Category: Soups and Stews | Difficulty: Easy
Hi all! I'm still here! haa haaa But, first I apologize for not writing and posting anything yesterday which is my normal blog day. I am overwhelmed right now with so much going on that I can't see straight! Let me explain. I work for a wonderful ad agency here in town from my home office. It is a delight and a blessing from God because I get to work full-time from my home and I'm so comfortable in that kind of setting. Sure there's the occasional going to the refrigerator for a snack during the day but really, I have disciplined myself well to not eat all day long instead of working on my deadlines. I've been self employed since 1999 so I have many years of training! LOL But, this month is really busy for me as they have given me a slew of projects to handle. Most of which are weekly ongoing projects, some are not. I'm focusing on a huge project now that must launch by April 1st and it demands a lot of time to meet with all the players involved as well as implementation so yesterday I spent the whole day in meetings and today is more of the same. I must admit that even though I'm the Project Manager, and the project is complex and has many parts to it, I'm excited about the opportunity to lead and work on it. The people who are involved with me are great and fun to work with! Like I said, it is a true blessing from God. I also have other projects that I work on for a couple of other clients who don't keep me as busy on a regular basis but off and on so I fit their projects into my schedule as best as I can. But, where does that leave Ordinary Recipes Made Gourmet?
That's my challenge for March. Since I'm done with NaBloPoMo for February, it means going back to my once a week blogging and that's good but because my work schedule has increased, it leaves me less time for writing and posting. So, I have several options to weigh. Also, since I built this blog from scratch, there are a lot of components that need my attention like archiving old recipes, making PDFs of recipes for downloading, etc. I keep telling myself that since this is my blog, I'm under no pressure to get things up at a certain time. I guess I worry that if visitors come and there isn't anything new, they'll quit coming and I do want readers and subscribers - kinda the whole reason for blogging in the first place right? Well...I hope you will stick with this month as I attempt to find a creative balance of handling my schedule. I'll write once a week on the blog and try to stick to regular Thursdays, however, I'll also keep my facebook page updated at least daily with something so you can know how I'm progressing. But you know you have to "friend" me on Facebook first so here's my link to do that!
In the meantime as I ponder over how to organize my time this month, the best way to open my creative juices so to speak is with food and I decided to post a soup for a duo purpose. First, I love soup and this one is great and second, I can post it for Deb's Souper Sunday! See...a creative way to do 2 jobs at once! I love it! Now...about the kale soup. Well, I love green vegetables although I have to warm up to greens and spinach and it's one of my resolutions to do soon. But I enjoy green beans, salads, green onions family, and cabbage and kale reminds me a lot of cabbage. It is so full of nutrition and vitamins as well as just plain good. The beans give it that hearty filling and just the smell of soup simmering in the kitchen just fills the whole house and you know I love to have the scent flowing through every room. Now, you can substitute the kale for spinach and then you'll have Spinach Bean Soup which is fine because it will taste just as good. I like to provide options with my recipes so it will cater to many people's tastebuds!
I grew up eating all kinds of beans, white, red, kidney, chili, baked, you name it. Though I sometimes buy them in the can instead of in the bag, I still love them. When you buy canned beans, you just have to be sure to wash them good to get that coating off them from sitting in the can but they're ready to go. I add them to all kinds of things like salads, rice dishes, and soups. They help absorb the liquid and thicken the dish at the same time. And with all the other veggies in this, I think that even meat lovers will go for it! So here's the recipe, enjoy it and let me know how you like to make kale soup or even if you've ever tried it!
Ingredients:1 c. dried white beans
1 c. chopped onions
2 tsp. minced fresh garlic
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. diced celery stalks & leaves
1/2 c. diced sweet potatoes or carrots
1/2 c. diced tomatoes
6 c. vegetable stock
1 c. chopped fresh kale
1/4 c. white miso or 1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
Preparation:
Place beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let soak overnight. Drain and set aside.
In a 3 to 4 quart pot over medium-high heat, saute onions and garlic in oil for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent browning. Add celery, sweet potatoes or carrots, tomatoes. Continue to saute, stirring frequently for 5 minutes, adding small amounts of stock if the mixture begins to dry out. After 5 minutes of sauteing, add remaining stock and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium, add soaked beans, cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, or until beans are tender. Add kale, cover pot and simmer 5 minutes longer. Turn off heat.
Pour 1/2 cup soup into a small bowl and add miso or salt. Stir until well blended, then pour back into pot. Add parsley. Stir and serve it up with crostini or crackers!
It serves about 6 to 8 people. You can also substitute the kale for fresh spinach.
{6 COMMENTS}
______________________________________Chef Bliss Friday, 3.6.2009 at 11:11:18
This looks so warm and good. I'm freezing here, can you send me some? I have a lot of beans on hand, I may just have to make soup!! Great post!! Enjoy your week!!!!
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LK - Healthy Delicious Friday, 3.6.2009 at 16:19:24
I've been craving white bean lately. This soup looks great!
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The Duo Dishes Friday, 3.6.2009 at 17:37:26
We just messed around with kale too...but not in a soup! That's the next thing we have to try.
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DebinHawaii Saturday, 3.7.2009 at 00:22:17
Looks delicious and a great way to use up the kale I get every week in my CSA box. I like the pairing with the beans. See you at the round up on Sunday! ;-)
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Natasha - 5 Star Foodie Saturday, 3.7.2009 at 20:18:26
Sounds really wonderful with kale and white beans! I will have to try this!
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Shelly Sunday, 3.8.2009 at 19:04:09
This looks so good! I'll have to try it soon. Glad to see you're taking a well-deserved break after NaBloPoMo :
Response from Kim, ORMG Saturday, 3.7.2009 at 08:27:15
Response from Kim, ORMG Saturday, 3.7.2009 at 08:28:03
Chef Bliss, Thanks girl, I sure wish I could send you a bowl!
LK - Healthy Delicious, I love beans too and I thought they would make a great compliment to the kale and it does!
Response from Kim, ORMG Saturday, 3.7.2009 at 08:29:49
Response from Kim, ORMG Thursday, 3.5.2009 at 10:30:15
The Duo Dishes, Oh you have to try it in a soup! Soooo good, let me know when you do!
DebinHawaii, Very true, and it gets better day after day. Also, whenever I make soup, the aroma of it lasts days after!! Can't wait to see what you have Souper Sunday this week! :D
Response from Kim, ORMG Tuesday, 3.10.2009 at 21:36:06
Response from Kim, ORMG Tuesday, 3.10.2009 at 21:38:06
Natasha - 5 Star Foodie, Let me know if you do, I'd love to hear how you like it!
Shelly, I sure hope you do! And yes girl I needed a break!!! But I'm still too busy for my own good! LOL
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