Red Bean and Collard Green Soup

It is getting to be stew/one-pot weather for some of you. This means cornbread, pumpkin and banana breads, minestrone, chili, faux beef stew and pot pies.

In Miami, FL it has been rather windy with some grandiose thunderstorms, on and off (the wind has yet to change from the north), with consistent 80 degree temperatures to my liking. Believe it or not, fall/winter nostalgia still hits me; every September/October I feel those anticipating fall/winter emotions like clockwork. If I were back in Ohio, my mother would be making her famous cornbread and chili, and I'd already be prepping for cold weather running in tights. But I'm not.  So I run in shorts and I make my own classics with a spicy kick. Served hot or cold, this red bean and collard green soup was a newly devised concoction.

Collard Green Prep

Chop collard greens into 1 inch ribbons and blanch in a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove and immediately submerge in ice bath to halt cooking process. You can freeze the collard greens and use at a later time, or use them that same day. If you are using frozen collard greens, you may put the frozen block in at the start of cooking time. If you are using fresh collard greens, wait to put them in until the last little bit of simmering.

Red Bean Prep

I used dried kidney beans this time and had a hard time getting them properly cooked since I used the quick cook method instead of soaking them overnight and doing the whole 9-yards. I recommend following the soaking overnight/slow cooking route since kidney beans are pretty tough, as is, or going canned--whatever you have the most time. Follow instructions on bag for cooking technique you prefer. DO NOT ADD SALT OR ACID while cooking beans. Cook beans fully before starting soup. After, rinse beans well and add back into pot with 6 cups fresh water to make your soup.

This recipe makes enough to serve and to freeze for later.

1 lb. Collard Greens
2 12-16oz. bags of Red Kidney Beans
6 C. Water
1/2 bottle Tomato Juice (about 2 C.)
1 can Diced Tomatoes
4 Carrots, sliced
1 med. Yellow Onion, chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, minched
1/8 c. Brown Sugar
1 Bay Leaf
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Spices: I didn't measure anything out this time, making this up as I went. I recommend at least a tablespoon of chili powder, and at least a teaspoon of everything and adjusting to your tastes -- Chili Powder, Cumin, Paprika, Oregano, Coriander, Cinnamon

I also added a tablespoon of sundried tomato tapenade for fun.

Cook onions and garlic until translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil for 1 minute (add frozen collard greens now, or fresh collard greens later). Turn down to a simmer for 45-60 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. It's ready when you feel your flavors have melded together perfectly--you'll know.