Guest Kathy Adelsheim: Chicken Kale Soup, Black Bean Soup, Healthy Veggie Soup

Chicken Kale Soup

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, diced
salt/pepper
1 large bunch kale, chopped
1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 qt chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Procedure
Heat oil, saute onion, celery, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook about 8 minutes till veggies soften, then add kale. Stir and cook about 1 minute. Add chicken — stir and cook till no longer pink. Add broth, bring to a simmer cook until chicken is cooked, about 7-8 minutes more. Stir in parsley. This soup is good right away or later. It can be made with veggie broth and without chicken for vegan/vegetarians, but what a shame!

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients
1 1 tablespoon olive oil
4 thinly sliced scallions
4 cloves minced garlic
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
3 teaspoons ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper
2 cans black beans with liquid
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Procedure
Heat oil in small stockpot, saute garlic, scallions, celery and then sprinkle spices over mixture. Cook stirring a bit till veggies soften and then add beans, tomatoes and broth and bring to a simmer and cook 15 minutes. Transfer most of soup to blender and process in batches till smooth. Return to pan and combine with remainder Simmer 15 minutes more and adjust seasonings. Serve with chopped scallions, fresh lime wedge and hot sauce. It's delicious, elegant, filling and very low cal!

Healthy Veggie Soup

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, diced small
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 cup celery, sliced
1 cup carrot, sliced
1 cup parsnip, sliced
2 leeks, washed well, sliced thin
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups greens, washed and chopped (any combo of kale, collard, chard, turnip)
2 cups cabbage shredded (1/2 a small head)
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 15 oz cans beans (I like kidney and pinto but great northern, cannelloni, garbanazo are good too)
2 quarts broth
2 teaspoons thyme
4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper

Procedure
Heat oil in large stockpot. Saute garlic and onion then carrots, celery, parsnips, and leeks. Sprinkle with salt and saute till soft. Next add greens and cabbage, stir to coat and saute till wilted and soft. Add tomatoes, beans, broth, thyme, pepper and bay leave. Cover, bring to boil, and then simmer for at least 30 minutes. Let sit for an hour or overnight covered — it's best the next day. This soup gets thick and hearty yet has few carbs.