Healthy Bean Soup With Kale

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• 8 garlic cloves, minced.
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped.
• 4 cups raw kale, chopped (be sure to remove the spiny sections, there won't be many, but those that remain will be tough).
• 4 cups chicken broth or 4 cups vegetable broth, divided.
• 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans or 2 (15 ounce) cans navy beans, undrained, split.
• 2 (15 ounce) canssliced carrots, undrained.
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes.
• 2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning.
• Salt and pepper.
• 1 cup chopped parsley.
• Shredded parmesan cheese.

DIRECTIONS:

• In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion; saute until soft and the onion is transparent.
• Wash the kale, leaving small droplets of water. Saute, stirring, until wilted and a lovely emerald green, about 15 minutes.
• Add 3 cups of the broth, reserving 1 cup, 2 cups of the beans, reserving 1 cup, all of the carrots, tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes.
• In a blender or food processor, mix the reserved beans and broth until smooth. Stir into the soup to thicken it nicely. Simmer 15 more minutes.
• Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chopped parsley and shredded parmesan. Serve with a nice loaf of crusty bread to soak up all the yummy broth!

For Vegetarian use the vegetable broth.

We've all heard how anti-oxidants fight cancer, save eyesight, and prevent clogged arteries. Turns out lutein, a delicious 7 mg dose of which is supplied with each serving of this recipe, is even more beneficial than beta carotene. It delays lung aging and combats arthritis to boot! Who knew improving your health could be so quick and easy, and taste so good? Try it - you will see :)

Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/