White Beans and Kale Soup (Vegetarian)

Last few days have been amazing with the preview of what Fall is all about. I have been loving this weather and have been craving our staple soup for fall season. Its the White Bean and Kale soup that is vegetarian, hearty and screams Fall. I have been making this for years and had to search high and low to give credit to the amazing column USA Weekend for featuring this years ago.

I know all my recipes say quick and simple a thousand times over but in all honesty it is just that and extremely satisfying. I try to purchase organic vegetables most of the time since we consume so much of them but its totally a personal preference. 

White Beans and Kale Soup

RECIPE: White Beans and Kale Soup

Ingredients
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
6-8 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 White Onion, chopped
3-4 Cups Kale (I use both Curly, lighter color and Flat, darker color for different nutrients)
4 Cups Vegetable Broth
1 Can Cannellini  Beans (Yes! I use canned beans too, not worth soaking and boiling for such a small quantity)
1 Can White Northern Beans (do not Drain, either one)
4 Tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp Italian Seasoning powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Cup Parsley, chopped
Ricotta Cheese and Parsley for garnish

Method

1. In a deep pot heat some Olive oil on medium heat. Saute the onions and garlic till they are soft and translucent.
2. Add Kale and saute till it wilts.
3. Now add the beans with the liquid, vegetable broth, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, parsley, salt and pepper.
4. Simmer for about 15 minutes till it thickens a little.
5. Garnish with a little dollop of Ricotta cheese (or butter) and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Serve this with some toasted Garlic and cheese bread. Hope you and your family enjoy this heart warming soup.

Chopped Kale, Garlic, Onions, Tomato and Parsley

Cut out the hard stems from Kale

And if the kids ask to save the leftovers for them you know you did something right :) They enjoyed it even more the next day for dinner. Hope you can enjoy some with your friends and family.

10-minute Tuna Veggie Toss

Hope you are enjoying making these recipes. I have had a lot of fun creating them and for today's dish we have a low-carb, low-fat but rich in protein and nutients recipe. The kids ate Indian stuffed naans for dinner last night and I was in no mood for a carb-rich dinner. So once I had the kids in bed for the night I rummaged  through my fridge to look for what I could make for my own meal. I had been craving meat and veggies after all the vegetarian food I had been eating lately :). I also wanted to keep it low-carb since it was late in the day and I absolutely did NOT want another Salad...

Anyhow, I got Tuna steak from my freezer and found kale and green beans that were almost wilting so they needed to be cooked soon. Let me tell you that some of my best creations have been through these random cravings. Lets get this cooking. I was not planning to document this but I got a few pictures so you will get the picture of what I am talking about.

RECIPE: 10-minute Tuna Veggie Toss
Ingredients
Olive Oil Spray
4-5 Oz Tuna Steak, fresh or frozen cut into cubes chunks
1/2 Onion, chopped into big
1 Cup Kale, chopped
1 Cup Green beans, chopeed into 2" long segments
5-7 Garlic cloves, peeled 
1/4 Cup Marsala wine
Salt to taste
Red peper flakes (optional)
2 tsp Garam Masala, Roasted and ground (how I like it, from scratch)

Method

1. Spray the non stick pan with some Olive oil and throw in the whole garlic cloves. Keep it on hight heat and let them sizzle to a light brown. Add the Onion chunks and cook till caramalized, still on hight heat. Don't let it burn. This should take 3 minutes.
2. Add the marsala wine to get them all glazed and juicy. Reduce heat to medium and add the kale and greenbean. Saute for a couple of minutes till the kale wilts and the green beans are a little soft. I like to keep my veggies crunchy and bright colored. Overcooking not only loses the vibrant color but also depletes the flavor and nutrients.
3. Add the tuna and cook for a couple of minutes. Tuna does not take very long to cook. Overcooking will make it tough and chewy.
4.  Add salt, pepper flakes and garam masala. give it a good toss and there you have a perfect meal that is not a salad.

Onion and Garlic

Garam Masala, roasted and ground

This has been the best meal in a long time and totally hit the spot. Enjoy!!

Dinner rolls

These Rolls are a cross between dinner rolls and biscuits. They are light, flaky and a perfect texture to eat with a soup or dip in a gravy. My kids love these and can't wait for them to come out of the oven.

