I don’t diet.  I probably should, sometimes, but I hate any negative relationship with food, having grown up in a culture and country that over-indulges and then punishes itself on a rotating basis.  And as I’ve had complications with my digestion because of Lyme Disease from the itty bitty age of 12, I embrace what foods I can eat and try to celebrate them as wholly, fully and naturally as possible.

So with the abundance of sweet things in my kitchen comes a love for incredibly clean, simple foods that are fortifying and cleansing.

Hence green soup now and then.

I love this soup.  I love soup in general, but one of my favorite things about the glory of vegetables and a hand mixer is just throwing stuff together and seeing what comes up.

So, here it is, one of my favorite staples in the particularly cold months.   I served this ladeled over millet and enjoyed with a hot mug of gyokuro, one of my favorite green teas.

Green and Garlic Soup

Ingredients:

Equipment: a hand blender.  If you don’t have one, get one.  Really. Worth it.

• 2 Tbsp (large swirl) olive oil
• 1 large vidalia or sweet onion, sliced thin
• 8-10 cloves garlic, pressed and roughly chopped
• 2 yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)
• 2 cups water or broth (more if you need later)
• kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bunch of kale, rinsed and chopped
• 1 bunch of green chard, rinsed and chopped
• 1 bunch of parsley, rinsed and chopped
• 3 Tbsp vinegar (apple cider, red or white wine)

Directions:

• In a 5-quart heavy pot, bring olive oil to medium heat.  Reduce to low and cook garlic and onion until soft, about 6 minutes.
• Add  yams water/broth and salt and pepper and bring up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the yams are slightly soft, about 2 minutes.
• Add the kale, chard, parsley and vinegar and cook until all vegetables are soft.
• Blend with a hand mixer until smooth (or pour progressively into a blender, being extremely careful when blending as the heat might make the top pop off!).  Add more vinegar and spices as desired.

Related articles

• Vegetarian Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup with Lime from Kalyn’s Kitchen (blogher.com)