Two-Bean Soup with Kale

with Cheese- Tomato  Toasts

After such a cold weekend,  I decided to make a hot soup for dinner tonight.   I have made this recipe several times before and it has always been good.   It’s called Two-Bean Soup with Kale from the October 2009 edition of  Cooking Light ,  I also made Cheese-Tomato Toast to go with the soup like the magazine tells you.   It was well worth my trip to two different grocery store to find kale (Is there a kale shortage I don’t know about?)

Two-Bean Soup with Kale

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)

Ingredients

3  tablespoons  olive oil

1  cup  chopped onion

1/2  cup  chopped carrot

1/2  cup  chopped celery

1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided

2  garlic cloves, minced

4  cups  organic vegetable broth divided

7  cups  stemmed, chopped kale (about 1 bunch)

2  (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added cannellini beans, rinsed, drained, and divided

1  (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

1  tablespoon  red wine vinegar

1  teaspoon  chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in 3 cups vegetable broth and kale. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until kale is crisp-tender.

 

 

 

2. Place half of cannellini beans and remaining 1 cup vegetable broth in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Add pureed bean mixture, remaining cannellini beans, black beans, and pepper to soup. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, vinegar, and rosemary. 

Nutritional Information

Calories:250 ; Fat:10.4g (sat 1.4g,mono 5.5g,poly 2.2g) ; Protein:11.8g; Carbohydrate:30.5g; Fiber:9.2g; Cholesterol:0.0mg Iron:3.8mg; Sodium:593mg;Calcium:189mg

 For the Cheese-Tomato Toast: Broil slices of ciabatta bread for 1 minute (I used multi-grain French bread b/c my grocery store is stupid and doesn’t have ciabatta bread).  Turn bread over; top each slice with 2 thin plum tomato slices and 1 tablespoon shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (I used Pecorino Romano b/c I like it better),  Broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts.  Serve with soup.

Enjoy!

-K

Minestra with Sweet Sausage

Happy New Years Everyone! My roommate and I, still in our pj’s trying to get over last night festivities, are making this soup tonight called Minestra with Sweet Sausage from the Every Day Rachel Ray Magazine and 30 minute meals. I don’t use Rachel’s recipes a lot because she doesn’t include the calorific information but this is one recipe I really enjoy. Served with nice crusty bread it’s a delicious pick-me-up on a cold winter day

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet sausage
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
One 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans
2 bunches escarole, coarsely shredded
Salt and pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken stock
3/4 cup whole wheat penne pasta or ditalini pasta
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
Grated pecorino-romano cheese, to top

Directions:
1. In a large sauce pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 2 minutes, then stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and escarole; season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. Add the chicken stock and 2 cups water, cover and bring to a boil.
2. Uncover the pot, stir in the pasta, lower the heat and cook until the pasta is al dente, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon peel. Top with cheese.

Enjoy!

-K