Pamela's Gluten Free Recipes

Daily forays into the kitchen for 1 celiac, 1 vegetarian, and 2 carnivores

Start now with soup

Gluten Free, Soup, VegetarianRespond to this post »

Sometimes it’s hard to get started.
With exercise, cleaning, resolutions or even cooking.
I set up this blog a few weeks ago and was waiting for the perfect meal to start blogging.
Well every meal between then and now should have been perfect.
But somehow I just wasn’t feeling it (as my 13yr old son would say).
I wanted it to be perfect. A post I would read years later and think
Yep that was the perfect meal to start with.
But it never came. What was I waiting for?
So today I am just making a nice yummy winter soup, with white beans and kale.
Nothing monumental, just soup.
Because sometimes you have to just say “Oh what the heck” and get going, on whatever it is you have been putting off.
So Soup. 

Hope you like it.

White Bean and Kale Soup
You will need: 

1/2 bag great northern beans
4 cups of water
1 medium onion chopped fine
1 bay leaf
4 garlic cloves, 2 reserved
1 tsp dried sage
4 cups coarsely chopped stemmed lacinato kale
3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 medium carrots
5 ribs celery
1 cup diced tomatoes in juice or 4 roma chopped and 1 Tbs paste
1 Tbs salt
32oz chicken stock (or vegetable)
3 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Quick Soak for Beans
Place beans in a pot with enough cold water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 1 hour.
Now if you knew you were making this soup yesterday you could have chucked them in a pot of cold water for 4-6 hours and they would be ready today. I didn’t.
I also prefer this method. For me doesn’t cause as much disruption to the tummy, you know?
So now drain beans, return to pot and add:
4 cups water, onion, 2 garlic cloves, bay leaf and sage.
Bring to boil.
Reduce heat to simmer and cook until beans are tender. About 45 min to 1 hour.
When beans are cooked to your liking,
I like them very soft, not firm at all, your choice of course.
Add kale cook few minutes.
Now this is where the rest of the ingrediants come into play.
I like to add the rest once the beans have cooked because if you add salt and broth to cooking beans they just don’t cook as quickly.
Really.
In another pot add olive oil, carrot and celery saute a few minutes.
Add the other 2 garlic cloves. cook 30 seconds or so.
Now the tomatoes and Italian seasoning and salt and pepper.
Give it 4-5 minutes then add the beans and kale, stock and cheese.
Simmer until you feel its done (5mins – 15mis if you have the time)
We added some crispy cooked procuitto and more parmesan.
Soup perfection!!

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