Kale Soup

Some of you asked for the kale soup recipe from my Foodie Friday post. It's super simple and even though it was 80 degrees the night we ate it - it was still delicious. It's very similar to a cabbage soup recipe I shared over the winter, except I think the kale is even better than the cabbage. After it's simmered in the soup for an hour or so it gets almost silky in texture.

Simple Kale Soup
(Serves 8)

- 6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 cups of water
- large bunch of kale, stemmed and chopped
- 1 lb of potatoes cut into chunks (peeled if you desire - I used baby red potatoes because they keep their shape better after boiling.)
- 1 lb diced ham *** (you know I have something to say about ham)
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- pepper to taste

1. Bring the broth and water to a boil, then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low for about an hour and a half. Season with pepper.

***For soups like this I always suggest using a low sodium broth (and diluting it with water like I called for in the recipe) and using a very very dry salt cured Virginia ham. The original recipe called for turkey ham, but that's about as close to ham-heresy as it gets for me, so screw that, get the real thing and just do not add ANY salt to the soup. The ham will season the soup perfectly if you get the right kind. The super cured salt ham is usually behind the deli counter and if you get two slices on the thickest setting, that usually comes close to 1lb. Ask your deli person to give you a sample of the ham. If you feel like you need a whole glass of water after you try it - then it's the right kind. I like my soup peppery so I add quite a bit during cooking and right before serving, but that is totally up to you.

Kale is one of the most vitamin rich vegetables you can eat, and it's in season now - so definitely try this out of if you get a chance. Here's the nutrition value of the soup:

DETAILED NUTRITION

Serving Size	1/8 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe	8
Amount Per Serving
Calories	200
Calories from Fat	48
	% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5.3g	8 %
Saturated Fat 1.5g	8 %
Cholesterol 32mg	11 %
Sodium 1596mg	64 %
** Potassium 814mg	23 %
Total Carbohydrates 22.7g	7 %
Dietary Fiber 3.2g	13 %
Protein 16.4g	33 %
** Sugars 2.2g
Vitamin A	100 %
Vitamin C	136 %
Calcium	12 %
Iron	34 %
** Thiamin	17 %
** Niacin	51 %
** Vitamin B6	29 %
** Magnesium	17 %
** Folate	24 %

****Sodium will be lower if you use the low-sodium broth and dilute with water as I've suggested. The original recipe called for 8 cups of regular broth****

Just one serving of this soup will get you 100% of your vitamin A and 136% of your vitamin C!

If you try it out, let me know - email me your adventure and I'll post it in a future kitchen adventures blog!