Chronic in the Kitchen: Eat your greens!

by Jennifer Hess

(Editrix's note: This is the fourth in a series of articles by Jennifer Hess on healthy cooking and eating. Look for more "Chronic in the Kitchen" articles soon! Questions? Suggestions? Contact Jennifer here.)

We all know that eating dark green leafy vegetables is good for us, but how often do you venture beyond salads or bland boiled spinach? There are plenty of exciting options out there, and one of my favorites is kale.

A member of the brassica family, this relative of broccoli, cabbage, collards and Brussels sprouts is truly a “superfood” – chock full of healthful phytochemicals, fiber, calcium, and vitamins A and C. In fact, according to studies reported in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (August 1, 2004), “vitamin C-rich foods, such as kale, provide humans with protection against inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis involving two or more joints.” Just one cup of cooked kale supplies 88.8% of the daily value for vitamin C.

Kale has a rich, earthy flavor, and is incredibly versatile. It’s great simply sautéed in a little bit of olive oil, but it works beautifully in this simple soup, where its slight bitterness is mellowed by the tomatoes, and its peppery spiciness shines through.

Kale, Sausage and White Bean Soup

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. savory chicken or turkey sausage (I use chicken with red pepper and garlic sausage)
1/2 baseball-sized red onion, diced
1 tbsp. dried oregano
Salt and crushed red pepper to taste
About 2 cups chopped diced tomatoes with juice
4 cups chicken broth or stock
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed*
1 head kale, washed and chopped into about 1 inch pieces (about 3-4 cups total)

Place 1 tbsp. olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and turn heat to medium-high. Remove sausage from casings, either by squeezing it out one end or by cutting a slit down the side and pulling the casing off. Add to pot and brown, breaking up with a spoon into chunks.

When sausage is browned, move to the sides of the pan and add the remaining tbsp. of olive oil and diced onion to the center of the pan. Cook until softened, stirring well. Mix sausage into onion, then add oregano, about 1 tsp. of salt, and crushed red pepper flakes, stirring to combine. Add tomatoes with juice, chicken broth, and beans, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add chopped kale, stir and cover.

Simmer soup, covered, over medium-low heat until kale is softened, about 10 minutes. Add additional crushed red pepper flakes if desired.

* You can substitute about 2 cups of small red potatoes, cut into about 1 inch chunks – add at the same time as you would the beans, but simmer the soup until the potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork.

Posted: 12/29/2005 in The Kitchen

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Chronic in the Kitchen: Eat your greens!

Kale, Sausage and White Bean Soup