Spinach and Tomato Soup With Rice

From today's NY Times
I'm a huge soup fan...The picture looks gorgeous and delicious...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/health/nutrition/19recipehealth.html?ref=health

2 pounds spinach (1 or 2 generous bunches)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes, chopped, with juice, or 2 good-sized tomatoes, chopped

1/2 teaspoon paprika

5 cups water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (more to taste)

1/4 cup rice

Salt to taste

1. Stem and wash the spinach, keeping the stems and leaves separate. Trim off the ends of the stems and discard. Cut the stems into 1/2-inch lengths. Coarsely chop half the leaves, or stack and cut into strips. Refrigerate the remaining leaves to use elsewhere. Set the chopped leaves aside.

2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan, a soup pot or Dutch oven, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, just until it begins to smell fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and paprika. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly. Add the spinach stems, water and lemon juice, and bring to a gentle boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and add the rice and salt to taste. Simmer uncovered until the rice is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chopped spinach, simmer one minute, remove from the heat and serve.

Yield: Serves four.

Advance preparation: You should serve this soon after you’ve added the spinach. It’s a quick soup to make once you’ve washed and chopped all the spinach.

Nutritional information per serving (based on four servings): 118 calories; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 19 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 256 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during cooking); 5 grams protein