Black Bean and Kale Soup

Author: Chef Kelly Yorke

Serves: 8 portions

Studies show that a high fiber and folate intake decreases the risk of breast cancer. This soup provides a rich source of both of these nutrients.

Ingredients

1 cup Dry Back Beans
1 Tbls. Olive oil
1 cup Onions, chopped
1 cup Carrots, chopped
½ cup Celery, chopped
1 Tbls. Garlic, minced
6.5 cups Vegetable stock, low sodium, or 4 cups stock and 2.5 cups water
10 oz. Frozen chopped kale or collard greens
1 leaf Bay leaf Simply Organic Bay Lear, 14oz. container
1 each Jalapeno, stemmed and sliced ¼” thick
½ tsp. Salt (optional – be careful if using high-sodium content purchased stock)
½ tsp. Ground black pepper
1 Tbls. Smoked paprika

Instructions

Sort (remove any foreign objects such as pebbles, twigs or broken beans) from beans, rinse, drain.
Place drained beans in a pot and add enough fresh, clean water to cover the beans by about one half inch. Bring pot to a rolling boil and boil for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, cover pot and let pot sit for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a large pot sauté the onion, celery and carrots until the onions are translucent (about 4-5 minutes) stir in the garlic and sauté another minute. Drain and add the black beans, the vegetable stock, kale, bay leaf, and jalapeno. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours or until beans are soft and creamy.
Remove pot from heat and transfer half the mixture to the blender and puree. Return the pureed mixture back to the pot, add the seasoning and bring back to a simmer and keep hot until ready to serve.
To serve, ladle into serving bowls or soup mugs. If desired, garnish with chopped avocado, diced red bell pepper and fresh cilantro leaves.