Spinach & Kale Soup

We are writing this from a small apartment in Copenhagen that we have borrowed from a friend during the weekend. I never miss out on an opportunity to visit my old home town. Hopefully we can share a few photos from here in our next post.

It was too long ago that we posted a Big Love list. This list is not very long, but it’s a few random things that have been circling around in our life this last month. If you scroll down we also share the recipe for the spinach & kale soup pictured above.

• Elsa really loves the apps from Toca Boca (and her daddy thinks they are pretty funny as well). Her favorite is of course Toca Kitchen!

• While in CPH we have planned to try Grød, a restaurant where they serve porridge for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Such a funny concept!

• This raw food restaurant is also really nice.

• We love all Nicole’s pins (and also her own photos)

• Sweet Swedish designed kids clothes.

• We have been trying a few great recipes from this cookbook. And this one is up next.

• David has been talking about making a (slightly) healthier version of this spectacular bread.

• We are both on Instagram now. Search for gkstories to find David, and luisegreenkitchenstories to find me.

• We just released a new update of our app – Green Kitchen is now ready for iPhone 5!

This dead simple soup is filled with iron, good vitamins and antioxidants. It is also really delicious and perfect on a cold and rainy day. The tahini and lemon dressed chickpeas give the soup an extra twist, but they are actually good as a side dish to just about anything.

Spinach & Kale Soup with Tahini Dressed Chickpeas
Serves 3-4 persons

2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
a pinch of dried chili flakes
500 g fresh spinach or thawed frozen, coarsely chopped
300 g fresh kale or thawed frozen, stem removed and finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
4 cups (1 liter) water or vegetable broth
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Tahini Dressed Chickpeas
3 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 organic lemon, juice
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
around 2 cups (600 g) cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans

Preparing the soup: Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onion, garlic and chili, lower the heat and let stir for a couple of minutes or until softened. Stir occasionally. Stir in spinach, kale and nutmeg and gently cook for 1 minute. Then add water or broth and cook for 20 more minutes until the spinach and kale has completely wilted down. Season to taste. Serve as it is or blend it silky smooth, both ways are delicious.

Preparing the Chickpeas: Whisk tahini, oil and lemon juice together in a mixing bowl. Add parsley, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add the chickpeas and mix it all up with your hands, make sure every single chickpea is coated.

Serving: Serve the soup in bowls with a dollop of yogurt and a couple of spoonfuls of Tahini Dressed Chickpeas.

39 Comments

  • Alessandra
    I am eating this soup right now, it's SO delicious!! the tahini chickpeas go so well with it (I added some fresh thyme and coriander to them). Also added a 6min egg. SUPERYUM! thank you for all your wonderful recipes.
  • Kathryn
    This was the first recipe that i cooked from your blog. I whizzed it up in the blender and it came out the most amazing green colour. Very inviting. At first i wasn't going to add the tahini chickpeas, but i'm so glad that i did. The whole dish was superb. Great flavours. And so healthy too! Thank you.
  • Such a great soup and the chickpeas were an incredible addition. I feel totally energised after that meal! Your Recipes are always winners. Cheers.
  • Erica
    Just made this tonight for dinner. It hit the spot! The soup was delicious and was simple and quick to make. I like to blend green soups, so I decided to have the chickpeas on the side with a dash of smoked paprika and turmeric. Yum!
    • lori
      Paprika and tumeric. Yum
  • this looks SO good. making it tonight :)
  • caroline
    thanks for sharing some marvellous recipes :-))) i grow lots of kale and make it in to soup, and have found that boiling up the tough kale stalks makes a really flavoursome broth..
  • Suzanne
    Any clue about how many cups of kale and spinach this works out to? I'm hopeless with grams! This looks fab!
    • Hi Suzanne! Hmm, maybe 2 cups of each. Let me know how that works! Happy cooking Luise
  • Amazing as always! Thank you for all your inspiration!
  • Good lord this looks delicious! I have been craving chickpeas of late and have been working them into at least one meal a week. Can't wait to try this new soup! Gorgeous and inspiring as usual.
  • looks so delicousn. cant wait to try this.
  • Tess
    Just made this soup for dinner--loved it! The tahini chickpeas gave the soup such a satisfying flavor. Thanks for sharing :)
  • This was perfect for yesterday's rain and 80's movies! My wife and I made this with the addition of coconut milk. Loved it. Cheers!
  • Liz
    I would LOVE to see you guys do a menu for a children's birthday party! I'm finding it hard to think of ideas for my daughters first birthday party, I want healthy, meat, dairy and sugar free delicious food that's kid friendly and cute! :)
    • Hi Liz! For Elsa's 2-year old party we actually did a few recipes from the blog. We made a large batch snack-sized mini pizzas with 6-7 different type of vegetable fillings, so everyone could find something they liked. We prepared the pizza dough the night before, and did the topping and baking on the morning of the party. We had also prepared a few batches of different fruit rolls – great children's party treats! And we had also prepared a couple of frozen cheesecakes. It felt like a good mix of food and sweets, without being over the top. I'd recommend maybe preparing a nice salad as well, to go with the pizzas. At her first birthday we did a pancake cake, which also was really good (but frying pancakes might feel a little overwhelming if you are preparing a big party). Hope you find this helpful! Good luck with your party! /David & Luise
  • The soup looks amazing and delicious with the tahini dressed chickpeas! Hurricane Sandy is supposed to hit us Monday till Wednesday here in West Chester, PA thus no school, nor work for us. Since I have all the ingredients handy, I'll make sure to cook your nice soup to keep us warm through the storm. Thank you for sharing another great recipe!
    • Hi Ketmala, hope the soup will keep you warm through the storm. Be safe now. /David
    • Thank you David for your kind words. We all enjoyed your delicious warm soup at lunchtime today as a little celebration for the after hurricane Sandy. Thankfully, it went through our area without too much damage! The tahini dressed chickpeas were a nice addition to the soup, my kids love them by the spoonfuls. Thanks again and keep warm.
  • Enjoy Grød! They're absolutely fantastic, I love that place. That whole street is full of delicious things.
  • I will make it! looks delicious and I have kale and still some spinachs in my garden.
  • Lovely and simple! The chickpeas are a nice touch to give a little more bulk and energy. Also, the porridge restaurant sounds interesting!
  • GOTTA LOVE THE BIG LOVE (and I love you;) Wish I could just jump over that darn bridge and give you all a huge hug right about now! Ps. Those new glasses, darling. They look awesome on you!
  • Looks like a great soup. These ingredients are staples I have in my kitchen. I have just bought two of the Small Plates cooking book - one for me and one for my mother. I am excited to receive it.
  • I love a soup full of greens, which just leaves a person feeling so nourished and energized!
  • Debby
    Lovely recipe, as per usual! Soup can make any chilly fall-day feel warm and cozy... Is the Greenkitchenstories-app also available on Android?
  • Looks fantastic! Going to buy spinach this weekend so I can tackle this, thank you for sharing! :)
  • I love the addition of the tahini dressed chick peas! It's such a fun addition to a classic soup.
  • Fiint! Hoppas ni har det mysigt nere i Köpenhamn. Hoppas vi ses nästa vecka! Kram
  • emily
    Love the illustrations in the Toca Boca apps! And the soup looks pretty great too.
  • This will be our Soup Sunday! Kale and chickpeas…you found our soft spot. I think the only ingredient we'll need to grab from the market is an onion. Mmmm…thank you! And the app upgrade…yay!

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