I know kale is big time in the vegetable department. I started eating it about 4 or 5 months ago — haven’t looked back. This winter, I’ve staved off the several bad colds I normally get and I honestly think that kale has something to do with it. I mean, I also eat a lot of fruit and try to consistently eat other veggies too but I’m thinking it’s the kale 🙂 After all, it has:
Question: Do I love kale? Answer: No. However, I eat it because I’ve realized the importance of getting the right kinds of foods. About 3-4 times a week, I have a salad made of spinach and kale — and occasionally a smoothie with both as well. But, I was getting sick of it.
Click below for the recipe & more.
What ELSE could we do with kale besides eat it raw? It’s a tough veggie — never goes soggy under dressing — but it can be bitter and it tastes super earthy. So, needless to say, I needed a kale makeover. When my friend Kristyn told me she made soup with it recently, I said send the recipe over stat.
Why? Because for some crazy reason, kale is only sold in a MASSIVE, oversized bag that I could never eat through in a week. Every week, half of it is thrown out and I really hate that!
This soup was…awesome! It’s actually the first time I have ever made soup…and I was pretty impressed with myself. It was super flavorful and all the ingredients went so well together. The kale was kind of afterthought and you can’t even really taste it (bingo!), but you still get the nutrients!
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
- 1 3/4 to 2 pounds starchy potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf, a couple of sprigs each parsley and thyme, and a Parmesan rind
- 1 pound kale, stemmed and washed thoroughly
- Freshly ground pepper
- Crushed red pepper
- 1/2 pound Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage
Directions:
1. Heat one tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy
soup pot, and brown the sausage. Next add the onion. Cook, stirring,
until tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon
salt. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute.
Stir in the potatoes, the bouquet garni and two quarts of water. Bring
to a boil, add salt, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 to 40
minutes until the potatoes are falling apart. Remove the bouquet
garni.
2. While the soup is simmering, prepare the kale. Stack the leaves,
about six or eight to a stack, roll them up tightly and slice
crosswise into very thin filaments.
3. When the potatoes have begun to fall apart, mash them a few times
in the pot with a potato masher or fork. Stir the kale into the soup,
and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, uncovered. The kale should be tender but
should not become a drab olive green, if possible. Taste, adjust salt
and add pepper and red pepper. Serve with crusty bread.
