Green Soup - Kale, Chard, Sweet Potato
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.
The Dusty Baker 
First of all you are a blogging MACHINE! Can’t believe all these back-to-back posts you’ve pulled off of late! All excellent and delicious I might add. Second I agree on ‘dieting’ unless it’s managed in a way to be normal but switch it up. I think it makes people a bit kooky.
Like you once dipping into the sugar pond I always come back to crave soups and salads like this. it really is what makes me feel grounded. I’m sure this would be earthy and robust. The ingredients are now on my grocery list for the day.
Just found your blog and am loving it. I subscribed by email and look forward to reading all your posts. This green and garlic soup calls my name. We are big soup eaters and can’t get enough garlic.. Hope you’ll stop by and check out my gluten free vegetarian blog too.
Judee
Oh I love soups when it is cold…but more importantly I love love love Kale!
This soup sounds wonderful and I can’t wait to try it. I would also substitute butternut squash for the sweet potatoes and throw it all in my Vitamix for a raw soup.
I’ve heard only amazing things about Vitamixes… maybe someone will be doing a giveaway and I’ll WIN won!
I am in love with my Vitamix and feel so much healthier since I started making raw smoothies and soups. They are expensive, but worth it. I make and heat my soups right in the blender. My greens consumption has gone up dramatically, because I throw some kind of green, from kale to parsley into almost everything. You do not taste it and it ramps up the nutrition.
I don’t diet either. Just eating real food like your gorgeous soup is definitely the way to go.
Greens are garlic are so wonderful together! I’ve been doing a lot of soups with whatever I have on hand, homemade veggie broth from the freezer, and my hand blender. What did we do before hand blenders?!
I know, right?!? I remember many a burnt hand from pouring hot soup into my standing blender ;)
Amazing looking soup! I feel healthier just looking at it. Yum!
Dusty, that looks incredible. I don’t diet either… it’s a waste of time for me. There is nothing better than celebrating food. This soup looks entirely brilliant. I’ve been meaning to give garlic soup a try for a while – once cooked its flavour is almost unrivalled.
Thanks for the inspiration to dive into making this soup. We just received some gorgeous greens from our CSA and this soup is a perfect way to use them to nourish the body. THANKS!