Kale-Wakame Soup

A friend asked me the other day, “What can I do with all this kale growing in my garden?”. I wanted to answer Well, why not eat it? but decided he had had enough of my obnoxious behavior recently. Instead I answered, “You won’t believe this but I have a wonderful recipe that combines fresh kale with edible seaweed. I think you’d love it.” He looked at me like I was crazy. “I don’t do seaweed”, he replied.

I sent my friend this recipe and his wife made it for dinner. They were both pleasantly surprised. If you have not experienced this kale-wakame combination, give it a try. You, like my friends, will love it.

Ingredients:

¼ cup wakame

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 stalk celery (diced)

1 small yellow onion (diced)

2 small carrots (diced)

1 15-oz. can cannellini beans (rinsed and drained)

1 ½ cups baby lima beans

6 cups vegetable broth

1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base

1 bunch fresh kale (ribs trimmed off)

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

Place wakame in small bowl. Cover with cold water and soak 15 minutes or until soft. Drain, squeeze out liquid, and set aside.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, onion and carrots.  Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Add beans, broth and vegetable base. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Role kale leaves up and lice into ribbons. Add kale to the pan. Cook 5 minutes more, or until kale is tender.  

Stir in oregano, nutmeg, cayenne, and wakame. Serve immediately.

Note: For a heartier soup, add about 8 ounces of organic firm tofu (cut into 1-inch cubes) at the same time you add the beans, broth and vegetable base.