Sausage, Kale, and Bean Stew

Jan here, revisiting a favorite recipe.

Christmas at our house was delightful. :) With a blizzard warning for Christmas Day, we moved our festivities to after church on Christmas Eve. We had our Christmas Tea (see this post for details) and then did what we have never done since I've been married - - we opened presents on Christmas Eve!

(This is an inside joke between my husband and I. When the right time is to open presents has been a topic of discussion for thirty-five years! I say Christmas morning is the only time to open presents, and he, well, has a differing opinion.)

And then the blizzard hit early Sunday morning, starting with freezing rain and quickly turning to snow. Church was canceled, and we hunkered down. The wind really picked up around 2:30 in the afternoon, and by 4:00 the interstate was closed from the Wyoming state line to the Missouri River. That's half of a very large state!

The biggest problem was that we were in the house...with lots...and lots...and lots of food. Remember all those Christmas treats? The Christmas dinner? Fudge? Pies? Cookies? More fudge?

Oh, it was a wonderful feast. :)

But now - even before the New Year arrives - I'm ready to go back to reasonable eating. In fact, if I never see another grain of sugar again, it will be too soon.

(I say that now, but we still have fudge around...)

Anyway, to help combat the Christmas goodie woes, I looked up this soup recipe I shared a few years ago. I still love this one for its savory goodness. And it's so easy to make!

Sausage, Kale, and Bean Stew

The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful!

Winter has finally come to the Black Hills with a bit of snow and cold temperatures. But we're ready! The wood pile is full and overflowing, the pantry is stocked, and new soup and stew recipes are lined up for tasting!

This recipe was delicious! The flavors wrapped around each other in a delightful savory blend.

Now, if that description doesn't make you want to try this stew, maybe the easy preparation will...

Sausage, Kale and Bean Stew

ingredients:

2 pounds bulk sausage (I used turkey sausage)
1 cup chopped carrots
2 or 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed (optional)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 16-oz. can tomato sauce
8 cups broth (I used 4 cups vegetable broth and 4 cups chicken broth)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin

beans (see below for the explanation of this ingredient)

4 cups coarsely chopped fresh kale, or 1 1/2 to 2 cups frozen chopped kale

The beans: You can use any bean you like in this stew. I used lentils when I made mine. The only prep was to rinse the lentils and put them in the stew.

For other types of beans, you will need to soak and cook them first, or use canned. Some varieties that would be good are black beans, Great Northern beans, Navy beans, or Small Red beans.

The amount of beans you use depends on the type of bean. You'll want more of the small ones, like lentils or black beans, and fewer of the larger ones, like Great Northerns or the Small Reds. In general, I would use 1 - 2 cups of dried beans or 2 cans of canned beans.

The amount also depends on your own preference. Do you like lots of beans? Add more! Not so much? Keep the beans to a minimum. :)

You could make several batches of this stew, vary the beans you use, and it will turn out different every time!

directions:

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot (I used my 8 quart stock pot), cook the sausage, carrots, garlic and onion over medium-high heat until the sausage is no longer pink, breaking up the sausage as it browns. Drain the fat, if needed. Since I used turkey sausage, there wasn't any extra fat.

Add the tomato sauce, broth, bay leaf, cumin, and beans or lentils.

Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer, covered, for about twenty minutes.

Stir in the kale and cook for 10-15 minutes more.

Remove the bay leaf and serve.

This stew freezes well, which is good, because it makes a large batch!

And a bonus: If you're following "Trim, Healthy Mama," this is a hearty "E" meal when you leave out the optional potatoes. That means it's lower fat and filled with healthy carbs. The non-sugar, stick your ribs kind of carbs. And packed with protein. A win/win, right?


Now it's your turn! How was your Christmas celebration? Whatever chaos ensued, I hope you took time to contemplate the surpassing wonderful news of Christ's birth!

Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.

Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com

Of Blizzards and Bean Soup

If you are part of the cyber-connected world, you could not have missed that the East Coast/Mid-Atlantic region was hit by a storm this weekend. When a natural disaster hits the news centers, it tends to become national news.

Here in NYC, the Blizzard of 2016 was the second highest snowfall on record, beat out only by 1/10 of an inch in 2006.

I remember the 2006 storm fondly. We had several days off from school. No such luck this time. Between the blizzard falling on a Saturday, and the smartly-imposed ban on all traffic, most of the roads were clear by Sunday afternoon (unless you live way out in the outer boros).  So school was open on Monday. Walking was a whole lot of fun (NOT!), but the city was functioning smoothly despite the mountains of snow.

Back on Sunday, I was looking for some good, soul-warming food. I'd been meaning to make up a pot of Tuscan White Bean Soup for a while, so that's what I did.

I didn't follow any recipe, just threw in what seemed right.

I started with carrots and celery diced, added low-sodium vegetable broth, and a can of cannellini beans. I like to buy  Eden Organics because they are packed with seaweed. They're low in sodium, but it's natural sodium from the seaweed, not from some chemical preservative.

 I threw in some garlic and dried herbs to taste - thyme, oregano, and rosemary.

After simmering awhile, I tossed in a mix of greens - chard, spinach, baby kale, etc.,  and cooked a few minutes to wilt the greens.

It was that simple.

I topped it with some shredded cheese to serve - because what doesn't taste better with shredded cheese melting into it?












Ever since Virginia's post on baking the perfect Boule, I've been craving bread. I found this fabulous loaf at my local produce store. Look how glossy and full of air pockets it is! I figured Virginia would approve.

All in all, a very satsifying and hearty meal.

What's your favorite blizzard food?