Vegan White Bean & Kale Garlic Soup ~ Maya Devi Georg

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Years ago a dear friend gave me his garlic soup recipe. Made with a whole head of garlic, chicken stock, and finished with a whisked egg it was the perfect winter dish to help combat sniffles, coughs, and colds.

Since then, I’ve given up meat and avoid other animal based foods. But when I was recently coming down with a cold I longed for my garlic soup and decided to create a new alternative!

Now, some schools of yoga do not eat garlic or onions. For some, the theory is that any plant that grows in darkness is malefic and harmful to health. For others, it is believed that onions and garlic are too hot and excite the senses and increase our more earthly desires.

Thankfully, I do not adhere to those schools. I am also grateful that modern science has proved that garlic has incredible health benefits. These benefits include boosting our immune systems, lowering blood pressure, improving cholesterol levels, as well as containing trace minerals including sulfur that has been shown to improve our connective tissue (making us more flexible and improving the appearance of our skin!)

This soup is rich. The garlic melts and with the use of cannellini beans it creates a creamy texture while the vegetables add color as well as substance. Scented with thyme, this soup can easily be reduced into a stew to create a heartier dish.

Ingredients

8 cups of water or vegetable stock
1 head of garlic, cloves sliced
4 carrots, sliced
1 head of celery, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1 small bunch of fresh thyme
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cans cannellini beans (or other white beans)
4 cups fresh kale, stems removed
Salt to taste

Add water (or stock) to pot with sliced garlic and carrots and place on a high flame. When the pot is boiling add the thyme, celery, onions, and olive oil.

When the carrots are cooked (easily cut with a spoon) add the beans. I dump the entire can including the liquid because I find this makes the soup creamier.

Allow to cook until the beans are hot (about 10-15 minutes). Remove the stems from the thyme (you can leave them if you want, but I remove them because they are sometimes too tough). Add salt to your taste.

Stir the kale in and serve!

Makes 4 servings

 

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