February 8, 2014

Recipe Challenge Day 7: Kale Soup

February 8, 2014

It’s raining!!! Finally we have rain! We’ve been waiting all winter for rain and it’s finally fallen on us. Hopefully it keeps up for days on end and no I am not kidding. We’re in Northern California, the state is in a drought and without this rain our summer would be on fire. Literally. So cross your fingers, legs , eyes, ties, whatever you can and hope this rain keeps up for us.

With rain comes that damp chilly weather- I do not mind this time around though again so thankful for the rain! Rainy days make me want to make soup so today I tried out a new one that came from a friend. Kale Soup.

Remember all the benefits of Kale? Let me refresh your memory

  • high in iron.
  • high in Vitamin K.
  • filled with antioxidants.
  • is a great anti-inflammatory food
  • Eating more kale can help lower cholesterol levels.
  • high in Vitamin A.
  • high in Vitamin C.
  • high in calcium.

Your reminder to eat Kale!

With this in mind added to the basic stock for soup you’ve got a hearty, healthy wholesome soup that will be perfect for cold weather or days when someones got a cold. Always try to use the freshest herbs, and homemade stock , but if you don’t have them on hand it’s alright. Choose a stock that doesn’t have much sodium added or go organic- I can’t tell you how important that is. This is full of vegetables that can help knock a cold or a chill right out of you.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped celery
3  chopped carrots
salt and pepper to taste
fresh parsley chopped a few leaves or a teaspoon of dried
1 ½ cups skinned, chopped and seeded tomatoes with juices
1 ½ cups of cooked white beans)
12 cups vegetable broth
1 bunch curly green kale, stemmed and roughly chopped

Directions
Heat oil in pan and add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Heat until onions start to go clear, Turn off and add mixture to crock pot. Season with salt and pepper. Add in parsley, stir then add tomatoes, beans, broth and stir. Add in the Kale and stir.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4.
It’s so good! My kids enjoyed homemade biscuits with this, I opted for sprinkling the top with crushed crackers.

Enjoy!

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