kale & parmesan egg drop soup

I love soup.  It's like a hug in a bowl. Lots of soups are easy to make, and if you can imagine it, you can probably turn it into a soup. And since apparently winter is NEVER leaving, I decided it was a soup kind of day.

Always the helper...

I had some kale in the fridge that I needed to use, and I found this recipe - I made a few changes, including adding some garlic powder (I was afraid fresh garlic would burn, which why I used garlic powder), and pesto (it just felt...right).

The only carbs in this come from the kale, which is about as good as it gets...kale is sooo wonderful for you!


Kale & Parmesan Egg Drop Soup
(Serves 6-8)

1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 large eggs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon pesto (optional)

Wash and dry the kale, then trim the leaves from the stem. You can save the stems to use in another recipe - chop it up as you would celery. Chop the kale into bite sized pieces; set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the kale, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted (about 3 minutes).

Increase the heat to high and add the broth and the measured amounts of salt, pepper and garlic powder, bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until kale has softened, but isn't mushy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl, season with salt and pepper, and whisk until combined; set aside.

Increase the heat to medium and slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan, stirring to combine. Return to a simmer, stirring occasionally to break up any large pieces of egg. Add pesto, stir. Remove from heat, taste, and season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediately.

The facts: Calories: 136, fat: 9.6g, net carbs: 4g, protein: 10.1g

cheese. burger. soup.

Okay, this doesn't look fancy.  It may even look kind of gross.  BUT PLEASE.  Please make this.

One of my favorite things about eating keto is that I'm rarely hungry.  Coming from someone who absolutely liiiives to eat, who starves on typical calorie restricted diets, this is HUGE.  Higher fat foods with low carb counts keep us fuller longer.  It's just a fact.  Keto allows me to eat 1200-1400 calories a day without wanting to kill someone.  (I'm not an expert, I just know what's worked for me.)

Cheeseburger Soup (makes 8 servings)

6 oz. bacon
1 lb. ground beef
1 teaspoon steak seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 oz. cream cheese
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

Chop the bacon into small pieces and cook over medium heat until crisp.  Remove from pan, drain bacon grease.  Add ground beef to the pan, add steak seasoning and salt & pepper.  Cook until browned.  Drain off fat.  Add the cream cheese and shredded cheese to the pan with the beef.  Once melted, add broth and heavy cream.  Add cooked bacon back to the pan, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.

The facts:
Calories: 325, fat (g): 29.1, carbohydrates (g): 1.4, fiber (g): 0, protein (g): 24.5