Meatless Monday with Garlicky White Bean and Kale Stew

Welcome (back) to the Miratel blog for another edition of our Meatless Monday recipe share. The Meatless Monday pledge aims to reduce meat consumption 15% by eliminating it one day per week to preserve the health of the planet. Miratel took the pledge to support this great initiative, which we include as part of our CSR business strategies to spread awareness of the impact of food choices on our environment. Each Monday we feature a new vegan or vegetarian recipe to help make going meat-free easier.

With the excesses of the holiday still lingering, we bring a dish that is light yet satisfying and nutrient-packed. Today’s recipe for a Garlicky White Bean and Kale Stew combines the fibre of beans with the antioxidants of garlic and the powerhouse that is kale. Did you know that kale packs more nutrients per calorie than any other food on the planet? Pretty incredible. This recipe comes courtesy of Martha Stewart’s Whole Living Daily.

Ingredients (serves 3-4):

Image courtesy of wholeliving.com

• Knob of coconut oil or ghee
• 2 medium onions
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional, but really delicious)
• 5 bay leaves
• Pinch chili flakes
• Sea salt
• Cracked black pepper
• 2- 2 ½ cups cooked white beans (lima, butter, navy, cannelini…)
• 2 cups packed shredded kale leaves
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can (14 oz.) organic whole tomatoes
• Cold-pressed olive oil to garnish

Directions

1. Heat a knob of oil in a large stockpot. Slice onions and add to the pot with a couple pinches sea salt, chili, bay leaves and paprika. Cook for a few minutes until the onions have softened, then add sliced garlic. If the post becomes dry, add a little juice from the tinned tomatoes.
2. Add all other ingredients, bring to a boil, season to taste, and serve with a drizzle of olive oil (since everything is cooked, you don’t need to heat it long). If you are going to let it simmer for a while, add the kale about 5-10 minutes before serving so that it retains more of its nutritional value.

Aside from the health benefits of this dish, it is also very easy to make and is literally a meal in a bowl. You may want to add a bit more water if you prefer a more “brothy” stew and more chili flakes if you like a little more heat in your food. Although you don’t need to eat this dish alongside anything, you can serve with crustini made by sprinkling olive oil over your favourite bread and broiling it. A whole grain, spelt or gluten-free option would be best. You can also add a vegetable salad to increase the raw component of the meal.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit the Meatless Monday website and join us in taking the Meatless Monday pledge today. Spread the word at home and at work and promote CSR business initiatives to make your green call centre, office, factory, shop, restaurant or salon even greener.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.