Thick soup with kale, celery and beans

Ingredients:

• 1 head kale or Swiss chard
• 1 package (280 g) frozen black-eyed beans
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons of water
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp soy or Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp smoked paprika (preferably hot)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• Unpolished brown rice for serving (optional)

Preparation:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and sauté, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
   
   Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, water, salt, and ground black pepper. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
2. Add soy sauce and paprika, cook while stirring for 30 seconds.
   
   Pour in the vegetable broth, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a spatula, then cover and bring to a boil.
3. Add the kale and black-eyed beans. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
   
   Serve the thick soup with kale, celery and beans over brown rice.