RECIPE: Dinner Rolls

Ingredients

2 cups of Bisquick

1/2 cup of Greek Yogurt (Fage 0% Milk)

1/4 to 1/2 cup of 7-Up soda

1/4 cup of butter

Method

1. Add the Bisquick into a medium sized mixing bowl.
2. Fold in the Greek Yogurt.
3.  Then add the 7-Up little by little and mix until a soft dough ball is formed. You don't want to make it too watery so add a little at a time.
4.  Then add the 7-Up and mix until a soft dough ball is formed.
5. Place the dough ball on top and use your hand to press the dough out.
6.  Use a drinking glass to cut out biscuits.
7. Tilt the pan so the bottom is lightly coated with the melted butter.
8. Place the cut out biscuits over the butter in the baking pan.
9. Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes or until biscuit tops are golden brown.  Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before transferring to a bread basket or serving platter.

Step-by-step process,

Add the Bisquick into a medium sized mixing bowl. Fold in the sour cream.

Then add the 7-Up and mix until a soft dough ball is formed.

Dust the counter top or cutting board with a little Bisquick. Place the dough ball on top and use

your hand to press the dough out. Use a biscuit cutter, round cookie cutter or drinking glass to cut

out biscuits.

Roll it into a ball again, flatten it and cut out more rolls

Then melt the butter and place it into a 9” round baking pan. Tilt the pan so the bottom is lightly

coated with the melted butter. Place the cut out biscuits over the butter in the baking pan.

Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes or until biscuit tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and let

sit for 5 minutes before transferring to a bread basket or serving platter.

Served with the Bean and green soup

Hearty Bean and green soup

Sniffles or not this is one of those soups that does the trick every time. It is a highly nutritious and satisfying soup.

The Truth About Kale

Kale has been deemed the "Superfood" for the last few years. I read an article a few months back (WebMD Magazine) and it was called the Nutritional Powerhouse by a panel of experts.

Since then I have incorporated Kale in our diet in a big way. It is a low calorie and anti-oxidant rich vegetable that I use in soups, pastas, quiches as well as sauteed with potatoes or tofu. My kids wash it and eat it raw. Believe it or not I put some in my smoothies and it tastes great to the horror of my husband. He is pretty unadventurous in terms of this (well I don't blame him, sounds awful unless you try it) I turned my nose up at it too until I tried it and it is a staple snack now.

Kale is readily available in the US, not sure about its availability outside the US. Would love to know if you live in another country and can find it easily. I can rave about the benefits of Kale for the rest of the day but you get my point.  Lets get started with today's recipe.


Bean and green soup with Kale

 RECIPE: Hearty Bean and Green Soup
Ingredients
1 Tbsp Olive oil
6-8 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Onion, chopped
4 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp Italian herb seasonings
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp caraway seeds (black cumin)
4-5 Cups Chicken or vegetable broth
4 Cups Raw Kale, chopped (hard stalk and veins removed)
1 Can Cannellini beans, un-drained
1 Can Navy beans, un-drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Cup Coriander, chopped


Method

1. In a large pot heat the olive oil, add the cumin and caraway seeds. Once they start to sizzle add the garlic and onions till soft and translucent.
2. Add the Kale and saute until wilted.
3. Add the broth and the whole can of Cannellini beans. Add half of the Navy beans as well. 
4. Add the tomatoes, Italian herb seasoning, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Crush the left over navy beans with your hand and get it to a pasty consistency. Add to the soup to thicken. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
6. Ladle into soup bowls, sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve with dinner rolls.

Step-by-step process,

I like to start by chopping all my ingredients. Mince the garlic, chop the onions, tomatoes and coriander. 

If you have not worked with Kale before make sure you wash it thoroughly and using organic Kale would be my preference. Make sure you take out the hard veins and stalks from the kale and finely chop the rest of it.

remove hard veins and stalks

In a large pot heat the olive oil, add 1/4 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp caraway seeds. Once they start to sizzle add the garlic and onions till soft and translucent.

Add the Kale and saute until wilted.

Wilted

 Add the broth and the can of Cannelloni beans. Add half of the Navy beans can.

Navy Beans

Cannellini Beans

Add the tomatoes, Italian herb seasoning, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Crush the left over navy beans with your hand and get it to a pasty consistency. Add to the soup to thicken. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes.

Ladle into soup bowls, sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve with dinner rolls.

Served with dinner rolls

Enjoy!!! It was such a satisfying meal...Look out for these easy Dinner rolls recipe next.