Elisabeth.

I made a really delicious, healthy, and inexpensive soup on Thursday night. Soup is a great thing to make because you can make a ton of it at once and store it in the freezer, to enjoy at a later time!

Kale & Mushroom soup

2 cups pre-cooked Brown Rice

1 bunch Kale

2 cups Baby Bella Mushrooms

1/2 of a Red Bell Pepper, diced

4-5 cloves Garlic, diced

1 Yellow Onion, diced

4 cups Vegetable Broth

2 Tbsp “Better Than Bouillon” Vegetable Base dissolved in 3 1/2 cups water

1 Tbsp Dried Basil

1 Tsp Rosemary

1 Tsp Parsley 

3/4 Tbsp Oregano

1 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1 Tsp Ancho Chili Powder (or regular chili powder)

 3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Olive oil, salt, and pepper

First, I made about two cups of brown rice, and set it aside. When making soup, it is best to pre cook the pasta or rice, adding it to the soup when you decide to eat it. Otherwise it becomes soggy.

Then, heat a good amount of olive oil in a medium-large soup pot over medium heat. Add your onions, garlic, red pepper, and a tbsp of salt and pepper. Make sure to have enough oil to coat the vegetables evenly. Add your basil, rosemary, oregano, parsley, chili powder, and pepper flakes.

While the veggies are cooking, slice the mushrooms and tear the kale leaves from the stems. The stems can be discarded, and the leaves can be given a rough chop. While your kale and mushrooms may look extremely voluminous, they will cook down substantially. 

When the cooking veggies are tender, add your mushrooms and balsamic vinegar. Let this cook for a few minutes, until the veggies begin to look slightly caramelized.

Then you can add your kale. Once the kale is in the pot, add your 4 cups vegetable broth and vegetable bouillon, pouring it evenly over the kale. Stir this as best you can, for the kale is most likely taking up the majority of the room in the pot. 

Turn the heat to medium low and cover the mixture. Allow the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes, until the kale and the mushrooms have shrunk down.

Serve and enjoy!