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.