Mung Bean and Rice Soup (aka: Screaming Sarah Soup)

I call this "Screaming Sarah Soup" for two reasons.
1) The prep is fast; I can easily throw this together even on the worst of screamy (teething) days.
2) Sarah loves it. If I don't move the spoon fast enough from her cup to her mouth she "screams" (well, grunts) for more.

Anyway it is a fantastically fast (and healthy) little number inspired by a red lentil soup recipe that I found on one of my favorite cooking websites 101cookbooks.com. My version substitutes mung beans for red lentils (we prefer their texture and slightly nutty flavor over the red lentils which we find to be a bit too mushy). My version also yields a larger batch and has more rice. Throw some together on the next rainy afternoon and enjoy :-)

Mung Bean Soup Ingredients

1 medium onion

1-2 shallots

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

8 cups water

2 cubes veggie bouillon (we love the Rapunzel with sea salt and herbs but have been using Edward and Sons Garden Veggie due to availability at our local store). (These are large size cubes so one cube flavors 2 cups water)

1 cup rinsed Mung beans (we used the split variety)

1 cup brown rice

2 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

Chop onions and shallots. Caramelize onions and shallots with red pepper flakes in a small splash of olive oil. Once caramelized add 8 cups water, veggie bouillon, Mung beans, brown rice and salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for approximately 45 minutes (or until rice is at desired texture). Adjust seasoning to taste and enjoy!

Serving Note: My hubby and baby love this soup "as is." I enjoy it with a small splash of citrus (you can use lemon or lime but I would add it to taste bowl by bowl).