tomato juice
• 1 can chopped tomatoes, or one large tomato, finely chopped
• 1 cup green beans
• 1 cup peas
• 1 cup corn
• 1/2 cup broccoli
• 1 cup saurkraut
• 3 carrots, sliced into coins
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped cauliflower
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup black beans
• 1 red pepper, slivered
• 1 green pepper, slivered
• 1/2 cup Pineapple Orange Habanero Pepper Jelly
• 1/2 cup Mango Habanero Pepper Jelly
• 1 teaspoon cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup lime or lemon juice
• 1 cup water

What to do:

Put everything in the above list into a stockpot, stir to make sure it’s all mixed up, add more water if you think you need some, turn the burner on to simmer, put the lid on the pot, and go about your business.

After about 45 minutes, stir the pot. The aroma will be so wonderful you won’t know how you can possibly wait for dinner. Put the lid back on the pot and force yourself to walk away. Set the timer for an hour, but remind yourself to stir the pot every half hour or so.

After the soup has simmered for about three hours, check to make sure the carrots are done – they take the longest. If the carrots are done, the soup is done.

Turn off the burner and let the soup “set up” for about fifteen minutes. Put bowls, spoons, crackers, and drinks on the table. Call everybody to supper.

With a large stockpot, it’s easier if everybody just lines up at the stove and somebody ladles soup into their bowls.

Dive in. This soup is glorious. And made more glorious with the addition of the habanero pepper jellies.