Ontario Squash & Kale Soup

HomeClinics & ProgramsELLICSR KitchenOntario Squash & Kale Soup

Skill Level	Easy

Preparation Time	15 minutes	Total Time	45 miutes
Servings	8	Cost Per Serving	$0.88

3 cups	Ontario squash (use your favourite, butternut, acorn, hubbard), diced
2 cups	Kale, roughly chopped
1 cup	Onion, roughly diced
3 cloves	Garlic, crushed
1 cup	Carrot, roughly diced
1 cup	Celery, roughly diced
6 cups	Vegetable or chicken stock, or water
2 tbsp	Fresh sage, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp	Lemon juice
2 tsp	Ground cumin
1 1/2 tbsp	Olive oil
To taste	Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large sauce pot over medium heat, add oil.
Add onion, celery and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add carrots, sage and ground cumin, cook another 2 minutes.
Add your squash and cover with your stock or water. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for about 20 minutes or until the squash is cooked through.
Add the kale and allow to simmer another 5 minutes. Finish with lemon juice and season to taste.

PDF link to nutrition facts table for Ontario Squash & Kale Soup

It’s possible to eat locally-grown foods all winter long and still get the nutrients you need for good health. Choose winter greens such as kale and look for vegetables that come from local greenhouses. Greenhouses grow vegetables you might think of as spring or summer vegetables all year, such as cucumbers, lettuces and other leafy greens and sprouts.
Squash is an excellent source of vitamin A, an antioxidant that is needed for a strong immune system and for healthy functioning of the heart, lungs and other organs. Choose a serving of an orange vegetable every day to get the vitamin A you need for good health.
Kale is rich in plant nutrients called glucosinolates that supports your body’s natural detoxification process. It also has plant nutrients called quercetin and kaempferol. Based on results from cell and animal studies, these nutrients may help lower inflammation and blood pressure and lower risk of several types of cancer.