New CSA Box and Superfood Soup

This picture does not do these beautiful veggies justice!

As I mentioned yesterday, we picked up this week’s csa box and I’ve been a bit under the weather. I was feeling icky yesterday so my husband took over the veggie storage prepping and I forgot to take pictures! Doh! I did however manage to snap one with my phone of the veggies still in their reusable shopping bags. You can’t see them individually before prepping but I will try to take pictures of them individually as I use them in recipes this coming week. On the very top of the front bag are three stalks of green garlic- they were not included in this week’s box, my husband purchased them separately since we kind of hoard this stuff when it is available at the market.

This was the smallest fennel bulb from yesterday's box. It went into today's soup shown below.

Contents of this week’s box:
Napa Cabbage
Broccoli
Beets (Hopefully I can get my family to eat them this time!)
Carrots
Lacinato Kale
Butter Lettuce
Arugula
Fennel
Dill
Cilantro
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Superfood Soup

Don't let the color scare you! It's delicious!

I’ve been craving a lot of green foods lately and it has nothing to do with St. Patrick’s Day, but it doesn’t hurt to have a holiday as an excuse to eat more green foods. 😉 I feel like my body is talking to me when I start craving things like spinach and kale in large quantities. In this case I’ve been fighting off a cold with plenty of greens, hot tea, zinc tablets, and effervescent vitamin C supplement. Since I woke up still feeling crummy today, I decided some hot green soup that I could sip throughout the day would be the right prescription. This soup is filled with fennel, spinach, kale, dill, and even arugula, and it fit the bill quite nicely. After I blended it, I decided it looked a lot like the green superfood powder I use to make our morning smoothies, not to mention its packed chock full of super greens! Don’t let the color scare you; I can assure you it is quite delicious! Even my six year old had a small bowl (ok, it took a little bribing- strawberries and nutella were involved, but she ate it ALL)! I made the soup with a lamb consomme my husband brought home last night from one of our favorite restaurants which serves only lamb entrees. This particular consomme is simmered with red chilies, onions and garlic and contains nothing more than the lamb broth and garbanzo beans since it is meant to be eaten as a first course, but it is filling and very delicious. You could make this with a chicken or veggie broth/stock. The real stars of this show are the greens. I originally pictured a thick, puree-type green soup, but once I decided to use the consomme with garbanzos I realized the soup would need a little more body and chose not to pulverize the veggies into puree, but blend them only into a uniform green color with plenty of texture. If you choose to omit the garbanzos you can use less liquid and puree it to your liking. I hope you try this soup!

Ingredients:
1 small bulb of fennel, chopped
1/4 of an onion, chopped
1 whole stalk of green garlic, chopped (If this isn’t available near you, use 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced and maybe some chopped green onion)
1 large bunch of kale, chopped
1/4 head of cabbage, chopped (I used the last of the cabbage cone from our last box)
2 cups tightly packed baby spinach (Organic from Safeway)
1 tightly packed cup of arugula
1/2 cup of chopped fresh dill (if your not a fan of dill, use 1/4 cup parsley, but if you are- use dill! It gives the soup a lovely flavor.)
1/2 cup garbanzo beans
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
salt(if needed) and pepper to taste
About 4 cups of broth or stock (chicken or vegetable, or even lamb!) 😉

Lovely green garlic. It looks like a leek, but it smells like garlic!

Place a saucepot (2qt or larger) on stove top over med-low heat. Add about 2 Tbsp olive oil and chopped onion, fennel, and green garlic(or garlic cloves), chopped cabbage, and chili flakes, if using . Add a pinch of salt and sweat until fennel and onion starts to appear translucent. Add broth and cover, bring to a boil and then lower heat and let simmer about 5 minutes. Add the garbanzos at this point if you don’t mind breaking them down a bit in the blender, otherwise add at the end.

Beautiful Lacinato Kale went into the soup.

Pack some of the greens (spinach, arugula, kale) into your blender and carefully(!) ladle some of the hot broth over the top. Blend in batches until your soup is at your desired consistency. Remember to vent the lid of the blender when blending hot liquids and use a kitchen towel draped over the top to avoid potentially splashing yourself with hot liquids. Add the chopped dill last. If you own an immersion blender, you can add all the greens to the hot broth and then use your immersion blender to do the rest. Its up to you if you want to blend the garbanzos with the greens or leave them whole. I blended a few with my greens and I felt it gave the soup an almost creamy consistency. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream or if you need some sinus help like I did today(I know, lovely), serve with extra hot sauce or red pepper flakes! I kind of have dill breath now, haha. Enjoy!