Spicy Sausage, White Bean, and Kale Soup

Thanks to my friend Bridgid for the inspiration on  this one. She is always raving about how easy and delicious this soup is. This recipe really is easy, quick to make, and tastes great.

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 package of Boulder Hot Italian Sausage (spicy is key)

1 quart of organic chicken stock

1 28oz can of organic stewed tomatoes (I used Muir Glen)

1 can of sodium-free cannellini beans (I used Eden Organic)

1 bunch of kale, de-stemmed and rough chopped

pinch of red pepper flakes

1/4c fresh basil, chopped

shredded parmesean cheese to top it off

Directions:

Sautee onion and garlic in a pan with a little EVOO for a few minutes to release flavor, and then brown sausage in the same pan chopping it into smaller bite-size pieces as it cooks. Once sausage is almost fully cooked, add one quart of organic chicken stock and your can of stewed tomatoes making sure to break the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Add your can of beans and about half of the chopped kale, and then let your soup simmer for about 10minutes. Add the basil and the rest of the kale at the end so that it retains its green color and slightly crunchy texture, and cook soup  for just a few more minutes until kale is slightly wilted. 

Serve soup with a sprinkle of shredded parmesean or romano cheese and some crunchy bread.

Thai Green Curry Salmon

This  spicy and sweet coconut curry is creamy and absolutely delicious with a delicate salmon filet!

The Recipe

2 5oz sustainably farmed salmon filets

Set oven for 350

Now, it’s time to wash and chop the vegetables.

After all your vegetables are chopped, set them aside.  Take salmon  and place skin side down on some a foil-covered pan  and drizzle with EVOO.  Season with sea salt, pepper, and some green chili paste. Stick fish in your preheated oven  for 15 minutes.

Now it’s time for the sauce!

2-5 TB Thai green chili paste (depending on how spicy you want this to be)

1 can of lite coconut milk

1 can of organic chicken stock

2 kaffir lime leaves (if you dont have these just use a tsp of lime or lemon juice)

2 TB tamari or soy sauce

3 Tsp raw brown sugar

1 handful of chopped cilantro

cornstarch to thickenen

Put  the can of coconut milk into a heated pan and whisk in green chili paste TB by TB until you achieve desired spiciness. Now, whisk in stock, soy sauce, kaffir lime leaves, and sugar. Once this starts to simmer, add vegetables(I didnt add the snap peas until last minute becasue I like them crisp) and cook for 10-15 minutes. Adjust flavor as desired and add cornstarch if needed to thicken the curry. Add chopped cilantro when it is just about ready.

For the vegetables,  I used a variety:

1/2 c cremini mushrooms

1 can chopped baby corn

1 c chopped snap peas

1 c of yellow squash

1 c of eggplant

1/4 c green peas

1 bunch of green onions for garnish and crunch

Pour sauce on top of cooked salmon filets. Garnish with diced green onions and diced red pepper if you have it.

I served this with  quinoa and it soaked up the flavors wonderfully.

Giardiniera

Giardiniera. I absolutely love this stuff. It tastes fantastic on sandwiches and eggs, and is a great condiment for hot dogs and burgers. The options are endless, and if you like spicy with a tang, then this is definitely worth the time it takes to prepare.

Once you get good and have tweaked this recipe to your taste, you can begin to think about preserving and gifting it. I made a half dozen and gifted them to my family and friends for Christmas this past year!

What you will need:

6 serrano peppers sliced thin
1/2 can water chestnuts diced
3 stalks of celery sliced
1 carrot peeled and diced
1/2 head cauliflower, i liked to use the stems too for crunch
1/2 c red pepper diced
1 jalapeno diced (this makes it quite spicy, so leave out if you like something with medium heat)

1/2 cup salt
4 cloves garlic, diced
4 teaspoons dried oregano, or fresh herbs always if you have them!
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon celery seeds
black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 cup Canola oil

STEP ONE:
Place all the chopped vegetables into a large bowl, pour in salt and mix until coated. Cover the veggies with cold water, and let soak overnight in the fridge, or for at least 12 hours. I usually use sea salt and it comes out great!

STEP TWO:
Strain veggies and rinse to remove excess salt, and portion them into jars or tupper ware. Combine spices in one bowl and oil and vinegar in another. Slowly whisk spices into oil/vinegar. Pour this combined mixture over the veggies and refrigerate for at least 48hrs to allow flavors to develop.

This will stay for 2-4 weeks. I love to puree some of this in the summertime to serve with hotdogs and brats on the grill; makes a really great spicy relish 🙂