Kale and Cannellini Bean Soup

Yesterday we were eating salads and fresh mangoes; today I am eating hot kale and white bean soup. The weather changed just that quickly. It went from the high 80's to the low 50's! Is it fall ?

It's the next to the last day of August. and it's a rainy, damp chilly day.
Despite that it is still officially summer, this may be the beginning of soup weather for me.

I was not in the mood to cook ( I wanted to curl up with a blanket and watch Netflix), but I  motivated myself to get out the soup pot.

Since I had a refrigerator full of vegetables from this week's CSA pickings ( garlic, onions, purple potatoes, carrots, parsley, sage, kale, and dandelion greens),  I realized I had everything I needed to make a delicious soup. I added a can of cannelloni  beans and felt satisfied with this warm comforting dinner.

Any kind of greens would taste good in this soup; I added a combination of kale and dandelion.

I made this soup in just 30 minutes

It took just 10 minutes of prep and about 20 minutes cooking time to complete this simple recipe.
It made 4 bowls of piping hot soup rich in vegetables, beans, and greens! Yum!

Make sure that you add your chopped or torn greens to the hot soup just before eating so they wilt, not cook, in the soup. This will help retain more of the valuable nutrients.

Over the summer, I kind of forgot how wonderful the aroma of homemade soup simmering on the stovetop smells. This vegan and naturally gluten free soup filled our kitchen with the fragrance that brought warmth to our hearts on our first rainy chilly night. 

We enjoyed this hearty stick to your ribs soup while the evening weather was in the 50's.
Summer is not really over. Tomorrow will be back in the high 70's, so we may be back to eating summer salads and mangoes again but tonight I'm enjoying my soup.

Author: Judee Algazi

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4 bowls

Ingredients:

2-3 cloves of garlic, cut in halves

1 medium onion, diced

1 large carrot or 2 medium, sliced

I medium potato diced 

1/2 cup of chopped parsley

2 leaves of fresh sage

1 cup fresh kale, chopped

1 cup of fresh dandelion greens or spinach , chopped

1 can of organic cannelloni beans, washed and drained

Olive oil spray

4 cups of vegetable soup broth

4 cups of boiling water

Cracked pepper

optional: 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger or 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice ( I love it)

Directions:

Spray a 4 quart Dutch Oven type of pot or your favorite soup pot with olive oil spray. Saute the garlic and the onions until translucent. Add the carrots, potato, parsley, and sage and spray the vegetables with olive oil spray or toss first in olive oil. Toss and then add the vegetable broth and boiling water.  Add the cannoli beans, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove lid and turn off the burner.  Add the kale and dandelion greens  allow them to wilt in the hot soup. Serve immediately. 
If you prefer a creamier soup, blend half of the soup in a blender and return it to the other half - stir and serve

My notes: 

1.Variation: Squeeze some fresh lemon or lime juice in the soup while simmering and crock the lid.

2. Variation: Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese in each bowl

3. Blend half of soup if you prefer a creamy soup and return it to the pot- the pureed beans will make it creamy.


It's not what you do occasionally but what you do consistently that makes a difference!

This recipe will be shared Sunday on Souper Sunday at Kahakai Kitchen where you can link up soup, salad, or sammie recipes...

Also will be shared Friday on Weekend Cooking - open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: