Stews are a convenient way to eat healthily and increase your daily vegetable intake–especially in winter when we tend to slow down on salads. This recipe is quick and straightforward to make, while being comforting and healing. If you’re using uncooked beans, butter beans need to be soaked for ten to twelve hours and cooked for thirty to forty five minutes.

Ingredients 

• ½ medium onion finely chopped

• 1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

• 3 cups cooked butter beans (2 tins)

• 3 carrots sliced round

• ½ cauliflower 

• 2 cups filtered water

• 400 ml (1 can) coconut milk

• 2 tbsp curry powder

• 2 tbsp cumin powder

• 1 bunch fresh kale

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for the kale chips

• Nutritional yeast flakes to garnish

• Sea salt

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 170 C (340) for the kale chips.

2. In a large pot, add the onion and coconut oil and cook until the onion is soft and golden. 

3. Next, add the already cooked butter beans, sliced carrots, water, coconut milk, curry, and cumin powder. Bring to the boil at medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook for 15 minutes or until the carrot is tender, then add the cauliflower cut in small pieces (florets). Cook with the lid on until the cauliflower is soft. I like it when the cauliflower still has a bit of crunch, so not too soggy. 

4. While the soup is cooking, wash the kale and drain all the water out. Cut leaves off the stem and place them in a baking tray (try not to stack them too much). Sprinkle with olive oil and sea salt, and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, do a check. Some kale leaves will have changed to a brown colour, but others might be still soggy, cook them for another few minutes. The idea is that they are all crispy, and colour should be a mix between green and dark green/brown. Kale cooks quick and it’s easy to burn, so don’t go too far from the kitchen when making the chips :) When they’re done, sprinkle the chips with nutritional yeast flakes.

5. Serve the soup in a bowl with kale chips on top or as a side dish.