Kale, Butter Beans and Lime Soup

{Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Vegan}

A nutritious and creamy soup, ready to be enjoyed in under 30 minutes!

There is something quite comforting about soup, don’t you think? Maybe it’s its warmth, that suddenly makes you feel better, especially in those cold days. Maybe it’s its nutritious and caring spirit (caring? Spirit? Can a soup have a caring spirit? I like to think it can 🙂), kind of like it could talk and tell you: “Don’t worry I am looking after you, you just sit back and relax”. Or maybe it’s its simplicity, knowing that in a little time you can go from having raw wholesome ingredients to having a home cooked scrumptious hearty meal. I don’t know exactly what it is, but one thing I do know. I absolutely adore soups! I love how simple and quick they are to prepare and how full of goodness they are.

Today’s soup was a way to use up a bag of leftover kale I had in the fridge that I had bought on offer in Lidl for only £0.69. Kale is such a nutritious superfood. It is low in calorie, high in fiber and a great source of vitamins K, A, C and flavonoids, that provide important antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Kale has quite a bitter taste and I don’t really like to eat it by itself unless I add some sourness to it. Here come the limes to the rescue! I have used both lime juice and lime zest, to accentuate its taste. And the beans? But hey, you don’t want to miss out on extra protein and fiber, do you? Plus, together with the potatoes, they make the soup so creamy that you definitely don’t need to add any extra cream or dairy. I have used butter beans, because that’s what I had at home, but feel free to use cannellini beans instead.

So how do you prepare it? Easy peasy! Just fry an onion in some extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes, add the potatoes and the kale, sauté for a few more minutes, then add the beans, lime zest and the vegetable stock. Let it cook for about 20 minutes,then squeeze in the lime juice and blend the whole thing in a blender, or food processor, or hand blender. Whatever you have at hand with a pair of blades.

I like to serve mine with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds. You could use melted coconut oil instead, it tastes delicious with the lime and top with any seeds you have available. Oh, and one more thing! Don’t forget to dunk some warm brown bread in! 🙂

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Ingredients (Serves 2)

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
• 200g potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 80g kale, chopped
• 700 ml vegetable stock
• 1x400g can of butter beans
• grated zest and juice of 1/2 a lime
• Pumpkin seeds,  to serve (optional)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, add the chopped onions and fry on a low-medium heat for a few minutes.
2. Add the peeled and chopped potatoes and the chopped kale. Sauté for a few more minutes.
3. Rinse the beans under cold water and add to the saucepan, together with the vegetable oil and grated lime zest.
4. Bring to the boil on a high heat, then cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.
5. Take the saucepan off the heat, add the lime juice and blend the soup in a blender or food processor until creamy and smooth.
6. Pour in the bowls, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil (or melted coconut oil) and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
7. Serve with some warm brown bread (use gluten free bread, if required) and enjoy!