Kale and White Bean Soup

Today's recipe is something I threw together this past week on a chilly day right after the rain came and cooled off that heat wave. Light for summer, but warming because it cooled off so quickly.  My husband really loves sausage and greens together.  A couple of years ago I realized that you can get a little bit of that flavor by simply adding the fennel without the sausage!  So here is a little vegan version of kale and white bean soup--no sausage, but added tempeh and fennel to replace it.  I also added some pureed beans to thicken it up!

Kale and White Bean Soup

2 Tbs olive oil
1-2 spring onions chopped (regular is fine here)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz pack tempeh
2 tsp fennel seed (ground up with a mortar and pestle)
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 cans white navy or cannellini beans
1 bunch kale
6-8 cups water or vegetable broth, depending on how soupy you like it.
Salt and pepper


Heat the oil and saute the onions until they are soft.
Add the garlic and tempeh and then the fennel and brown for a bit.
Add the carrots vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
Boil for a bit until the carrot cooks.
Mean while, puree 1 of the can of beans in a food processor.
Wash and cut the kale into strips.  Remove the hard stems if you don't like them.
Once the carrot is a little tender, add the kale and can of beans that you did not puree.
Simmer until the kale is nice and wilted.
Add the pureed beans and bring back up to a simmer.  This just makes the soup a bit thicker.
Serve with a piece of bread or toast to make a nice meal.

Add ins--potatoes, celery would add a nice touch too!

In health and soupiness,
Nicole Harter