Stormy Soup

Today was gross, grey, cold and stupid. One of those days where you seem to have a headache all day long and don't feel like smiling and want to slap anyone just looking in your direction, and then you go to the dentist. Instead I took my weird pent up aggression and stabbed some potatoes with a fork (later I "baked" them in the microwave) and it really seemed to help. That's right I made Baked Potato Soup, not like yo mama's Baked Potato Soup, unless of course you are my husband's mama because that is who originally gave me the recipe.

Yummm....eat me!

This Soup is vegan and hearty and delicious and CHEAP! Here is what you need:

4-6 Baking Potatoes (Bake and Cool then cut into 1 inch chunks)
2 Tbl of Olive Oil
1 Large Yellow Onion, sliced into thin strips
3 cloves Garlic, minced (5 if you love Garlic)
1/2 tsp of fennel seed, crushed (I don't use this, because fennel smells like sausage, blah)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rubbed sage
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 c. white wine, or more broth
5 c. Vegetable Broth (I used Vegetable Bouillon because it's saltier)
4 c. Kale torn into bite size pieces

Basically all you do is start by preparing your broth or Bouillon. While that is boiling, saute the onions in the olive oil. Once the onions are brown (about 12 minutes if on med heat) add the garlic,fennel (boo), thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Cook all that for 2 minutes then add the wine to de-glaze the pan. Dump that into the broth, you can then add the potatoes.
note: I feel like I never clean potatoes as well as they should be cleaned so I have always taken the skin off the spuds after they have cooled down, it gives the soup less of a dirt taste...end of note.
After you add the potatoes bring the whole pot to a low boil and add the Kale, mix it around cover and cook for about 15 minutes.
...and you get a boiling hot pot of some salty, garlicy, kaley, greatness that cost me $5.24 for Kale, Potatoes and Bread everything else I had on hand. THATS EIGHT SERVINGS!!! I will freeze what is left in this pot..and eat it in about 2 weeks when I'm bored.

 

Also putting a little Parmesan Cheese on top never hurt anyone too bad, just don't tell those crazy vegans. You can eat a ton and not feel guilty afterward, and it freezes beautifully!

So the weather is still gross and depressing but for that hour that I was in the kitchen surrounded by the hot stove and oven it felt so comforting..aah..now I am going to turn on my space heater and sit in front of it, pretending it is a roaring fire, then probably go to bed.

Adios!