Kale & Mushroom Soup and Salad

After spending some time in the South, I wanted a super-veg-heavy dinner.  The kale was tangy and delicious, the soup was savory and delicious, perfection.

Kale Salad

About four servings.

Large bunch of organic kale
3 carrots
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 lemon, juiced (fresh is a must for this)
Coarse salt
Extra virgin olive oil

First, prep the kale by rinsing it thoroughly, de-stemming all the pieces, and chopping into small bite sized pieces.  Put in a large mixing bowl.  Peel the carrots and then grate them, set aside.  Place the pine nuts on a baking sheet in a 350-400 degree oven until they start to brown and become fragrant (a few minutes).  Set aside.

Now, you "massage" the kale which starts to break it down making it more tender and almost like you steamed it.  Pour the lemon juice over the kale and with freshly cleaned hands, plunge your hands into the kale and rub the lemon and kale together, a vegetable massage if you will.  After you do that for a bit, sprinkle a generous amount of salt across the kale and massage that through.  Lastly, drizzle a generous portion of olive oil across the kale and massage that through the kale very thoroughly.  Your kale should have drastically shrunk in size by now.  Toss the carrots and toasted pine nuts in with the kale and serve.


White Bean and Roasted Mushroom Soup
Makes about 8 servings.
I was looking for a bean and mushroom soup and this perfectly fit the bill!  This soup is really wonderful.  I made a smaller quantity by using 1 onion, 1 pint mushrooms, 2 cans of beans and 4 cups of vegetable broth.

Pasted below.  From: http://shewearsmanyhats.com/2011/10/roasted-mushroom-soup/

 

A satisfying soup, that uses a healthy pureed white bean and broth base instead of cream, so it can be enjoyed often, guilt-free.

16 oz. mushrooms, halved or quartered
2 large sweet onions, quartered
3 garlic cloves, slightly crushed
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ teaspoon salt, divided
1½ teaspoon pepper, divided
8-10 fresh sage leaves*
8-10 stems + 1 tablespoon leaves fresh thyme*, divided
48 oz. chicken broth (vegetable broth can be substituted for a vegetarian version)
3 – 15 oz. cans white beans, not drained (I prefer cannellini beans)
Additional salt and pepper for seasoning

Preheat oven to 450°F. 

Toss mushrooms, garlic and onion in olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. (You may want to keep mushrooms separate on baking sheet for roasting, because you’ll have to separate later. So, separate now, or later.) Spread on baking sheet. Add sage leaves and stems of thyme. Roast in 450° F oven for 10 minutes, toss and roast for additional 15 minutes. 

While vegetables are roasting, add broth, beans, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves to a large stock pot over medium heat and simmer.

When vegetables are done roasting, let cool slightly. Separate mushrooms from other roasted vegetables (if not already separated).

Retrieve 2 cups of the white beans, and 1 cup of broth from the stock pot, add to a blender along with the roasted onions, garlic and herbs. Cover and blend until smooth.

Add pureed bean mixture back to stock pot, whisking in until smooth. Add roasted mushrooms to soup. Salt and pepper to taste.

Warm over low heat until ready to serve.

*Dried herbs may be substituted for fresh. The rule of thumb is one part dried, to three parts fresh.