Need A New Healthy Recipe? Try this 3-Bean & Kale Soup

One of my favorite recipes this winter has been making my own vegetable broth and soup. A hot bowl of soup always tastes great in the winter, and is of course packed with nutrition; this includes being a great source of vitamins A, C, K, & B6, as well as potassium, iron, calcium, and more . Using beans and kale in the soup is a great way to add flavor and plenty of protein. (I’ll also occasionally add or sub in chicken sausage–for this I’ll brown and partially cook the sausages separately, then finish them in the soup for 10-20 minutes.) The broth is the one I’ve done most recently, but as long as you have the celery, onion, carrots, and garlic, you can pretty much use whatever vegetables you have around/buy.

Ingredients - Broth:

• 1 tbsp Avocado Oil
• ~4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 3 shallots (or 2 onions) sliced
• 1 celery heart, (half each stalk)
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 2 parsnips, chopped
• 1 cup turnip chunks
• 3 potatoes, quartered
• 2 bay leaves
• ~8 cups water

1. Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium heat; once hot, add garlic, shallot, celery, and carrots. Cook for 5-10 minutes. (Be careful not to do what I sometimes do and burn the garlic, haha.)
2. Once the veggies are softened, you can add water and the rest of the vegetables, bay leaves and any herbs you want to add (sometimes I’ll throw in a little extra water.) Keep in mind that since this is just to make the broth, all you need to do for preparing the vegetables is break them up–no need to spend too much time chopping them up.
3. Add a big pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.
4. Place another pot or container in the sink and use a colander or strainer to empty the stock into the container. Most people discard the veggies, but I’ll often keep some to snack on or for a later lunch.

Ingredients - Soup:

• 1 tbsp Avocado Oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots (or 1 yellow onion)
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• ½ bag of kale
• 1 small can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 small can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 small can black beans, drained and rinsed
• Parmesan Cheese (grated on top, to taste)

1. Heat some more oil in your stockpot, and saute the onion–after a minute add in the celery and carrots.
2. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the garlic
3. Wait a minute before adding the broth and beans. Simmer on low for about 20 minutes.
4. Add kale, salt and pepper and simmer for another 10-20 minutes.
5. Serve hot, with some cheese (I’ll usually do asiago or parmesan) grated on top.