Dangerous dieting, but soup is good for you - Winter Minestrone

I reckon, life can be quite dangerous as a food blogger ... when you are at least as crazy as I am ... at least. Otherwise, how would you call baking a Sachertorte just for your 2nd Blogiversary? As I don't throw away food, I will inevitably end up with having problems putting my trousers on. Yes, no help arrived in helping me eat that cake. 
Anyway, repeated incidents like this will turn you into being overweight. That can make life quite hard, especially when you want to go swimming at the Sea and at the same time activists of Greenpeace are nearby. For sure they will aid you in getting back into the Sea, where you obviously belong.
Now, you could also choose the way of dieting as some have the custom to do at the beginning of every year or ... no wonder ... close to the beach season. From the latter we are still far off.
In case you have found a diet that is working well for you beware that it isn't working too well. In order to help you with that I have some clues for you when to stop dieting ...

You have to stop dieting, when ...

... picking up a spoon increases your weight considerably.

... you can peer through a keyhole with both eyes at the same time.

... the ducks start to feed you.

... you get stuck with your fingers between the keys while typing something on your keyboard.

... you get blown away by the air-conditioning.

... you don't have to open the door, because you can slip beneath it.

Just saying! Anyway, you have to find your balance - as always, both directions. However, you can't go wrong with soup ... for various reasons. One of that being warming at a cold winter day.
Having said that, I have to hurry with putting up my recipe of a Winter Minestrone before winter is over. On the other hand, when I look around these days, it doesn't quite feel or look like winter around here. Not that I am complaining!

Fine, soup ... have a look ...

I want to call it Winter Minestrone, because it has all the ingredients in it you would use in Minestrone like beans, carrots, tomatoes and pasta, although I have to admit that the tomatoes will not be as good in winter as they are in summer. But then, it will depend on ... something. I am not  100 % sure of what, but there must be ... eh ... something.

Let us start cooking, before I get totally stupid ... I mean totally.

Ingredients:
200 g borlotti beans
2 bay leaves
8 cherry tomatoes
A splash of olive oil
One onion
2 carrots
Half a celeriac
A splash of red wine vinegar (and a glass of red wine for you, maybe)
2 litres water
Half of a white cabbage
One leek
Salt and pepper
100 g spaghetti (or other lovely pasta, if you wish)

Method:
What do we do now? Oh, right, I am supposed to tell you. Sorry!
Have a large pot for the soup and a small one for the beans. We start by cooking the beans together with two bay leaves, a bit of water and four crushed cherry tomatoes. Depending on the beans you use it can take up to one hour. Anyway, cook them until they get soft.
Our attention goes to the big pot. Put it onto small to medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil. Then we focus on the onion, carrots and the celeriac. Well, I say, cut them into the kind of pieces you want to see them in the soup and that would go well into the mouths of those eating them ... whereas I would chop the onions rather finely.
Fine, the vegetables are softened in the olive oil. Take your time. Calm down. Relax. You want to have a good feeling, while cooking. Stress is for other places ... unless you are awaiting guests and haven't planned in advance.
Now add four cherry tomatoes to the vegetables and a splash of red wine vinegar. Wave your spoon to the pot a few times. Then add two litres of hot water. 
Meanwhile ... eh ... after that, you chop up the white cabbage to your most favoured size and style. In the pot it goes. Time to bring the content to the boil and then to let it simmer for 25 minutes with the lid ajar.
If the beans are not ready yet, you are in big trouble ... or maybe in small trouble. Should it be the case, though, the beans are ready, add them to the soup without the bay leaves - ha, bay leaves, you never eat them raw and when they are cooked, you throw them away.
Where were we? (No, that is not the meaning of 'www'.) Ah, yes, there are only two thing left to do: adjust the seasoning of the soup to your taste and cook the pasta in the soup. The instructions on the package of your pasta tells you the time you need for that.
After that we are done and can have a plate or bowl of warming soup ...

Repeat the having a soup part regularly. Soup is  good for you. Vary in type and flavour of soup, though.

Now to something else ... linking up posts. If I find out there is something a post fits to, I go for it like this time Credit Crunch Munch from Camilla of Fab Food 4 All and Helen of Fuss Free Flavours. This month, though, neither of them two is hosting the challenge, but Angela of My Golden Pear is doing so. Here we go then ...

... and I still have some soup in the freezer ... he he he.

Somehow I believe, this dish also goes well for the No Waste Food Challenge, which Elizabeth from Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary is managing and Fiona from London Unattached is hosting this month and ... I will tell you more later. Anyway, do you know why I always end up with leftover carrots?

Wait, there was still something I forgot to say ... concerning that weight problem ... one could try sports. I have contemplated Marathon ... but that might be dangerous, too ...