The second in a series of 4Leaf recipes from Lisa’s Kitchen

Andrew's 4Leaf Kale Soup

Not being that handy in the kitchen myself, I asked my daughter-in-law, Lisa Hicks, to join my blogging team and prepare a series of her favorite 4-Leaf recipes that I could share with everyone. Maybe this series will lead to a companion book in our future. Here is one that is named after her 9-year old son; hope you like it.

This mild, earthy tasting soup, with its crunchy texture, is our son, Andrew’s favorite dish. He asks for it all of the time! How many kids ask for kale, let alone even know what it is! Not to mention kale is one of the superfoods. This recipe will make you enough for the entire week!

Scoring high in the 4-Leaf range with well over 80% of its calories from whole, plant-based foods. Contains zero animal products. From Lisa with love…

Andrew’s 4Leaf Kale Soup — Ingredients:

• 1 small onion or 1/2 of a large onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced or chopped
• 1 large bunch of kale, or two small, stems removed, and leaves roughly cut up
• 2 15 oz. cans of unsalted diced tomatoes or fresh tomatoes
• 1 15 oz. can of unsalted black beans, rinsed
• 1 15 oz. can of unsalted kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 15 oz. can of unsalted pinto beans, rinsed (you may substitute the types of beans if desired)
• 1 qt. of low-sodium vegetable broth
• 4 – 6 cups of brown rice, bulgur wheat, quinoa, or wheat berries (or any whole grain of your choice)

With love from Lisa...

Directions.

1. Using a large pot (8 quart plus), saute or steam onion on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes. You can forgo the cooking spray and use any type of liquid, such as water.
2. Add garlic and saute or steam for about 2 minutes.
3. Stir in kale and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until leaves are wilted, tossing occasionally. Add water if needed to prevent burning. (I strip the leaves off of the stem with my hands and then rip the leaves into small pieces).
4. Add diced or fresh tomatoes, beans, vegetable broth and about 10 cups of water, or enough of water to cover ingredients; season with salt and pepper, if desired.
5. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 45 minutes.
6. Add desired amount of your whole grain of choice to your bowl and then add soup. (You may also wish to leave out the whole grain if you choose to have a less hearty meal).
7. Enjoy! Enjoy! If you’d like to send an email to Lisa directly — all questions and/or praise are welcomed at lisa@4leafprogram.com

For a “printer-friendly” one-pager, ideal on your fridge with a magnet—Just click here for a PDF.

If you like what you see here, you may wish to join our periodic mailing list. And if you like what 4Leaf eating is doing for you and your family, you might enjoy visiting our new “4Leaf Gear” store. From the New England village of Holden, Massachusetts — Be well and have a great day.

If you’d like to order our book on Amazon,  visit our BookStore now.

—Lisa Hicks…blogging occasionally at 4leafprogram.com

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