Kale & White Bean Soup

Looking down the ingredients list for this recipe, I could see right away this was to be a water-based soup which highlighted a green, kale, and so might need some seasoning to make up for the lack of processed (and usually well seasoned) chicken stock.  The main substance of this soup is the combination of a can of white beans and surprisingly only one Yukon gold potato.  We happened to have on hand twice the recommended amount of turkey kielbasa sausage, one of the lightest yet tastiest meats you can find, and so chopped up cubes and added plenty to the simmering soup.  With the potato and beans combo, I thought a small addition of bacon might zing things up some….the recipe does call for a dash of red pepper flakes...but I tend to skip these when they show up in books because they can be way too potent if you catch one in your teeth.  Instead, I added maybe a cup's worth of thick cut

peppered bacon. Diced up in oil or sautéed onions, it carries a ton of smoky flavor  At this point a good soup balance was being struck: the simple and nearly tasteless bean and kale water base was getting a natural seasoning from two meats, plus dashes of salt.  Maybe more accurately, what looked like a very healthy soup was turning into a meaty favorite for tongue types of all kinds.  The kale itself,

although glaringly everywhere in bright green (potential kid-frightener) was mostly a textural addition that also just happens to carry with it one of those 'most healthy foods in the world' tags.  Nearly leading the list, kale does just about everything for you but get you up and out of bed in the morning – an anti-inflammatory, a cancer preventer, a detox-activator, and cardiovascular supporter, among other things.  This is a have your cake and eat it too soup, subtly aromatic, comforting, rich in substance, but also light and medicinal.  No wonder it shows up as the January 12 soup of the day.