Bean and Kale Soup

I took many liberties with this. Cooking times can also be very approximate.

Original ingredients:

oil for sauteeing
8 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cups chopped raw kale
4 cups chicken broth [I used less for a stew-like texture.]
2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or navy, undrained [I used pinto, because that’s what we had.]
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning [I threw in a random mix of basil, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, in addition to rosemary-sage herb salt.]
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped parsley [I didn’t have fresh, so I food-processed a smaller amount of frozen parsley together with the beans.]

Additional ingredients – not required :~)

frozen peas, tossed in towards the end (very nice)
shitake mushrooms, soaked in hot broth and chopped (add the broth as well)
chicken better-than-bouillion dissolved in a bit of water (for extra flavor)
tomato paste dissolved in a bit of water (extra flavor)
a little miso paste (extra flavor)
a little soy sauce (extra flavor)
parmesan rind (extra flavor)
2 eggs, added raw towards the end and quickly mixed in
grated parmesan (topping at the table)
hot sauce (topping at the table)
sourdough bread (topping at the table – drop pieces into soup or eat on the side)