Spinach Kale Okra Bean Soup

Recently I read an article about the five pans every home cook should have and the Dutch Oven was right up there. Hard to believe that I have only owned my Dutch Oven for the last two years. Now, I would be lost if I did not own mine, it has become my go to pot for making soups, chili's, stew's, braising meats, etc.

It is an amusing story of how my gift of birthday slippers became my beloved Dutch Oven. In January 2010 my sister gave me a pair of house slippers which had been the most popular slippers for the 2009 holiday season for an early birthday gift, unfortunately the slippers did not fit. My sister had bought my slippers at a store called Farm & Fleet in Montgomery, IL not far from her house, but quite far from mine, and a store I had never been to. I found the stores website and looked for closer locations to my house so I could exchange my slippers for a pair that fit or another brand. I went to the Dekalb, IL location almost an hour from my house on a quest for my new slippers, none of the other sizes in this slipper fit me, nor did any of the other brands that I spent over an hour trying on fit. At this point I had a store credit and decide to browse through this huge store to see what else they sold that I might be interested in, I was determined not to leave this store till I had used my credit. It was just simply to far for me to come back to this store again. After trying on clothes that did not fit I found they had a huge selection of Kitchen Ware Items.

To be honest I had never heard of Dutch Ovens, much less knew what it was, till I came across them at a store in Dekalb, IL called Farm & Fleet which is not exactly close to my house. Then I was lost in a sea of Dutch Ovens of varying sizes, materials, lids, with handles and without, they had Cast Iron Dutch Ovens, Porcelain Enamel, Stainless Steel, and more. I tried lifting the Cast Iron and I was not able to and the same thing with many of the other materials, so I settled on the Stainless Steel one.

1 Dutch Oven
1 Ten Inch Skillet (Optional)
1 TSP Canola Oil
10 Ounces Frozen Chopped Spinach
16 Ounces Cleaned & Chopped Kale
16 Ounces Frozen Chopped Okra
1 Dice Onion
1-2 TBSP Minced Garlic
14.5 Ounce Can of No Salt Added Pinto Beans Tripple Rinsed or Soak & Cook Your Own
4 Cups Very Low Sodium Chicken Broth/Stock
1/8 TSP Sea Salt
1/4 TSP Ground Black Pepper

Saute onion in either the skillet or Dutch Oven on medium, drain oil
If using skillet then transfer onion to Dutch Oven
Add in Broth and All Items
Cover And Cook on Low Until Frozen Veggies are cooked and Kale is Soft
Between 25-40 Minutes