Leave It In Carrot & Celery Soup

Hoy Se Habla SOUP!
First, I need to preface this with a disclaimer that I NEVER measure anything when I’m cooking.  (This is why I’m not very good at baking!)  So all my ingredients/portions can ALWAYS be substituted / added / subtracted for convenience or personal preference/taste!  
My inspiration for Leave It In Carrot & Celery Soup came from these sites:  

carrot top soup w/ brown rice 

carrot top tips - HUGE BENEFITS!
carrot top soup w/ celery & fennel 


My variation of Leave It In:  
Ingredients:

• 1 cup Brown rice + 1½ cups of water + pad of butter
• 1 bunch (5) Whole carrots w/ tops - chopped
• 5 Green onions
• Garlic (about 2 Tb.)
• 1 bunch of celery including leaves - chopped
• Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute to taste (about 4-5 sprinkles/dashes)
• +/- 2 Tb. salt
• +/- 3 Tb. of butter (substitute any other oil or even bacon)
• 6-8 cups of broth or water (depending on flavor & consistency)
• Serve w/ a dollop of sour cream

I didn’t have and don’t even know what green garlic is, so I used what I had: some green onion & regular garlic.  I put the carrot top & celery leaves in the food processor first to finely chop them, then I changed the blade to slice the carrots & celery.  (could be chopped by hand) I put a big dollop of butter & the whole mixture in a stockpot.   I used about 6 sprinkles/dashes (a little too much) of Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute instead of just the thyme and about 2 Tb. of salt.  I sauteed everything for a few minutes until everything was heated & smelling delicious.  I had 1 L (4 cups) of boxed chicken broth & then added another 4 cups of water to fill the pot.  I wish I had doubled or tripled the brown rice.  Since you make it on the side & then add it, make a big batch to use for the soup & another meal.  I’m going to serve it w/ a dollop of sour cream (everything tastes better with sour cream)!