Hearty Kale and White Bean Soup

I never fully understood what kale was until last year. My girlfriend made us a holiday dinner and served kale sauteed with garlic and olive oil. It was delicious. Then she explained that this leafy green vegetable is full of all kinds of nutrition, including calcium.

Here's a recipe I found at chowtimes.com! I made a few changes and my notes are below. You won't be disappointed. This soup is hearty, healthy and delicious!

http://chowtimes.com/2008/03/04/kale-and-white-bean-soup/print/




My notes:
-Replace the bacon with turkey bacon to reduce fat.
-Add one chopped celery heart with leaves to cook with the carrots and onions.
-Add one cup vegetable stock when simmering soup at end.
-Substitute dry beans with one can 14.5 oz of canned beans.
-Add 2-3 additional teaspoons of salt.
-Add extra fresh ground pepper to taste.

Kale is super healthy, so you can't lose with all the nutrition you get from this soup! Here's a few links about the health benefits:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Health-Benefits-of-Kale&id=136177
http://www.everynutrient.com/healthbenefitsofkale.html