I went to Whole Foods and was blown away by one of their delicious “Health Starts Here” soups, whose main ingredients were kale and white beans. If you’re not familiar with the “Health Starts Here” program, it marks foods around the store – mainly in the deli – with a logo that says “Health Starts Here.” The logo means identifies foods in the store that meet the strict standards of health book authors Joel Fuhrman, MD, Rip Esselstyn, and/or John McDougall, MD. I find this program is especially useful for people who are traveling and don’t want to just eat vegan – they want to eat ultra-healthy vegan.
Since these health book authors generally advocate a vegan, very low-fat, very low-salt, very low-sugar diet, I used to worry that the “Health Starts Here” items wouldn’t be very tasty. On occasion, that’s true, but mostly they are delicious! My favorite out of all of the recipes is the White Bean and Kale Soup. I don’t have their exact recipe, but tried to make something close at home, and this definitely does the trick. Try this recipe for sure! It makes a big pot of soup, so you’ll have leftovers for a few days – and you’ll be glad that you do!
Kale, White Bean and Rosemary Soup
Ingredients:
2 Small-Medium Yellow Onions, Diced
5 Cans No-Salt White Beans (Cannellini Beans)
2 Boxes Low-Sodium Veggie Broth
1-2 T Dried Rosemary
1 Large bunch Kale (I use ¾ bag of Trader Joe’s pre-cut Kale)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Directions:
Sauté diced onions in a few tablespoons of water for about 5 minutes. Add 3 cans of beans, 1½ boxes of veggie broth (about 6 cups) and Rosemary. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, but the remaining 2 cans of beans and ½ box (2 cups) of broth in a blender and blend until smooth. Add to the soup pot, along with the kale, and heat until warm. Add salt and pepper to taste.
