Soups and Stews

It sure does! Ever hear of Italian Wedding soup? I make something just like that. I make chicken soup, add a handful or two of spinach and I make tiny meatballs and after I bake them in the oven, I add them to the soup. It is wonderful! You can also use escarole insted of spinach. Hope this helps You'll never know until you try. Yes, if you like spinach. But spinach tastes bitter when over-cooked so add right before serving. A hot pot of soup will cook spinach in about 30 seconds to 2 min. I love spinach and I put it in all my soups, but I usually just add it to my bowl because most of the people I know are not all that fond of this delicious food.

Greens can add a nice texture to your soup as well as glam up the presentation. There's always the option of leaving the spinach on the side and allowing guests to add it as a garnish.. as long as the soup is served very hot (preferably in a soup tureen and then ladled into individual bowls so that guests have the opportunity to place the spinach in the bottom and pour the hot soup over top thus wilting the greens). Experiment with other greens too such as arugula which will impart a stronger flavor or turnip greens for a southern feel.

Green beans are another great addition to chicken soup if you are looking to add a nice "green veggie" to your comfort food. You can use canned or fresh. If you are using fresh green beans you will want to add them closer to the beginning of your soup so they have time to cook and soften (personally I like using fresh the best because they are inexpensive when in season and if you don't add them too early they stay nice and al dente and fresh tasting). If using canned green beans try to go for ones that say "no salt added" this way you can control how much salt goes into your soup when you season it yourself later.

• Don't use canned spinach!