Sausage, Kale, and Bean Soup

I know.  How many soups can I post with kale and beans?  Well, they are all a bit different and yummy, so why not?  And this one is super easy and basic.  I don't have my own picture so here's one from the website:

Photography: Randy Mayor; Styling: Katie Stoddard

Ingredients

• 4 ounces Cajun smoked sausage, chopped (such as Conecuh)
• 3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

• 6 cups coarsely chopped kale (about 8 ounces)
• 1 (16-ounce) can navy beans, drained and rinsed 

Preparation

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add smoked sausage to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken broth and diced tomatoes; bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the kale. Reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes or until the kale is tender. Stir in beans, and cook 1 minute or until soup is thoroughly heated.

- Sarah

Recipe from: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sausage-kale-bean-soup-10000000554709/

Kale Chips

Some of you may have already had these before, but Kale Chips are an awesome, quick and healthy snack, side, or appetizer! A great alternative to potato chips.

Simply get some kale, rinse it off, tear off the leaves and place then on a nonstick baking pan.  Either sprinkle some olive oil or spray olive oil on to the leaves.  Toss them with a little salt and pepper and mix the olive oil into the leaves.  Here you can add whatever flavors you'd like: garlic powder, chili powder, red pepper flakes, cumin, etc etc.  You get the picture! Put. The baking sheet into a preheated 350 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes, but watch them; you don't want them to burn!

As you'll see below, they shrink up so don't be afraid to add a lot at first.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Kale Soup

So...this weekend I needed to fix a nourishing meal that me and the hubs could enjoy.  Sweet boy would enjoy it too, I'm sure, but he's still nursing, so breast milk is as good as it gets these days!  Anyhow, me and Jay needed something warm and comforting and filling but not too heavy.  I searched around and found this - Vegetarian Kale Soup!  Yummers!!!  I whipped up a batch and it was delish!  In fact, I just finished it off for lunch today.  This is a tasty soup, so get your taste buds ready!  All the credit goes to allrecipes.com!  I don't have a picture of the food to accompany this post so I'll just post a pic of my little sweet boy instead. :-)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves

chopped

8 cups water

6 cubes vegetable bouillon (such as

Knorr)

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes

6 white potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans

(drained if desired)

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 tablespoons dried parsley (I only used 1 tablespoon though)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot; cook the onion and garlic until soft. Stir in the kale and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the water, vegetable bouillon, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, Italian seasoning, and parsley. Simmer soup on medium heat for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy with a piece of cheese toast and a tall glass of milk!
~Priscilla

"The Zone" Kale and Bean Soup with Turkey Sausage

Ingredients:
18 ounces low-fat smoked turkey sausage kielbasa, sliced
4 teaspoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic
1 ½ cups onion, chopped
4 cups fresh kale chopped
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups white kidney beans (or any other cooked beans)
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste


Instructions:
Slice sausage into half-moon, bite-sized slices. In a large pot, heat olive oil then add garlic and onion. Sauté these ingredients until soft. Add kale and sauté until wilted. Add 3 cups of the broth, sliced sausage, and 1 1/2 cups of the beans, tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Use a blender to mix the remaining beans and broth until smooth. Mix into soup to thicken. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. 


This recipe makes about four 3-block servings in "the Zone".


http://drsears.com/ZoneLiving/Recipes/RecipeArchive/tabid/92/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/16013/Kale-and-Bean-Soup-with-Turkey-Sausage.aspx


- Sarah

White Bean and Kale Soup

Ingredients:

1 onion diced

2 carrot, diced

2 ribs of celery diced

1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic minced

½ teaspoon dried ground rosemary

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon white pepper

1 cup white beans, soaked (or canned)*

5 cups water

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ pound kale stems and center ribs discarded and leaves chopped into bite size pieces

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Dice onion, carrot and celery into even ½ inch pieces.
2. In a medium pot, heat oil than the onion, carrot and celery and sauté vegetables for 4- -6 min till onions are translucent.
3. Add fresh garlic and dried herbs and sauté 1 min more
4. Add beans, salt, pepper, bay leaf and 5 cups of water
5. Cover the pot and bring up to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 50-60 min till beans are tender. *If using canned beans reduce cooking time to 20 min.
6. Add ½-1 cup more water till desired consistency.
7. Add kale and simmer stirring occasionally till kale is tender 10-12 min
8. Serve soup garnished with freshly grated parmesan cheese. (optional)

*Recipe from: http://www.examiner.com/healthy-food-in-boston/hearty-white-bean-and-kale-soup-recipe

- Sarah