crunchy friends in a liquid broth

12-Bean & Kale v3.0, originally uploaded by Banjo Brown.

I can't post a recipe to go with this photo, because I've never used one to make this soup. It's your basic mirepoix base with a commercial 12-bean mix, simmered with kale and, in this iteration, homemade seitan sausage. I think in the past I've used leeks for part of the onion ratio, and it's best when made with fresh herbs -- thyme, especially.

I like to top it with parmesan/asiago/reggiano and gorge myself on it.