Sunday, October 5, 2008

Liar, Liar

Wow, when I wrote how I had finished off the garden for the year back in September, I totally forgot about my Tuscan kale lurking in the background of the plots! I had an itching to make a pot of soup or stew to take with me to school this winter to keep me warm when the air conditioning stays on (why do building managers DO that??) and I had saved a recipe of Susan (the Fat-Free Vegan)'s into my files for almost a year that would be perfect. So out came the stockpot, in went some garden-grown veggies and some easy, canned staples from the pantry and voila: soup! It would have been a stew had I allowed it to simmer longer (or if I had ignored that urge to add more water), but I like it this way - a very hearty soup - since it lets you feel like you're getting more than mouthfuls of kale and cabbage.

Susan's recipe doesn't call for greens to be added, but I love my green leafies (and the iron they provide!) and with all the stuff I got out of my garden (yup, more carrots again!) I figured hey, how could I go wrong? Looking at her recipe now, I took a lot of liberties and substitutions with my stew(ish), so I'm going to post my version here. It's definitely inspired by her though, and do check out her site if you haven't already! This stew/soup is also very high in fibre and low in sugars (I didn't add any but they do come from the carbs in the tomatoes and beans), making it a delicious, vegan, diabetic friendly meal that I'm going to submit to Art of Cooking Indian Food's Eat Healthy - Fight Diabetes event. Since all the fresh veggies in this recipe are local (like, garden and farmer's market local), and the whole dish is very economical, hearty and feeds a crowd I'm passing it along to Valli and Ivy's event for World Food Day too, which focuses on spreading awareness about the plight of many people worldwide who don't always get enough to eat and turn to food banks - a service that is stretched bare-bones-thin even now!

A note about this recipe though that you will notice - it calls for an entire head of garlic. Not one or two cloves, but 20. But don't worry - only 2 are actually chopped and sauteed. The rest are tossed in whole to get all nice and sweet and buttery... yum! It's like roasted garlic without turning on the oven! Feel free to play around with the leafies you put in, too... I bet spinach would be a good addition too! Oh, and this is definitely a better-the-second (third, fourth...)-day recipe too.


Kale, White Bean and Garlic Stew
Makes 6 servings, about 13 (dry) ounces per serving
1 head garlic (the whole bulb--15-20 cloves)
2 tablespoons water
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
19 oz can cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2 cups water
salt to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
6.5 oz kale, stems removed and chopped
9 oz Savoy cabbage, shredded
1 tbsp lemon juice
  1. Break the garlic bulb into cloves and peel off the skin. Chop 2 cloves, leave the rest whole.
  2. Add water to a large, deep pot over medium heat.
  3. Add the onion and sauté 5 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic and carrots, sauté for 1 more minute.
  5. Add the beans, tomatoes, bay leaves, and water. Cover the pot and simmer for about an hour, adding water if it gets too thick. Remove the bay leaves.
  6. Stir in the salt and peppers, followed by the kale and cabbage.
  7. Simmer 5-10 minutes longer.
  8. If you're serving the stew right away, add the lemon juice. Otherwise, add lemon juice right before serving.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 148.2
Total Fat: 0.3 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 405.9 mg
Total Carbs: 28.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 8.2 g
Protein: 9.1 g

8 comments :

  1. I love gardening but I do not have space in my current apt :( your recipe is healthy indeed! love the addition of greens.Thanks for sending it to eat healthy event.Looking forward for more recipes from you!

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  2. This looks fabulous. Kale is so wonderful & the garlic would make this whole dish marvelous! Yummy, I am going to have to make this. *hope your building mgt. turns the a/c down this Winter, with the cost of heating it might happen!

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  3. Those are some artistic carrots!

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  4. Thank you so much for entering this event Sarah. It is perfect for both events:D

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  5. The stew sounds yummy - and those carrots are absolutely beautiful!

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  6. Hi Sarah and thanks for submitting a recipe for the WFD. I haven't been feeling well for a few days now and I am making a small effort to catch up with all the posts I've missed. Your dish sounds delicious.

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  7. That sounds great. I think I'll plant kale next year. Any tips for garden success? Did you start from seed or with nursery stock?

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  8. Today is World Food Day Sarah. The part starts now...come and join us. Thank you so much for your part in spreqading the word about this global issue:D

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Thanks for the feedback!