hold the phone

i cannot believe what happened today. i got ty to eat lettuce. and not just any type of lettuce, KALE. the mother of all healthy leafy green vegetables.  ty is not a very picky eater but lettuce is a big no no. not as a garnish, not in tacos, not in anything. NADA.  Ok, he does love steamed spinach. a lot. so i should give him props for that.  and i might not have told him it was kale, but spinach in this soup. he he he.

but i had this new recipe to try out, with kale in it. i was a little timid, but being so sick i was desperate for a crock pot recipe and just in case it bombed we had ice cream in the freezer for emergency back up.

so anyways, we served it up, and i watched ty out of the corner of my eye holding my breath. he took a bite, he took  another bite and said, "mmm, this is good." the girls took note and started merrily slurping theirs up. it was a huge SUCCESS!  ty even had SECONDS. abby was eating hers a little slowly (i didn't slice the kale up small enough) but she finished up soon enough when she saw the ice cream on the counter. 

so without further ado, a recipe to try out if you dare: (it felt really good on my sore throat, i might add)

CROCK BEAN SOUP WITH KALE

3 T olive oil

3 onions, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

3 cloves garlic, pressed

1 bunch kale, trimmed and sliced

1 lb cannellini beans, soaked overnight (i use white beans)

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

3 cans chicken brother

1/4 cup tomato sauce

salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrot, and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Add kale and cook till wilted, about 3 minutes.
In a crock pot, place the soaked beans, red pepper flakes and the contents of the skillet. Cover with broth. Cook on high 8 hours or until beans are tender (mine finished earlier). Once beans are tender, add the tomato sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

*if you want, i bet that cooked and sliced up italian sausage would go really well in this soup.

*not my image*

recipe from here, i should let you know this book changed my life. i've used it for 6 years now.
it taught me how to plan out a menu and actually use all the food. not have the veggies rot in the drawer.
all the recipes use seasonal vegetables and fruit, whole grains and minimal ingredients.
i've never had a crappy recipe from here. honestly.


if you don't like to cook (i.e. you don't know how) buy this one to go along with it.
i'd like to try her recipes in this one too.