A Legit ETL Soup Mix!

I can't emphasize enough how difficult it is to find good salt-free shelf stable food products. Granted, ETL is all about the fresh and natural. Yeah, I'm all over that.....but, not gonna lie.....I need/want/accept shortcuts on a daily basis in anyway I can get them. I will happily commit time and effort into a project, such as modifying a recipe or experimenting in the kitchen, but that stuff happens on my time, when I feel I can spare the energy. Meanwhile, in my day to day existence and even at my very busiest, I still have to eat. These are the days I dread the peeling/chopping/grating/slicing/sauteing/baking/measuring saga that accompanies an average ETL meal and would do anything to just hit the EASY button.

All that to say: I present to you.....Frontier Soups! A mix that consists of strictly ETL ingredients. With dried onions, carrots, leeks, lentils, and a seasoning blend. I found it at my local Safeway in Washington. I was looking for buckwheat groats (more on that later, promise:), and I found this instead. I'll take it! The recipe provided on the back of the package is no bueno for ETL. It calls for butter and cheese and bread, oh my! If I was looking for a fast meal, I would put this mix in a saucepan and add water in stages (start with maybe 3 cups, add more to taste as it cooks) and let it simmer a bit to bring out the aroma and flavor in the seasonings. In true ETL fashion, I would make every effort to add greens when the soup was done, just to wilt them before serving. This is a very easy step and takes no time at all to do. Bag of spinach in the fridge? Toss in half and done. However, on this fortuitous day, I was so excited to have found this that I forgot all about that EASY button I often covet and instead allowed for some inspirational experimenting.

Ingredients:
One large yellow onion- sliced
White wine vinegar
Half a large bundle of kale- stems/ribs removed, coarsely chopped

Slice up the onion and saute it with the vinegar over medium-low heat until it softens. You can start with just splashes of vinegar and add more as it sautes, keeping in mind you can use water if you require more than maybe 1/4 cup of vinegar. Add the soup mix and 6 cups of water. Bring to a low boil. Add the kale and simmer on low for maybe 10-20 minutes. Just to allow for blending of flavors. If your soup tastes good, eat it whenever you want to!

Sidenote: Stay tuned for a blog post about all the salt-free stuff I buy at my markets.