Soups/Salads

Kale, Bean and Sausage Stew

Here we go again with the Olympics.  I feel like it was not so long ago when I was writing about how I was spending my entire Saturdays and Sundays watching the summer Olympics.  My how time flies.  Before the opening ceremonies on Friday, I started to watch the very first competitions on Thursday but just couldn’t do it.  I was so sick of the cold and snow and ice that the last thing I wanted to do was watch it on TV.  But then the opening ceremonies happened and my patriotic spirit was tapped and I’ve been glued to events I wouldn’t normally think twice about ever since. I’d been excited all week to spend some time in my kitchen making some good food this weekend but when Saturday came and I got sucked into figure skating, I suddenly didn’t want to be in the kitchen.   Fortunately, this Kale, Bean & Sausage Stew was so simple that I didn’t have to work too hard and it basically cooked itself.

Smoked sausage, cannellini beans, and kale are cooked with fire-roasted tomatoes to make a hearty and flavorful stew. Smoked paprika (which you may remember is my favorite spice ever) adds another layer of smokiness making this stew hit a smoky trifecta.  The sausage and creamy beans give this stew some real heft while the kale adds an earthy yet fresh addition (the recipe calls for swiss chard but any leafy green will do). This stew came together quickly and was everything I could have asked for in a stew.  It was the perfect warm lunchtime meal to be slurping down while I sat on my couch cuddled up in blankets watching the Olympics.

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In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until golden, about 7 minutes. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and paprika and cook for 1 minute.

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Stir in the tomatoes and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until almost dry, 2 minutes. Add 6 cups water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, stir in the beans and simmer for 15 minutes.

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Stir in the greens and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes.

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Season with salt and pepper.

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Additions: None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Kale

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine

Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

I’m not sure where you live but where I live, it’s been downright cold.  Friday we got 8 inches of snow and I woke up Saturday morning to the temperature outside being only 5 degrees.  I had plans to go to a football game later that day which meant walking around in layers and layers of clothing.  Those are the kind of days where the cold just permeates you and you can’t escape it.  Even in the comfort of home and my running heater, I was always chilled.  The best way to warm up on days like that is to warm up from the inside.  This Tex-Mex Chicken Soup is a perfect way to beat the cold.

Onion, garlic, red pepper, and jalapeño are sautéed in olive oil until soft and fragrant before being mixed together with vibrant spices of chili powder, cumin and crushed red pepper.  This mixture becomes the basis for this soup which adds precooked rotisserie chicken, corn, broth, tomatoes, and black beans (which I only left out because I thought I had them on hand when I didn’t).  The result is a bold and flavorful tex-mex soup that is a perfect soup to warm your soul.  I wish I would have had the beans to add in but even without them, this was a very satisfying soup.  Plus, there is something very satisfying about having a pot of soup simmering on your stove on a frigid day.  It’s like that little mixture of ingredients not only warms your body, but the scent warms your home too.

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The ingredients:

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Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil, onion, and next 3 ingredients; sauté 3 minutes. Add chili powder and next 4 ingredients; sauté 30 seconds.

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Add chicken and next 4 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes.

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Top evenly with cilantro and queso. Serve with lime.

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Additions:  None

Omissions:

  • Black beans
  • Queso fresco

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light magazine

Black and White Chicken Chili

August can be strange because it’s still beach weather but with the school supply commercials and preseason football on the television and cooler-weather clothes in the stores, it can tease your mind into thinking it’s already fall outside.  Just the sound of the whistles blowing during a football game sends me to the kitchen with the urge to make chili.  But since it’s still hot outside, I didn’t want to spend a lot of time standing over the stove.  This Black and White Chicken Chili couldn’t have been any easier or any faster to make.

Navy beans, black beans and salsa verde are warmed together before adding in chicken (I used precooked rotisserie chicken which saved TONS of time!).  That’s it!  Obviously you can add in any vegetables or spices you want (just taste it first).  Once it’s all warmed through, I topped the bowl with feta cheese, lime juice and scallions.  Talk about simple.  The whole time I thought there weren’t enough ingredients for this to be a flavorful chili but it really was.  I did add a teaspoon of cumin and some black pepper which added a little spice but I completely underestimated the flavor of the green salsa in this.  It is spicy, salty and everything you want in an everyday chili.  Since I used precooked chicken, this whole dish took about ten minutes to make.  If you want a quick chili that can be made in a flash, try this.

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The ingredients:

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Drain and rinse the beans. In large saucepan, mix beans with salsa, chicken and 1/2 cup water (or if using precooked chicken, omit the chicken in this step).

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Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Remove chicken; shred and stir into chili (or add precooked chicken, if using).

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Serve chili with toppings and lime wedges.

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Additions:

  • Cumin
  • Black pepper

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Reduced-fat feta cheese
  • Scallions

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine

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