Black Bean-Parsnip-Kale-Chicken Soup

a.k.a. Maureen's Birthday Soup

“Fridge & pantry soups” are the best – whatever you got, you throw in the pot. I don’t normally bother writing these down, but Maureen asked me so kindly for the recipe, I am giving in. Now we’ll see if I can remember what I did. It happened so fast – I think I put this whole thing together in 15 minutes (we were short on time).

Ingredients:

¾ cup chopped leeks (green tops are fine)

1 stalk of celery, diced

cumin and paprika (perhaps a tsp each)

1 bay leaf

1 medium or large chopped carrot

2 peeled and chopped parsnips

3-4 cups stock (I think… just make sure there’s enough liquid to cook everything)

½ bunch of kale, washed, de-stemmed, chopped (we had purple kale on hand – fun!)

1 can of black beans, strained and rinsed

6 chicken breast tenderloins (or 1-2 chicken breasts cut into strips)

Dash of cinnamon

Black pepper

½-3/4 cup dried corn, peas, carrots, and bell pepper (or use frozen)

In a good sized soup pot, sauté the leeks, celery, and bay leaf in a bit of oil. Add the carrot, parsnip and stir for two minutes. Add the cumin and paprika, stirring until they release their flavor. Add all the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer until chicken and parsnips are cooked through. Slurp up!