This is a recipe that is so simply tasty that I have never tired of, even after over 20 years of regular preparation.
I also like the flavor of kale in a vegetable stir-fry.

Kale and Potato Soup with Red Chili

This recipe came from The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison. A wonderful book that all veggie lovers should own. The recipes in this book are from the Greens Restaurant when it was in it's hey-day.

The Stock
The ingredients of this soup supply plenty of flavor, so use water to prepare a simple stock using the stems of the kale.

The Soup
1 bunch kale
3 Tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 medium red or yellow onion, diced into ½ inch squares
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 small dried red chili, seeded and chopped, or ½ teaspoon chili flakes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
4 medium red potatoes (about 1 pound), scrubbed and diced into ½ inch cubes
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast (optional)
7 cups water or stock
Pepper
Creme fraiche or sour cream (optional)

Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears cut the ruffled kale leaves off their stems, which are very tough and take a long time to cook. Cut the leaves into pieces roughly 2 inches square, wash them well, and set them aside.

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot, add the onion, garlic, chili, bay leaf, and salt, and cook over medium-high heat for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the potatoes and the yeast, if using, plus a cup of the water or stock. Stir together, cover, and cook slowly for 5 minutes.

Add the kale, cover, and steam until it is wilted, stirring occasionally. Pour in the rest of the water or stock, bring to a boil, and then simmer slowly, covered, until the potatoes are quite soft, 30 to 40 minutes.

Use the back of a wooden spoon to break up the potatoes by pressing them against the sides of the pot, or puree a cup or two of the soup in a blender and return it to the pot. This will make a unifying background for the other elements.

Taste the soup for salt and add a generous grinding of black pepper. If possible, let the soup sit for an hour or so before serving to allow the flavors to further develop. If desired add a spoonful of creme fraiche or sour cream. Serves 4 - 6.

the unpredictable super power?

Pressed by Hewitt on if he would send American troops in to neutralize Pakistan’s nuclear capability should they go rogue, Trump said he didn’t want to reveal his military plans to a potential rival.

“People can’t know exactly what your intentions are,” Trump told Hewitt. “You want to have a certain amount of, you want to have a little bit of guess work for the enemy.”

"This has nothing to do with lack of knowledge, because I think I know as much about Pakistan as most other people,” Trump insisted. "But I will tell you, I don’t want to broadcast my intentions.”

"I want to be unpredictable with this,” he continued. "I don’t want to be like Obama, where he’s always saying you know, we’re going to do, in two weeks, we’re going to do this, and then we’re going to do that.”

just Wow!

It’s already been heavily reported how badly the first class of New Syrian Forces (NSF), also known as Division 30, did after being trained by the US and sent into Syria. There were 54 of them to start, and last week Centcom conceded there were only “four or five left.” This may still look like a runaway success compared to the second class.
The second class entered Syria by way of Turkey on Friday, and according to reports there were between 70 and 75 of them in total. Today, reports out of Syria suggest that the group immediately took its weapons and vehicles to al-Qaeda territory and turned them all over to them.
A statement from al-Qaeda’s Syria branch said the group’s membership had agreed to give them everything in return for “safe passage,” and that the leader of the second class, Anas Ibrahim Obeid, plans to issue a statement repudiating the US training strategy.

I didn't think that things could go worse than the first training class, but I've been proven wrong.

Kale, or Green Soup, recipe.

Also, thanks janis b for the Kale and Potato Soup recipe.

I can hardly wait to try both of them!

(I'm a lifelong vegetarian who loves soups and stews, and slow cooker vegetarian recipes.)

Mollie