I've been seriously into making soups lately. It's like my body is forcing me to do it. It's like all the holiday "stuffing" left me longing for nothing more than earthy, veggie, healthy goodness. I've been craving it so often that I've been having a lot of fun experimenting with recipes and coming up with different varieties. This kale one I made the other day is so good, I just had to share.
3 (14.5 oz) cans chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups kale, chopped
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
(flavored with oregano and/or seasonings)
2-3 cups white/navy beans
(you can use canned, but I made my own)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 stocks of celery, diced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1-2 cups frozen, roasted corn
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 tsp house seasoning
(see recipe below)
Sea salt to taste
If you're using fresh beans like I prefer to do, start out by rinsing, soaking and boiling the beans about an hour ahead of time. Remember that the portion about doubles in size once cooked, so start off with about 1 cup dry beans to measure for this soup. Set aside beans, drained.
Get a large pot and sautee the onion with a little olive oil. Once the onion is soft, toss in the garlic for just a minute. Add in the chicken or veggie broth and canned tomatoes with all the juices. Toss in celery (you can add carrots and other veggies at this point, if you want). If the beans still need a little softening, add them in to boil with veggies. As soon as the veggies are soft, toss in the frozen corn, kale and seasoning. Oh, ya - seasoning. You need to immediately make this house seasoning and keep it in your cupboard. I use it about every day.
Paula Deen's House Seasoning
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
(Store in air tight container for up to six months.)
