Meatless Mondays: Potato, Leek, and Kale Soup

<Meatless Mondays is a national campaign that asks people to cut out meat from their diets one day a week in order to improve personal and environmental health. Change.org provides a seasonal, vegetarian recipe every Monday. For more Meatless Mondays meal options, see here, here, here, here, here, and here.

This soup is a lighter take on the classic potato and leek soup made with heavy cream, but that certainly doesn't mean it's not filling. With a thick slab of crusty bread, this is a great, easy dinner for those cool, autumn nights. Feel free to substitute other cooking greens for the kale in this recipe, such as swiss chard. There are also many different types of kale, so experiment to find which you like best. My favorite is the lacinato kale, also known as dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale.

Kale is one of those few crops that actually thrives as the weather cools. In fact, kale is probably at its best after the first frost. In many areas of the country, the first frost has already happened or is on its way. For the other parts of the country, well, you might not have the best local kale, but you've got every other kind of green growing (lucky you!). Kale is also a nutritional power vegetable. It's an anti-inflammatory and quite high in vitamin C, vitamin K, and calcium, among other things.

Potato, Leek, and Kale Soup
Serves 4 as an appetizer, 2 as a main course

Olive oil, enough swirls around to coat the bottom of the pot
2 leeks, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
2 large potatoes or several smaller ones, peeled and roughly diced
Splash of white wine (optional)
4-5 cups vegetable broth
Handful of fresh parsley (optional)
6-8 large leaves of kale, chiffonade (see note below)

1) Heat oil over medium-low heat in a heavy-bottom soup pot. Add leeks and cook until tender — about 5 minutes — stirring often to prevent browning. Add potatoes and cook for another 10 minutes or so. Don't let the potatoes brown.

2) When potatoes are slightly tender, add a splash of white wine (if using) and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Add vegetable broth, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3) In batches, puree the soup in a blender along with some fresh parsley if you have it, and add salt to taste. Return soup to the pot, add the kale, and simmer for another 5-to-10 minutes.

4) Dish out and enjoy with some warm, crusty bread.

*Note: Chiffonade is a cutting technique for herbs and leafy greens that produces long, thin ribbons. First, cut the stems away from the leaves. Stack the leaves on top of each other, and roll tightly into a long cigar. Cut across the rolled leaves to produce the fine ribbons.

Photo credit: ilovemypit via Flickr