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.

Tangerine Cake

Tangerines

This one is especially dedicated to my Husband because of his love for all Orange flavored things. From drinks to desserts, from chocolate to candy, if its orange flavored...its his by default :) My older son saves all his orange candy/lollipops for him.


Tangerines are a great source of Vitamin C, folate and beta-carotene. They also contain trace amounts of vitamins B1, B2 and B3.


Oranges in India have a very intense taste unlike the oranges here. The only thing that comes close to it are the tangerines. I have made thousands of cakes but I have not tasted anything like this before, it is that good.


So, I decided to make this Tangerine flavored pound cake. You could actually use any citrus fruit for this, whatever is fresh and available in your local grocery store. You could substitute the Tangerine with any variety of orange, grapefruit or even lemons. I used Tangerines because one, they are in abundance right now and second, for their intense orange flavor and color.


It might look like it is a lot of work but truly its not hard to make and tastes absolutely divine. Umm,umm,umm...


I always make my recipes and do a taste test before I write about the taste, feel, texture, experience etc. This Tangerine cake is by far the best orange cakes I have ever had (and I have tried quite a few different ones). This would be perfect for a Sunday afternoon brunch during early spring or if you have some friends over for tea. I can promise you that everyone will be asking you which bakery you got it from. Also, it got 2 thumbs up from my son and his friend, my harshest critics.


NOTE: Anytime I know I will be baking in the next few hours, I like a few things like butter, cream cheese, eggs etc to be at room temperature. Its easier to work with them when they are a little soft and pliable, unless a recipe asks for chilled butter like in pie crusts etc.

Tangerine Cake

Recipe: Tangerine Cake
Ingredients
1Tbsp oil and 1Tbsp flour to prep your baking pan
4-5 Oranges (Tangerines or any other variety)
2 Tbsp Orange rind
6 Tbsp Cream Cheese (I like to use low fat)
6 Tbsp Butter
1 2/3 Cup Sugar
2 eggs
2 Cups All-purpose Flour (I like unbleached, less processed)
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Canola Oil
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup 1% milk
For the Glaze
3/4 Cup Orange juice (I used fresh Tangerine juice)
1 1/4 Cup Confectioners sugar
1/8 tsp Salt


Method

1. Prepare a tube pan by oiling and flouring it so the cake does not stick to the sides of the pan.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
3. In a small bowl mix the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder and salt.
4. In a large bowl beat the butter, cream cheese and 1 2/3 cup sugar until it is pale and fluffy.
5. Add the egg one at a time until they are well incorporated.
6. Add the flour mix (3 additions) and milk (2 additions) alternately starting with the flour and ending with the flour.
7. Now add the canola oil, orange rind and vanilla extract. Just fold it gently till its all mixed well. Do not over-mix at this point.
8. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 70 minutes. Insert a toothpick or thin skewer to make sure it has cooked through. The toothpick should come out clean.
9. Cool for a 10-15 minutes and get it out of the pan.
10. TO MAKE GLAZE: Pour the juice in a sauce pan and boil on medium heat till is reduced to 1/4 cup. Let it cool a little and then add the confectioners sugar and salt. Pour over the cake.

Step-by-step process,

All the ingredients

Prepare a tube pan by oiling and flouring it so the cake does not stick to the sides of the pan. I used an oil and flour spray. Pre-heat your oven to 325 Degrees F.

In a small bowl mix your dry ingredients, 2 Cups All-purpose Flour (I like unbleached, less processed), 1 tsp Baking powder, 1/2 tsp Salt.

In a large bowl beat 6 Tbsp butter, 6 Tbsp cream cheese and 1 2/3 cup sugar until it is pale and fluffy.

Add the egg one at a time until they are well incorporated.

Egg 1 and mix well

Egg 2 and mix well

After egg additions

Add the flour mix (3 additions) and 1/2 cup milk (2 additions) alternately, starting with the flour and ending with the flour.

Now add the 1/4 Cup canola oil, 3 Tbsp orange rind and 1/2 vanilla extract. Just fold it gently till its all mixed well. Do not over-mix at this point.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 70 minutes. Insert a toothpick or thin skewer to make sure it has cooked through. The toothpick should come out clean.

Cool for a 10-15 minutes and get it out of the pan. Set i on your serving platter.


TO MAKE GLAZE: Pour 3/4 Cup Tangerine juice in a sauce pan and boil on medium heat till is reduced to 1/4 cup. Let it cool a little and then add the 1 1/4 Cup confectioners sugar and 1/8 tsp salt. Pour over the cake and serve. I garnished it with orange segments.

Enjoy making it, I really did.