Explaining the Kale

So I chose the blog title of "Eat Your Kale", because the first recipe that I wanted to share on here is the Kale Soup my Aunt Sanda made for me after she learned I had become vegan (gone vegan?). I loved it from the beginning, and have since made a couple of delicious twists to it. It was especially amazing that first time, because she grows kale in her garden, so we first went out and cut the main ingredient from the backyard -- so cozy, right?!

She was super supportive of my decision, as she has eaten a vegan diet on-and-off again over the past 10+ years. I remember when my siblings and I would complain about going to Aunt Sanda's for holidays, since everything she made was "too healthy". Ha! Now this past Christmas I was pumped to hear she was hosting, since I knew it meant Tofurkey, vegan side dishes and her amazing salads.

If you've never tried kale, I encourage you to give this a whirl. It's easy to make, has a lot of garlic (YUM) and is a hearty meal that you can store in the fridge for a few days and re-heat when things get busy! That last part is key -- I live alone, but love to cook, so I'm always happy when things re-heat just as tasty as when they were originally prepped! Plus, with my schedule, I can't always make a home cooked meal every night. Oh, one other plus -- not very expensive! All of the ingredients are pretty basic and inexpensive...we all know in this economy money is ALWAYS a factor!

With no further ado...here is my first recipe, posted to my blog!!

Sanda's Kale Soup

2 tbsp olive oil
5 or 6 garlic cloves
3 cups water
3 tbsp veggie broth mix powder (buy in bulk at Whole Foods or co-ops)
1 bunch of kale (chopped into small, biteable pieces)
1 cup cooked brown rice
5 red potatoes, diced and cooked
1 or 2 tbsp soy sauce

Thinly slice garlic and saute in olive oil until just starting to brown (do this in a large pot). Add 3 cups of water & increase heat. Mix in veggie broth powder. Add kale a little at a time, cover and simmer about 10 minutes. Add rice, potatoes and soy sauce and simmer 5 minutes. Enjoy!