With the first autumn cold weather, I find that my thoughts turn to soups and stews. This week I've been cooking cold-weather soups that are so chock full of hearty ingredients that you could almost call them stews, if it weren't for the broth.
Cod, Kale and Bacon Soup
You can serve a salad with this if you wish, but this healthy soup is really pretty much a one dish meal. For ease, why not just slice a couple of avocados in half, fill the cavities with fresh squeezed lemon juice, and fresh ground sea salt and black pepper. That's all you really need.
3 T olive oil
1 onion chopped medium-fine
2 cups celery chopped medium-fine
1 garlic clove minced
32 oz organic chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 t thyme dried
1 15 oz can organic diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can organic garbanzo beans drained and thoroughly rinsed (for easier digestion)
1 lb cod fillets frozen or fresh (I used Costco frozen Wild Alaskan Cod)
8 c organic kale rough chopped
Fresh ground Himalayan pink sea salt and black pepper to taste (Costco sells these in grinders)
4 strips bacon sliced every 1/2 inch (be sure to get hormone and antibiotic-free bacon that is cured with naturally occurring salts--available at Whole Foods)
In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery and garlic and saute until vegetables begin to soften. Pour in the broth and add the bay leaf, thyme, tomatoes and garbanzo beans. Simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, put the bacon in a frying pan and fry until crisp and golden-brown. Add the cod, kale, salt and pepper to the soup until cod is cooked. Serve in bowls and sprinkle bacon pieces over the top.