Vegetable-Rice Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tomatoes (seeded, diced)
2 scallions (chopped) or 2 green onions (chopped)
2 stalks celery (chopped)
2 carrots (peeled, chopped)
1 cup cauliflower (cut into small florets)
1 sweet pepper (seeded and diced)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white rice
1 teaspoon fresh basil (diced)
1 zucchini (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley (diced)
1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic (minced)
6 cups water or 6 cups vegetable stock
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
salt

Preparation

In cooking pot, saute carrots, celery, scallion, cauliflower with 2 tablespoon of oil and garlic till tender.
Add the vegetable stock or water; 2 tablespoons of oil and boil it for 5 minutes.
To the boiling vegetables, add rice, zucchini, sweet pepper, basil and parsley.
In a medium heat, cook the soup for 45 minutes; add black pepper and salt.
Serve it hot.
P.S. if you are not on Lent or a vegan, you may add cream or plain yogurt. If you prefer spicy soup, you may add chili powder (berbere) or tabasco.