White Bean and Kale Soup

SOUP - hearty, simple, nurturing, flavorful, wholesome, filling. and with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on a good quality slice of bread you’ve got yourself a delicious meal - Genia

The key to balancing our mind and body is understanding our body’s needs. Not so simple, right? The main protocols for healthy living in the kitchen is: how to eat, how to cook, what to eat, and eating seasonal foods.

We have entered a new season - hello fall and brrr winter (expecting a cold season this year). Fall and winter are both colder and dryer seasons - a.k.a. dryer skin, stiffer joints, and mucous buildup (ugh…. breeding grounds for bacteria and colds). But, we have nature to thank for harvesting the perfect seasonal foods to keep us warm, lubricated and nurtured during the colder months.

Now’s the time to eat more SOUPS, nuts, seeds, grains, stews and high fat foods (from healthy sources) to insulate the body.

Here’s 5 types of foods that will help warm you up during the colder months and keep you healthy by improving digestion, and connecting with the cycles of nature. Our body craves seasonal foods to keep us balanced and in sync and that means eating the right foods at the right time - there’s a good sense of reason here. The universe knows what we need!

Dr. John Douillard - Ayurveda practitioner and author of ‘Demystify Yoga’s Elemental Sister Science’ recommends:

1- eat underground veggies: beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squashes, etc.. are denser and heavier which makes them warming and moisturizing. They are rich in fiber, minerals, vitamin A, C …

2- more fat: provides insulation and nutrition to repair, rebuild and rejuvenate. Fish, olive oil, coconut oil, ghee (clarified. butter) are happy fats.

3- more protein: nuts, seeds, spirulina, yogurt, eggs, and for non-vegetarians a little meat is ok. Proteins are building blocks for the body, and during winter these building blocks are essential nutrients for muscles, skin, immunity, etc.

4- fermented foods: they warm the body and support gut microbes (we want good bacteria for a happy gut). Sauerkraut and yogurts are my fave. Eden and Bubbie’s make a delish sauerkraut and Bubbie’s has the best pickled kirbies.

5- more fiber: great for intestinal health and washroom visits -better elimination is the body’s way to get rid of the extras (debris, toxins, waste). Great sources of fiber are beans, lentils, kale, broccoli, root veggies, whole grains, seeds, rice, apples, etc.

Prep your soup and start cooking my friends!

White Bean and Kale Soup

1/2 cup cooked or canned cannellini beans (white beans) or dry beans
1/2 onion diced
1 carrot diced
1 tbsp garlic minced
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp fresh thyme or dry
1 tbsp dry sage
1 tsp salt optional
pinch of black pepper
8 cups water or vegetable stock or bone broth
2 cups flat kale chopped
2 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil

-in soup pot saute onion garlic, carrots, in oil for 5 minutes
-add herbs: thyme and sage, salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes
-add vegetable stock or water or bone broth. and beans
-bring soup to boil and simmer for 20 minutes
-add the kale and simmer another minute for kale to soften and serve

cannellini - Italian for beans

Flat Kale - easy to chop, faster to cook, deep green bliss

Messaging curly kale to soften the leaves and make. the kale more digestible and easy to chew. Flat kale is easier to digest - no need to message.

Genia’s Spoon Me Tips: If you are using dry beans do yourself and others a favor and rinse and soak beans in water overnight. The next day place beans in a medium pan with 2-3 cups of water and if you have kombu seaweed (loads of minerals) in your pantry add 1 inch of kombu to beans and simmer until beans are tender - can take 60 minutes. Using organic cooked beans in can makes the whole process of making this soup easier and faster.

When cooking with olive oil do not use extra virgin olive oil - save the extra virgin oil for your salads. Extra Virgin is made from pure cold-pressed olives and should not be heated. Olive oil that’s not extra virgin is a blend of cold-pressed and processed oils. It can be heated.

There are two types of kale: curly and flat. Flat kale is easier to chop, It’s more tender, thinner. and deeper green (more green the better). Flat kale also cooks faster and no need to message the leaves as done with curly kale. If you never heard of messaging your kale - it’s real - it breaks down the toughness which makes it easier to chew and digest. If you do use curly kale message the leaves with lemon juice and oil. It’s a beautiful experience to message kale. Gotta try it! No licensing required! Only good intentions!

Love in a nurturing bowl of soup,
Genia