Christmas and New Year Celebrations are over and for many the scales have just become our worst enemy. Even if that is not the case, chances are you indulged in a few too many sweets and treats. That being the case you are probably planning a good detox/slimming course to kick off the year right and make sure your metabolism is working as it should once again. Whilst I would not recommend any harsh dieting during the colder winter season – you need extra energy to keep going and stay healthy!- I would recommend you treat your liver and other organs to a gentle, natural detox cleanse and what better way than a green vegetable soup?
I tried this recipe for the first time just before the end of the year and I loved it. It was inspired by a book I was reading written by a Michelin Starred chef, and although this recipe has been modified to suit my (detox, low sugar) needs, it is simply scrumptious. If you are a person who doesn’t love kale (although I can’t imagine how that might be possible), don’t worry, you won’t notice the taste at all and I can guarantee that! How can I be so sure? I have a confession to make, I actually served it to someone who hates kale and accidentally on purpose “forgot” to mention this particular ingredient. (Sorry!)The verdict was, and I am paraphrasing, that it was wonderful and I should make it again. So, there you go, as in all things, it depends as much on the ingredients as in how you cook them. In this particular case it was extra tasty because I actually used as home made chicken broth as a base, made from scratch, cooking it for hours to reduce it, in the same way our grandmothers used to do. It truly makes all the difference! No stock cubes and no cutting corners here for maximum taste.
Kale and Red Kidney Bean Soup
Ingredients (approx. 4 large bowls)
2 sticks of celery
1 large yellow onion or 2 shallots
1 small to medium sized carrot (optional - remove for extra sugar detoxing!)
3 cloves of garlic
approx. 1 lt chicken broth (home made!)
1 or 2 sprigs fresh (or 2 tsp dried) Thyme
1 small parsnip
1 large bunch of kale
100 gm red kidney beans (or adzuki beans), pre-soaked
1 bunch of fresh parsley
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
Method
1. Soak the red kidney beans overnight in warm water with ½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.
2. To speed up the cooking time of the soup you can pre-cook the beans until cooked through but they still remain firm to the touch.
3. Soak the carrot, parsnip, celery and kale in water and bicarbonate of soda for approximately 10 minutes. Do the same for the parsley but separately (unless you want to pick the parsley leaves off the other vegetables!).
4. Peel and chop the onion and garlic.
5. Saute’ the onion in a large pot with the olive oil until translucent.
6. Then add the chopped garlic to the onion for approximately 30 seconds to a minute, being careful not to burn it!
7. Chop the celery, carrot and parsnip and add them into the pot with the onion and garlic. Stir for a 2 to 3 minutes to soften them a little.
8. Next, throw in the red kidney beans, followed by the chicken broth, plus any additional hot water and add a pinch of salt (if needed!).
9. Chop the thyme and parsley and any other herbs you might want to use and add them to the soup.
10. Bring to the boil, then cook on a medium to low heat for approximately 25 minutes (this will depend on whether or not you pre-cooked the beans, and how soft you want your beans and vegetables).
11. Pat dry and roughly chop the kale in smallish bits together with the tender leaves of the celery. Add to the soup about 5 minutes before the end.
12. Turn off the heat. Allow to cool down a few minutes before serving.
This soup will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days, just long enough to get your sugar detox done and kickstart your metabolism once again!
Happy detoxing!!
