chicken, kale, and quinoa soup cooking light

cook bacon in a dutch oven over medium heat until crisp.

remove bacon from pan, reserve drippings

crumble bacon, set aside

increase heat to medium high

add onion, carrot, and one fourth tsp. salt to drippings in pan

saute 5 minutes , stirring occasionally

add garlic, saUte 2 minutes

remove mixture from pan

coat pan with cooking spray

add chicken to pan, sprinkle with one fourth tsp. salt and one fourth tsp. pepper

saute 6 minutes or til chicken is browned and done

stir in onion mixture, chicken stock , bay leaves, remaining one half tsp, salt and remaining one fourth tsp. pepper. bring to boil

place quinoa in fine sieve, place sieve in large bowl

cover quinoa with water

using hands rub grains together for 30 seconds, rinse and drain

repeat procedure twice, drain well

add quinoa for pan, cover and simmer 15 minutes

add kale and thyme to pan. also add fire roasted tomatoes

simmer uncovered 5 minutes or til kale is tender

discard bay leaves, ladle soup and and sprinkle with crumbled bacon