White Bean and Kale Stew

This stew is hearty, low in fat and full of nutritious winter veggies. The fresh herbs and lemon juice/zest add a lovely freshness that shouldn’t be omitted. This stew is also gluten free by using brown rice flour as a thickening agent. Simple one-pot dishes like these just get better over time, so doubling the recipe is recommended. AND, almost all the ingredients are organic, ringing up to around $10-$15 for the whole batch. Gotta love that!

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, chopped

2 cans white beans (cannellini, navy or white kidney)

1-2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1 onion, chopped

1 leek, cut in half and thinly sliced

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 cup fresh tarragon

1/4 cup fresh chives

1 bay leaf

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons brown rice flour

3 cups water

Zest and juice of 1 lemon, divided

Pinch of red pepper flakes, to taste

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

Method:

In a large soup pot, heat grapeseed oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 5-7 minutes or until they have some colour. Add the leeks, celery, carrots and garlic and saute for a few more minutes. Now add the smoked and sweet paprikas and brown rice flour. Stir the flour around for a minute or so and let it toast and stick a bit, then add half of the lemon juice and zest, and water, and scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pot – lots of flavour! You can now add the beans and season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. In the last 10 minutes add the chopped kale.

To finish, toss in the fresh herbs and the rest of the lemon juice and zest for a burst of freshness to liven the stew up. Serve with fresh warm bread.

Bon Appetit!

~The Vegan Project