Healthy Kale and Black Bean Veggie Soup

Part of my plan for getting healthier in 2015 is to eat more vegetables. I actually love vegetables and I do eat a lot of them. But like most of us, I could always add more.

I keep hearing that kale is over, and has lost it's trendy reputation. Well, I don't care. Kale is so healthy for you and can be put into so many recipes that I'll keep buying it and eating for a long time to come.

This is my basic veggie soup recipe with the kale and a can of black beans added. I eliminated  the salt and used salt-free Mrs. Dash. It tasted just as great without the salt.

I used an entire bunch of kale. It seems like a lot when you are putting it all into the pot, but it really cooks down. Be sure you wash it well, and just tear it with your hands into pieces.


Recipe for Kale and Black Bean Veggie Soup

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale, washed and torn into pieces
1 14 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash Seasoning
5 cups chicken stock
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup frozen corn
1 teaspoon pepper


Directions:

Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Cook onion, celery, carrots, garlic and Mrs. Dash. Stir occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.
Add stock and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, and bring back to a boil for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, corn, kale, black beans and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Makes 6 servings.

My Five Favorite Soups List Of 2014

With the new year just a couple of days away, I wanted to share with you my five favorite soups that I cooked this year. Soup is such a delicious and comforting meal, and perfect for those chilly nights that winter brings.

I hope you enjoy my soup round-up, which starts with Italian Sausage, Noodle, and Kale Soup. This soup is extra hearty, and even people who say they don't like kale, end up loving this soup. And the Italian sausage in it, brings a great flavor to it.



For me, Butternut Squash Soup is earthy and delicious. I roast a couple of squashes in the oven to make a double batch of this soup, and freeze half of it. It's so great to come home on a cold day and know you can pull a batch out of the freezer and have it for a yummy meal.



I'm such a big cheese lover, and it's so packed with cheesy goodness, that this soup is one I make over and over again. Cheesy Vegetable Soup lets you be very flexible about using the veggies you have on hand. I usually always have most of the ingredients on hand, and this soup is very quick and easy to put together.



Your slow-cooker can be your best friend when it comes to making soup. It's so easy to toss ingredients into it and let them simmer away all day. This Chicken and White Bean Soup is packed with flavor, and my whole family adores it, especially the kids.



I think every cook should have a really great vegetable soup recipe. This Easy Vegetable Soup is mine, one that I make year-round. It adapts well to veggies you have on hand, and the flavor really is deep and delicious. I love pairing this with a hearty bread, and it makes a delicious and comforting meal.

Easy Vegetable Soup with Kale

I have officially become a soup snob. I didn't know this would happen when I started making all of my soups from scratch, but it did. And I'm glad.

I'm the kid that was raised on canned soup. Every day when I came home from kindergarten, my mother would have tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich waiting for me. Sometimes it was chicken noodle, or maybe bean with bacon, but the soup always came out of that familiar red and white can.

This was many decades ago, and I raised my own children on canned soup. I never had the time or the interest to make my own from scratch, and why bother when it was so easy to open up a can?

But then I started making my own soup. It might sound immodest, but I don't care when I say my soup tastes so much better than anything I ever ate that came out of a can.

I think it starts with the intention of making something delicious in my soup pot, with the olive oil, and the onions that seem to be the basis of most soups. It's homey, and it's comforting to know that with all the uncertainties out there in the world, I have made something that feels safe, feels reassuring.

That might be a lot to say about a pot of soup, but for me, it's true. And this easy vegetable soup with kale is just the soup I needed to make during the cols spell we have had the last few days.

Feel free to change the veggies up if you don't have all of them on hand. I do love adding kale to as many soups as I can because I like it and it's so good for you. Vegetable soup is one of my favorite soups to make, and this recipe is easy.

On a cold day, for me, there's nothing better than a hot bowl of soup. It's one of the small pleasures in  life that are important. And small pleasures make for a happy life.


Recipe for Easy Vegetable Soup with Kale

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon salt
5 cups chicken stock
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 bundle kale, chopped
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Cook onion, celery, carrots, garlic and salt. Stir occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.
Add stock and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, and bring back to a boil for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, corn, kale, and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Makes 6 servings.

Cheesy Vegetable Soup

I enjoy eating vegetable soup, and it's great for using up the veggies that you have on hand. It's also less expensive to make soup without meat in it, and with today's meat prices, sometimes it's nice to save a few dollars.

This recipe for Cheesy Vegetable Soup has a rich creamy base, made with heavy cream and two cups of cheddar cheese. It's definitely hearty and filling, and paired with a salad and crackers, makes a delicious meal.

Making soup is such a nice thing to do for yourself, or your family, and a pot simmering on the stove is one of my very favorites things about fall.

Recipe for Cheesy Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cans (14-1/2 ounce each) chicken broth
2 cups coarsely chopped broccoli
1 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 egg yolk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a heavy 4-quart soup pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly, remove from heat. Gradually blend in broth.
Add broccoli, carrots, celery, onion and seasonings. Return to heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
In a small bowl, blend egg yolk and cream. Gradually stir in several tablespoonsful hot soup. Then return the egg-cream mixture to the pot, stirring until slightly thickened. Simmer 15-20 minutes.
Stir in cheese and cook over medium heat until melted.

Serves 6.