Let's eat weed

"Shut up, dill weed," my brother would say to me, out of earshot of my parents. Oh youth.

This particular soup leans on new potatoes, baby root veggies plucked from their earthen wombs too soon. Combined with the surprising bite of fresh dill, these newborns knit a dish that toes the line between winter and spring. 

New Potato & Dill Soup

• 1 lb. or so new potatoes, halved or quartered
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 bunch dill, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups chicken/veggie stock 
• 1 cup whole milk/soy creamer
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika 

Heat olive oil in pot or saucepan over medium. Add onions and carrots and cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add the potatoes, spices, and half of the dill and cook a few minutes more. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, or until potatoes start to get tender. In a bowl, whisk together the milk and the flour. Add this to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes more, stirring. Ladle into bowls and top with remaining fresh dill.

Cure me

"Someone's in a salty mood," my Delawarean friend would say that summer we shared an apartment in Vermont. I'd often enter the room emanating less-than-cheerful vibes, and she and our honorary third roommate would force me to laugh against my will.

Since that summer, the phrase has stuck with me. Walking through avenues-turned-wind-tunnels on my way to work, I frequently find myself in the saltiest of states. Luckily, I'm a sodium junkie and can usually lick my way out. 

This soup is, unfathomably, saltier than I. Cured Spanish chorizo and salt-soaked black beans are saved by fresh, steam-wilted kale. 

Black Bean, Kale, & Chorizo Soup

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• 3 links cured chorizo 
• 1 small bunch kale, stems removed and torn into pieces
• 1 14 oz. can black beans 
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 2 cups water 
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin 

Heat olive oil in a pot or large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook three minutes. Add garlic and chorizo and cook five minutes more, until onions are translucent and chorizo is beginning to brown. Add kale and cook until wilted, about three minutes. Pour in black beans with their liquid, and add bouillon, tomato paste, water and spices. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, until flavors are well-combined. 

For the sodium conscious, use sodium-reduced black beans and bouillon.