Caldo Verde "Green Soup"

This is a Portuguese soup that is easy to make with or without the meat because the base of the soup is olive oil, garlic, and onion. A quick alternative is below.

1 bunch of kale, shredded paper-thin
(some kids call this soup "grass soup", so that should give you an idea about the look of the kale. To shred, tightly roll 3-4 leaves and chiffanade. You should cut out any large tough stems.)

8 c. water
3 potatoes, peeled and diced as for mashed potatoes
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbls. olive oil
salt & pepper

Optional:
1/4 lb choriço (dried Portuguese sausage), halved and sliced thin
Acceptable substitutes: Goya chorizo, keilbasa- basically a spicy drier sausage. (Obviously for vegetarian/vegan, halal/kosher version, don't add the pork.)

In a large soup pot, sweat the onion and garlic with about a teaspoon of salt in the olive oil. When they are soft and translucent, add the water and bring to a boil with the potatoes. When the potatoes are cooked (about 20 minutes) break them up in the pot to make the base of the soup. Add the kale and simmer uncovered on medium low heat until the kale is tender, about 30-40 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the optional choriço while the soup is cooking or add to keep it meat-free until plated.

Quicker version:
If you don't want to chop and peel so much you can use 1 box of chopped frozen kale and 1 1/2 cups of instant mashed potato flakes or 1 envelope of instant mashed potato powder.