Tasty Greens Soup Serves 6
Here’s a recipe that I love to make when I’m looking for something warming and healthy. Or I’m just not in the mood to eat salad or veggies but I am in the mood to sip something nurturing and ringing with health. This is super easy and you can use whatever leafy dark greens you have on hand (kale, chard, collards). I find the bright emerald color exhilarating.
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 large Yukon gold or Yellow Finn potato, peeled and diced small
Sea salt
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 generous pinch red pepper flakes
6 cups organic vegetable broth, plus an extra cup if needed
1 bunch collards (or kale), stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 bunch green chard, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 cup loosely packed chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion, potato, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and sauté until the onion is golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for another 30 seconds. Pour in 1/2 cup of the broth, stirring to loosen any bits stuck to the pot, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half.
Add in the collards and chard and another 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir well to combine so that the greens will wilt. Then add the remaining 5 1/2 cups of broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the parsley.
I use an immersion blender to puree the soup or you can use a standard blender and puree the soup in batches, until very smooth. After blending, heat gently and stir in lemon zest and juice. (Or taste it to see if you like it without the added lemon.) You also may want to add a pinch more salt. Serve garnished with a drizzle of olive oil.