Panera Bread–Soups for Cold Weather

Though I don’t typically eat at chain or fast food restaurants, I will make an exception if I’m super busy. During the holidays, things get a little crazy and cooking isn’t always the best option. When Food Buzz informed us that Panera Bread now offers a variety of soups in their café, I was intrigued.
In college, I was mildly obsessed with their bagels and breads. They’ve got some incredible sweets coming out of that bakery as well. Cookies? Yeah, tons of those. For meal options, they’ve got sandwiches, soups, and salads. The “You Pick 2” combination allows you to pick 1/2-size portions so you can try a couple things.
For a quick lunch the other day, I checked out Panera’s menu and found a bunch of great items. There were so many different sandwiches I would have liked, but I wanted a light meal and opted for soup and salad.
I ordered the Asian Sesame Chicken Salad (al-natural, antibiotic-free chicken, romaine lettuce, fresh cilantro, sliced almonds, sesame seeds, crispy wonton strips & reduced-sugar Asian sesame vinaigrette) and Low Fat Vegetarian Black Bean Soup (plump black beans simmered in a spicy vegetarian broth with onion, red bell pepper, garlic and cumin).
I was impressed.
Some of their other soups include:

• French Onion
• Broccoli Cheddar
• Baked Potato
• Clam Chowder
• Chicken Noodle
• Vegetarian Creamy Tomato
• Vegetarian Garden Vegetable with Pesto

Yay for all the vegetarian options!

Do you ever go to Panera Bread? What’s your favorite combination?