This is a good and simple soup to put together. You can use any greens that you have on hand. Serve with pita toasts (page 272).  

• 1 tablespoon oil or ¼ cup vegetable broth, for sautéing
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 stalk of celery, finely diced
• 1 carrot, peeled, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons of parsley, chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, finely diced
•  ½ cup of long grain rice
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
•  4 cups of vegetable broth (unsalted) or water
•  10-12 fresh Roma tomatoes, chopped or 4 cups of canned fire-roasted tomatoes
•  1 teaspoon Deb’s Seasoning (page 269)
•  A couple of dashes of Tabasco®
•  1 cup of greens, chopped (collards, chard, kale, bok choy, any that you have on hand)
•  Splash of red wine vinegar
•  ½-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
•  1-1½ teaspoon salt
•  Fresh ground pepper, to taste  

Heat soup pot to medium heat and add oil or vegetable broth. Toss in onions, garlic, carrots, celery, jalapeño and parsley. When onions become tender, add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant.  Stir in tomato paste until well blended. Add vegetable broth or water, Deb’s seasoning, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer with cover, until rice is almost tender (about 25 minutes for white rice and about 45 minutes for brown rice).  Drop greens into soup pot. Pour in red wine vinegar and add Tabasco®, red pepper flakes and salt. Cook until greens are tender (about 10 minutes). Taste for seasonings and add freshly ground pepper. Serve.

Hint:

Roma tomatoes are less sweet and have a full-bodied tomato flavor. They work well for soups and sauces.