Top | Vegan

Garlic and Kale Soup

(recipe, Carrie Stewart)

Introduction

This brothy soup provides heart-healthful nutrition on many levels: kale and garlic are good for the cardiovascular system; wheat berries are high in fiber; and shiitake mushrooms contain eritadenine, an amino acid that speeds up processing of cholesterol in the liver. Once the wheat berries have been presoaked, the soup can be ready in under an hour.

Ingredients

  1. * ½ cup wheat berries
  2. * 2 Tbs. olive oil
  3. * 3.5 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced (1 cup)
  4. * 10 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  5. * ¼ cup brown rice vinegar
  6. * 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  7. * 1 bunch kale (10 oz.), stemmed and coarsely chopped

Steps

  1. 1. Soak wheat berries in large bowl of cold water overnight.
  2. 2. Heat oil in 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, and season with salt, if desired. Sauté mushrooms 10 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Add garlic, and sauté 2 minutes more. Stir in vinegar; simmer until vinegar is almost evaporated, stirring to scrape up browned bits from pan.
  3. 3. Drain wheat berries, and add to mushroom mixture with vegetable broth and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes. Add kale, and cook 10 to 20 minutes more, or until kale is tender. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.