Vegetarian Kale and Bulgar Soup

I got the idea for this soup from the blog "Mennonite Girls Can Cook" but theirs is a Turkey and Kale soup. My Grandmother is a vegetarian so I wanted to make mine something she could eat. At this time of year a nice warm soup is what I like to feed my family and this one is tasty.

Ingredients:

1 tsp of oil ( I use coconut but olive is good too)
2 yellow onions
4 cloves of garlic
1 box of vegetable soup stock
1 cup of bulgar
1 bunch of kale
2 cans of white kidney beans
2 tbsp of lemon juice
4 carrots
1 tsp of salt
fresh ground pepper
2 tsp of fresh ground ginger
2 tsp of cumin
and I throw Parmesan rinds that I have frozen into my soups took add some extra flavor and instead of throwing them out. I pull them out before I serve it though.

To Make:
put your oil in a big soup pot and turn heat onto medium. chop onions and garlic into bite sized pieces then put in pot. Chop carrots and add to pot. Saute until the onions are soft then add full box of stock. Rip the kale leaves into bite sized pieces and put in pot. Add bulgar, beans, lemon juice and spices. Turn heat on high until simmering, stirring occasionally, then lower heat and let continue to simmer. Stir occasionally. Let simmer for 2 hours or until kale and carrots are soft.
Serves 4-5

CHANGE IT UP- have fun with this and make it with whatever you have on hand, add potatoes or winter vegetables like squash or turnip to make it heartier. Add barley or rice instead of the bulgar. Try cayenne pepper to give it a bit of heat (just a tsp is enough). Add fresh herbs like thyme or

Potato Leek Soup

I love a nice thick soup once the weather turns cold. This is one of the dishes we serve when we go and get our Christmas tree which is just around the corner now. The flower market where I work just got their Christmas Greens in so the whole place smells of cedar, pine and eucalyptus. I make a huge batch because everyone loves it and I divide it up so you can half it for a smaller batch.

6 leeks
4 lg onions
4 lg garlic cloves
oil for sauteing about two tbsp of olive oil
4 lg potatoes
2 cartons of vegetable stock
2 tsp chopped rosemary
1 tsp sesame oil
250 mls cream (optional, leave it out if you want this to be vegan)
1 cup uncooked arborio rice
1/2 tsp of chipotle powder

chop leeks (I dont use the really green tops of the leeks, they are a bit stringy and I save them to make my own veg stock) and rinse them in a bowl of cool water, strain the leeks and let dry. chop onions and garlic. saute onions, garlic and leeks in your soup pot with the oil until soft. chop potatoes into bite sized chunks, add to pot. add stock and rosemary to pot, make sure the stock covers the potatoes and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for about 20-25 min or until potatoes are soft. remove from heat and set aside. cook the rice (following the directions on the bag). add the sesame oil to the soup pot and puree. add the cooked rice and puree. let sit and cool then put in fridge for 12-24 hours. reheat on stove adding the cream (if you are going for non-vegan) and the chipotle and puree.

Perfect! Enjoy!!