take back the soup: wild rice, chickpea + kale soup
2014 is the year of soup. At least in my kitchen. As it’s well documented that my husband isn’t a fan, but I love soup and I’m reclaiming it for my own. Me and soup forever! Soup is what I was raised on, it’s what I ate during my lean years making minimum wage at a record store and it might even be that my matzoh ball chicken soup helped fuel the romance between me and my future husband. See, there’s at least one soup that my husband likes to eat.
This hearty, vegan, soup brimming with bright kale, wild rice, vegetables and chickpeas is not one of them. But I’m okay with that. He’ll survive. We’ve got cheese plates leftover from the holidays that will supplement his meal and served with a glass of red wine, he’ll quietly eat a bowl without so much a grimace.
Leftovers? Well, those are for me and I’m not complaining. The next day, the rice soaks up most of the liquid, so I add a bit of water to a small pot and it reheats nicely. Or keep it dense and you’ve got yourself a thick and hearty stew. Add a little sprinkle of Parmesan cheese over top and you’ll be happy that you kept those leftovers for yourself.
wild rice, chickpea kale soup
I used a brown rice & wild rice blend, but just brown rice or even farro would do nicely here. You probably just won’t need to cook it as long, so start watching things at the 35 minute mark.1 T olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1/2 c wild/brown rice mix
1 T fresh thyme leaves (stems discarded) or 1 t dried
6 c vegetable stock
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 bunch of dinosaur or black kale, cut into ribbons (bottom tough stems discarded)
Parmesan cheese, optional, for servingIn a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onion, celery and carrots together until they sweat it out – about 5 minutes or so. Add a pinch of salt, thyme and the rice and sauté for another few minutes. Add in the stock and cover. Bring to a boil and then turn down heat to medium-low. Cook for 45 minutes – wild rice can take quite a bit of time to cook. Add a bit more stock or water if needed. When the rice is just about tender, add in the chickpeas and the kale, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle each bowl with a little Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serves 4-6.
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