White Bean & Kale Soup

It's soup season folks! This White Bean and Kale soup is such an incredibly simple, yet flavorful, hearty soup. With just a few incredients, you'll have this soup ready in no time. 

Here's what you'll need:

White Bean Kale Soup (serves 2)

• 2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 12 oz can of Great Northern Beans drained and rinsed (or any kind of white bean you have)
• 2 cups chopped up kale (ribs removed)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 small onion
• Salt
• Pepper 
• Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Finely chop up your onion and garlic. Heat a medium sized pot on medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add in your onion. Cook the onion until it's slightly translucent. Then add in your garlic. Once the garlic is fragrant ( you don't want to burn it) add in your kale and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir the greens until slightly wilted. Once wilted, add in your beans and chicken stock. Season again with salt and pepper to taste). 

Let the soup simmer for at least 15 minutes to let all of the flavors fuse together.

Serve this delicious soup with parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top and, of course, with a nice piece of hot crispy bread 

Enjoy!

xo

Em

Almond Joy Coconut Macaroons

I wasn't always a huge fan of coconut. As a kid, the only thing I could remember mildly enjoying were those giant snowball cakes you got from the local deli, but they were never my 1st choice of a snack and i usually scrapped off the coconut anyway. It wasn't until my cousin, Kerry, turned me on to the Roasted Coconut Chips from Trader Joe's that changed my attitude towards coconut.

I like to call those Coconut Chips my coconut gateway drug because now I can't get enough! I started eating Mounds and Almond Joy and started cooking with it more. I even make a decadent hot chocolate milk with coconut milk (it's so rich and creamy).

I was inspired to make some macaroons, but also had some sliced almonds and chocolate chips on hand, so i decided to just mix them all together for a super delicious Coconut "almond Joy" treat! The best part... THEY ARE SO EASY! Just mix everything in a big bowl, roll them up and bake 'em!

Here's what you'll need:

Almond Joy Coconut Macaroons

• 4 egg whites 
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 5 cups of shredded coconut (or 1 14oz bag)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk up the egg whites. Once they're nice and smooth, add in the sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Mix that up really good. Now add in your coconut and fold it all together. Then pour in your chocolate chips and almonds, fold those in to the mixture and now you're ready to bake!

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, scoop the mixture up and squeeze it into a ball (squeezing it helps hold it together). Place the balls in rows on the baking sheet. 

Pop them into the pre-heated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the are nice and golden. 

Let them cool for about 5 minutes (if you can wait that long...i couldn't) so they solidify a little bit. Otherwise they may be a bit crumbly. 

Serve with a nice cup or coffee or tea and Enjoy!

xo

Em