Soak beans in 6 cups water for at least 6 hours or overnight. Drain and discard soaking water. In a 5- or 6-quart pot, bring 8 cups of water, along with pre-soaked pinto beans and bay leaf, to a boil. Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, chives, celery salt, garlic, tamari, cayenne pepper, cumin and olive oil. Return mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until beans are tender, about 30 minutes. In a blender, combine 2 cups of the hot soup broth with cornmeal and imitation bacon bits until smooth. (Keep lid on tight.) Stirring constantly, gradually add cornmeal mixture to soup. Simmer and continue cooking for about 10 minutes, or until cornmeal is cooked (soup will thicken). Add sea salt, and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot. Per serving (1-1/2 cups) 277 calories, 26 percent fat (8 grams), 57 percent carbs, 17 percent protein. >recipe from SHAPE Cooks Spring 1998. >from kitpath to eatlf cookbooks on 98Feb Lime may be substituted for the tamari. Prep/cook time: 1 hour Notes: Sample recipe from the Follow Your Hearts Vegetarian Soup Cookbook (Woodridge Press, 1995). The restaurant opened in the late sixties in the Los Angeles area in the back of a natural foods store. The soups have always drawn crowds. PUBLICATION: 1995. Amazon lists 1983 with no mention of 1995 release. Follow Your Hearts Vegetarian Soup Cookbook by Janice Cook Migliaccio List: $7.95. Our Price: $6.36: Published by Woodbridge Pr Pub Publication date: November 1, 1983 ISBN: 0880071311 Recipe by: Follow Your Heart, Canoga Park, CA Recipe by "Pillsbury Kitchens Family Cookbook" 1979 edition Posted to MC-Recipe Digest by KitPATh on Feb 17, 1998