Procrastination Recipe: Kale Soup

It being winter, I am constantly in the mood to make soup. I really like making soups that I can feel good about eating because they pack a nutritional punch. So while all of New England was busy watching the Patriots on Sunday night, noshing on nachos and wings and downing beer, I was watching Pitch Perfect and making soup. I like to use what I have in the house so this recipe can be altered to whatever you have in the cabinets and fridge. For example, you can use spinach instead of kale, throw in some ground meat, and amp up the spices for a different feel. But being a vegetarian, this is the recipe I went with...

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, diced (you can use less if you're not as big a fan of garlic)
1 large yellow or white onion
1 bag frozen kale
1 can corn
1 can cannellini beans
1 can red beans
salt and pepper to taste
1 carton veg broth
a few shakes of the following: Garlic powder, Onion powder, Cumin, Cajun seasoning

             

On medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Add kale as well as salt, pepper and seasonings. At this point I added another drizzle of olive oil because the pan was heating up and all of the olive oil had been absorbed. Plus, I love the flavor of olive oil. I tasted the veg multiple times to make sure salt was at the right level and seasoning was the right amount before I added in the veg broth. When that came to temperature I added the corn and beans. I contemplated adding a cup of uncooked pasta, which would certainly be a great addition, but the soup seemed hearty enough as is so I nixed it. And then I readjusted the salt, pepper and seasonings before deciding it was perfect. This made 4 decent portions that I froze for future meals and to push it over the edge I'd recommend adding a few shavings of Parmesan or a crusty chunk of bread. Hubba, hubba.

Happy eating and keep warm!
~Stephanie