What's For Dinner- Wednesday- Super Energy Kale Soup with Kale "Chips"!

We had this for dinner last night and the whole family really enjoyed it! That is a very hard thing to accomplish!

Super Energy Kale Soup

 

This quick and easy version of potato kale soup has extra vegetables for more flavor and nutrition and takes little time to prepare.

Prep and Cook Time: Prep and cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 medium carrot, diced into 1/4-inch cubes (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 red potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 cups kale, rinsed, stems removed and chopped very fine
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried sage
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Chop garlic and onions and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out their hidden health benefits.
2. Heat 1 TBS broth in a medium soup pot.
3. Healthy Sauté onion in broth over medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring frequently.
4. Add garlic and continue to sauté for another minute.
5. Add broth, carrots, and celery and bring to a boil on high heat.
6. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 more minutes.
7. Add kale and rest of ingredients and cook another 5 minutes. If you want to simmer for a longer time for extra flavor and richness, you may need to add a little more broth. 

 I also roasted another bunch of kale in the oven & made kale "chips" to eat with it or sprinkle on top of the soup. 

Directions for Kale chips:
Wash kale thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel. Peel the dark green part of the kale away from the middle stalk and toss the stalk. In a mixing bowl add 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil, 3 cloves of fresh chopped garlic, and 3 dashes of sea salt. Whisk together. Then toss the kale in the mixture until evenly coated. Place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet at about 300 degrees for about 20 minutes or until kale is crispy.
(My whole family loves eating kale chips and the upside is that they are so healthy for you!)

Serves 4

* I also added zucchini, & brown rice to this soup to use up some ingredients I had in the house and it made it more filling. You can add any vegetables to this that you have on hand. 

Adapted from George Mateljan*