Kale Soup Recipe (Skinny Soup)

Servings:  6 servings

Prep Time:   30 minutes

Total Time:  50 minutes

My brother-from-another-mother, Charles Thi, and I created this recipe.  We call it Kale Soup.  We’ve made it many, many times and have taste tested it to the point where I can confidently say we have reached perfection.  This recipe includes chicken broth and meat.  If you want to go strictly veggie then omit the chicken meat; increase the amount of mushrooms (for more girth and protein), and swap the chicken broth for either organic vegetable or mushroom broth.  This recipe is low in carbs and rich in protein and veggies – You’re going to have a really hard time getting fat from this soup!  I always feel light and happy after I eat it – not sluggish or bloated.  This soup is great when it’s chilly outside, or when you feel a bit under the weather.

What You Will Need

6 cups chicken broth (1 1/2 boxes of organic, free range chicken broth, 32 oz. box)

1 organic medium-sized yellow onion, chopped

2 organic medium-sized heirloom tomatoes, chopped

2 organic Yukon Gold OR 2 purple potatoes OR 1 large Russett potato, chopped

1 organic head of kale (de-stemmed), chopped or torn into small pieces by hand

2 organic carrots, chopped

1 package (3.5 oz) shitake mushrooms, sliced

2 cups chicken breast from rotisserie chicken (roughly ½ Sprouts brand rotisserie chicken), cubed or shredded

4 tablespoons nutritional yeast

3 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper, ground

½ teaspoon cayenne, ground

1 large pot (3.5 qt. pot will hold all of the ingredients but a slightly larger pot will make it easier for stirring)

Directions

1.  Fill pot with chicken broth and heat on stove on low setting.  Place lid on pot.

2.  Wash and slice shiitake mushrooms and add to pot.  Cover with lid.

3.  Increase heat to low-medium setting so that the broth is at a slight boil.

3.  Wash and chop potatoes and carrots and add to pot.  Cover with lid.

4.  Continue preparing and adding ingredients to pot in this order: Onions, tomatoes, nutritional yeast, sea salt, ground pepper, cayenne, chicken meat, and kale.  I like to pull the green, leafy part from the thick stem of the kale and tear it up into pieces by hand.  Uncover soup.

5.  Let kale cook for 5 minutes or so and then test a piece of potato.  If it is soft, then the soup is ready.  If it is still a little hard, then continue to cook soup for an additional 5 minutes then taste potato again.

6.  Enjoy!  Eat as many bowls as you like – I will have 2 big bowls and feel completely guilt-free, because you’re filling up on water, lean protein, fiber rich mushrooms, and nutritious veggies.

Bon appétit!

Grow Mushrooms at Home!

I received a mushroom growing kit for Christmas last year (7 months ago) and only decided to open it last month.  I followed all of the instructions:  Remove front panel from box, cut slits into mycelium bag, soak bag in water overnight, shake off excess water from bag, put bag in box, put box near windowsill and out of direct sunlight, mist bag at slits 2-4 times a day, be patient, watch oyster mushrooms grow!

It actually worked!  It took a little longer than the expected 10 days.  My mushrooms probably took 2.5 weeks to grow.  Once the mushrooms made their appearance, they grew really fast!  I should have plucked my mushrooms out of the kit a few days ago when the edges of the shrooms weren’t so crinkled.  I consulted a mushroom expert and found out that they’re fine to eat.  I rinsed the mushrooms thoroughly and then put them in a pan with a little olive oil over low heat.  I let the mushrooms cook for about 15-20 minutes (I try not to risk undercooking my mushrooms.)  Finally I added a little Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (alternative to soy sauce), minced garlic, and sliced ginger.  I’ll cook hearty shiitake mushrooms the same way but I’ll let them cook for about 40-45 minutes since they’re a lot tougher.  Although my kit didn’t yield a lot of mushrooms this time, the ones that I cooked were absolutely delicious!

The kit that I received was made by a company called Back to the Roots.  Here’s their website:  http://www.backtotheroots.com/

They’ve got a lot of great information on there along with some informative videos.  You can see pictures of people who grew huge batches of mushrooms.  It’s so easy and really fun to grow.  A kit is only $20.  I would definitely get this for someone as a gift (unless they hate mushrooms, of course, but if that were the case I would have to rethink our friendship).  😉

Here are a few photos I took of my fully grown mushrooms…

This is a photo of some of the mushrooms I chose to cook.  I used a low heat setting and cooked them for 15-20 minutes and then added some Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, minced garlic, and ginger slices.  I am so hungry it hurts!