pear , kale & ginger soup

What do you make when it's freezing outside but all you seem to have is salad ingredients? Puree it and turn it into soup! yet another reason to go out and purchase a Vitamix... or other lesser awesome food processor. I'm not actually that snobby about the Vitamix, whatever you've got is probably perfect, I just literally use mine every day so, it's become a little bit a part of the family you know what I'm sayin'? Anyways, the farmer's markets and stores are chocked full of all kinds of greens and stone fruits right now but honestly, cold salad hasn't quite been our friend over the last week of chilly days. Having said that, I can never pass by a giant pile of kale that costs next to nothing and NOT bring it home... so we've opted for a lot of leafy soup this week and this one was our favorite. If you're a ginger fan, the ginger totally makes it. If you're not, you might want to leave it out and substitute with another pear to balance out the kale flavor. So here we go...

You'll Need:

• kale, we used red but any will do
• ripe pear
• fresh ginger
• garlic, minced
• lemon juice
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper
• goat cheese
• balsamic vinegar

In your bomb awesome food processor, puree sections of your pear to get some liquid started. Add in the rest of the pear, kale, lemon juice from one lemon and a little olive oil. Beat it to a really smooth pulp... it'll look like really great baby food. (actually it could be really great baby food!)

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, drizzle some olive oil and toss in the minced garlic, probably 2 cloves. Sprinkle it with salt and let it get a little toasty.

Peel a small section of fresh ginger and put it through your garlic press slicing spot. Mix that around with the garlic and let it get toasty, too.

 This part will smell really heavenly so be ready.

Pour in your pureed soup mix and let it simmer with the garlic and ginger. Be sure to stir it every so often to ensure it doesn't burn on the bottom.

Drizzle in some olive oil and and crack in some more pepper and continue to let simmer on low until you're ready to serve. This stuff is beautifully peppery and gingery so serve it in small doses. Ramekins or tea cups full will do just fine.

 Serve with freshly crumbled goat cheese, balsamic vinegar and pepper right on top!

We had this as our dinner starter the other night but I could definitely have eaten an entire bowl of it with some crusty bread on the side. Whatever suits you, go for it... but definitely give this soup a try. Besides... who doesn't like eating completely green soup?

Happy weekend kick off to you!

XOX