Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
  6        tablespoons  olive oil
  3               cups  onion -- finely chopped
  2               cups  peeled carrots -- chopped
  6             cloves  garlic -- chopped
  7               cups  basic chicken stock
     1/2           cup  uncooked long-grain rice
     1/2           cup  dry sherry
  2                     red bell peppers -- julienned
  2                     green bell peppers -- julienned
                        salt and pepper -- to taste

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over low heat. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic and cook, covered, until the vegetables are tender and slightly colored, about 25 minutes. Stir occasionally. Uncover the pot, add the stock, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Pour the soup through a strainer, pressing hard with the back of a spoon to extract as much flavor as possible (but don't push the vegetables through the strainer....this is supposed to be a broth, not a puree). Discard the solids and return the broth to the pot. Add the rice, sherry, peppers, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer partially covered until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Correct the seasoning and serve immediately. Notes: This light, healthful soup uses bell peppers for a mild flavor. To add heat, add a few serrano chiles. For a vegetarian version, use a vegetable stock in place of the chicken or beef stoc

Nutritional Information:

198 Calories (kcal); 14g Total Fat; (67% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 13g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 6mg Sodium