National Kale Day: Kale Sausage Soup

Today is National Kale Day!  I looooooove kale, and drink it in my smoothie most mornings during the work week.  

I have a great, very easy recipe to share, but before that, here are some facts about kale that you may not know:

•  kale is full of carotenoids which are linked to levels of optimism
• kale grows late into winter, and becomes sweeter after a frost
• one cup of raw kale contains 134% of your RDA for vitamin C, 684% for vitamin K, and 204% for vitamin A; and nearly 3 grams of protein (source)

For more facts and other information about kale, including recipes, head over to this site.

The other day we made a soup in honour of National Kale Day.  This soup is really easy to make, but it is so good - give it a try!  It doesn't take much prep, and it makes a large batch.

Kale Sausage Soup

2 T olive oil
450 g Italian sausage (hot or mild; if in casings still, squeeze it out)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinced
1 liter chicken broth (we used organic)
1 liter water
1 bunch kale (or about 2 cups), stripped from stems, torn into bite sized pieces (*note - kale doesn't shrivel up when cooked like spinach does)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Heat the oil in a dutch oven.  Brown the sausage, breaking up a bit.  Once mostly brown, add the celery, carrot and onion.  Cook about 8 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and cook another few minutes.  Add the beans, broth and water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 40 minutes or so.  Add the kale, salt and pepper and simmer 5 minutes more, then serve.

Did you eat kale today?