Bloatal Recall: Kale Soup

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Kale Soup

Everywhere I look I see a new article about how kale is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. It's high in fiber, low in calories, filled with antioxidants, great for your heart, full of vitamins & minerals and has no fat. I figured the universe was trying to tell me something so I bought some kale. Then I looked for a recipe that would incorporate the kale, but help cover up the bitterness because I'm not a big fan. This soup was perfect. And it was so good for me, I could follow it up with a couple of salty caramels without feeling guilty (until a couple turned into a few and then somehow led to some which ended with way too many). But just think of how much worse it would have been without the super kale in my system to balance it out.

KALE SOUP

Yield: 8-10 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

8 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted

4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 (15 oz.) cans beans (such as cannellini, black-eyed peas or garbanzos), drained

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 bay leaf

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion, celery and carrot; cook until the vegetables start to get tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Stir in the kale and garlic and cook until the kale is wilted, about 2 minutes.

3. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, Italian seasoning, parsley and bay leaf. Simmer over medium heat for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving.

slightly adapted from allrecipes.com (submitted by Donna B)