Winter Vegetable Soup

It is snowing. Really snowing. Luckily, I love snow. I love winter. Really, I swear. There is just something about big comfy sweaters and nights spent cuddled under a blanket that speaks to me. However, I'm pretty sure the rest of those in the area are tired of it. Spring is, after all, less than two days away.

Anyway, a day spent snowed/iced in calls for a wintery soup that warms the soul. Perhaps next week I'll be able to start thinking about spring, but until then enjoy this recipe.

I saw this recipe one day while flipping through the channels. It comes to you courtesy of Alton Brown and his Good Eats show. Generally I follow the basic recipe but you could really put any sort of hearty vegetable in it you want. You could switch in sweet potatoes, swiss chard or anything your little heart desires.

I am going to take a moment though to persuade you to believe in the benefits of kale. Kale is one of the most nutritious vegetables on earth. According to Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD,
just "one cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus (Webmd article, 2010)."

Although all the other vitamins and minerals are great, the 1020% vitamin K is the kicker here. To put it simply, vitamin K is essential for the modification of a number of our proteins (the building blocks of all life) during their synthesis (Furie et al., 1999). Decades ago Vitamin K antagonists were implicated in pharmacologic agents for anticoagulation (Campbell and Link, 1941). More recently, scientists have found that vitamin K intake has been associated with a reduced risk of and fatality from cancer (Nimptsch et al., 2010). Generally we get our vitamin K as the synthetic version found in cheese, but kale is stocked full of the vitamin naturally. So, if that isn't enough to persuade you to enjoy kale every once in awhile, I don't know what is.

At least give it a go in this soup :)

Winter Vegetable Soup

1/4 cup olive oil

2 medium carrots, finely diced

2 ribs celery, finely diced

1 large onion, finely diced

1 tablespoon kosher salt

One 35-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

2 teaspoons fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 quarts filtered water

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

One 2-by-2-inch piece Parmesan rind

7 ounces butternut squash, cubed

5 ounces curly kale, chopped

Two 15-ounce cans great Northern beans, undrained

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Shaved Parmesan, for serving

In a large stock pot add oil, carrots, celery, onion, salt and cook on low until soft; about 20 mins. Add the tomatoes, sage, rosemary, garlic, water (sometimes I substitute 1/2 the water for chicken stock), soy sauce and parmesan rind and bring to a boil. Let cook for roughly 20 mins, then lower heat and add the squash and kale. Cook for another 30 minutes or until squash is soft. Then add the northern beans (I usually substitute chick peas instead because I enjoy them more), red wine vinegar, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for another 15 mins. Serve with parmesan shaved or grated on top.