Beans and Greens Soup

White Bean and Kale Soup (Beans and Greens) 

During the first week following my monthly injection of Octreotide, I need to increase my intake of pureed fiber, particularly food like hummus or bean dips. (Believe me, you don't want to know all of the medical details regarding why this is necessary.)    


But one day last week I was weary of the several varieties of hummus and white bean dips I had consumed and stood with the refrigerator door open for far too long looking for something to satisfy my palate as well as my dietary needs.  Then it came to me.  


I had a small amount of kale in the crisper and had some cooked white beans that I hadn't used for making dip.  I have seen several recipes for kale and white bean soups, but had never ventured to make a pureed soup with those ingredients.  The challenge was on.  What proportions and herbs would yield a creamy, healthy, fiber-filled delectable pureed soup?  Following my culinary instincts, I started chopping, mixing, and measuring....quickly, because I was getting hungry. The resulting soup was nutritionally dense, creamy but low-fat, and yes, definitely tasty. When Tom walked into the house, he asked what I had made that smelled so delicious.  Pzazz!  


Just a quick side-note:   If you use canned white beans rather than cooking your own, choose a brand, such as Eden Organic, whose cans contain no bisphenol-A in the can linings.  

Kale

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked white cannellini beans
2 cups chopped kale (tough stems removed)            
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 - 3/4 cup water
1/2  - 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation:
Cook the kale in the broth until tender.  Add the cooked white beans and rosemary. Simmer until thoroughly heated.  Puree with an immersion blender in a deep container, or puree in a blender.  If a thinner consistency is desired, add a bit more broth or water.  Season with just a bit of sea salt.  (Did you know that typical table salt is bleached, but sea salt isn't.  Sea salt is garnered from the natural evaporation of seawater.  It's far healthier than common iodized table salt and contains more than eighty valuable trace minerals.  Have fun trying the many varieties of sea salt available, each imparting a unique flavor. Tom is my household "expert" on sea salt and he has introduced me to a vast array of fascinating sea salts,)

Simmering soup

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 3
Serving Size: A generous 1 cup
Calories: 163
Total Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 120 mg
Total Carbs: 29 g
Dietary Fiber: 9 g
Protein: 10 g