Day 34: Soups On

I want to start off by sharing a recipe for a white bean and chard soup that Don and Julie made and shared with the group. When I heard "chard" I was prepared for "bitter." But nothing doing for this soup, it is smooth all the way down! It was so good I had some with my breakfast!

White Bean and Chard Soup
4 TBL extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
Kosher salt
2 15.5 ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 12 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves roughly chopped
Freshly ground pepper

Heat 1 TBL olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and 1 1/2 tsp salt and cook until the vegetables are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and broth, bring to a simmer and cook 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3 TBL olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the roasted peppers, minced garlic and cilantro and cook until the garlic is soft, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chard, cover and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape the contents of the skillet into the pot and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.