Island Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

To all my kale-loving friends like me out there... you gotta try this soup!!! And the rest of you, if you don't love kale yet, you will when you try this soup! As you know, I love kale, and check out the load of kale in this soup!! And the sweet potatoes are the perfect match for the kale. They offer a soft and sweet contrast to the thick and crunchy greens.

This soup is also quite unique with the addition of coconut milk and spicy zest of pepper. I don't like the spicy flavor of jalapenos as much as I like red pepper, so I chose to use red pepper instead, and this dish turned out very well. Bryan and I were both totally surprised at how good it was! I know it sounds a little weird, but seriously, it's sooooo good! If you're a vegetarian, or feel like having a vegetarian meal, I'm sure you could substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. Another bonus, this makes a lot of soup for leftovers!

This is just going to have to be a short post because I'm about to get my Top Chef All Stars on!! Anyone else as big of a fan as me?!

Island Kale and Sweet Potato Soup
From Food and Wine

Ingredients:

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, sliced thin (or red pepper flakes)

¾ pound kale, tough stems removed, leaves washed well and shredded (about 1 quart)

1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes (about 3), peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes

1 ½ quarts canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock

1 ½ tsp salt

1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk

1 cup long-grain rice

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and jalapeño and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Stir in the kale, sweet potatoes, broth, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the coconut milk and just heat through.
3. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in the rice and boil until just done, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain. Put a mound of rice in the center of each bowl. Ladle the soup around the rice.