Azuke Bean and Spinach Soup

This delightful soup is from one of my Moosewood cookbooks, Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health.  If you are not familiar with the Moosewood restaurant and their many cookbooks, you are missing a lot!  The Moosewood restaurant is in a small town in upstate New York and over the years, they have published numerous cookbooks that are just fantastic.  I have at least half a dozen of them in my collection.

This recipe calls for using vegetable broth.  Not being a strict vegetarian, I use chicken broth.

1 1/2 cups dried azuke beans
1 quart vegetable broth
4 cups water
5 cups chopped, fresh spinach
1/2 cup diagonally sliced scallions
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

In a large pot, bring the beans, broth, and water to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer with the pot lid slightly ajar for about 50 minutes.

When the beans are soft and tender, but not falling apart, stir in the spinach, scallions, soy sauce, and rice vinegar.  Add more water or broth for the consistency you like.  For the best color and freshest flavor, serve this soup as soon as the spinach is wilted.