Sausage, Beans and Kale Soup

This has to be one of my absolute favorite soups. I don't know what it is about the combination of Italian sausage, chicken stock and kale. It is so amazing! I have had soup with Italian sausage. I have had soup with chicken stock. But this is the only soup I have made with kale. So maybe it is the kale that is so amazing? I swear this soup could make any day better. It definitely makes me happy. To think this soup was a totally accident. The recipe I was following in the beginning called for broccoli rabe. When I couldn't find it I substituted kale. I am so happy I did. I usually make this soup with a bunch of fresh kale, cannellini beans and only 4 cups of broth. I had to make some substitutions this time because I could not find what I needed at the store. It was just as delicious and made a lot more soup. Nothing wrong with that. You have to try this soup. You are really missing out if you don't. The kale is amazing! I think I am going to try it in the next vegetable soup I make. I have too!

Sausage, Beans and Kale Soup

Serves 8

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Olive oil

20 oz Turkey Italian sausage, casing removed

1 med. Onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 Idaho potato, chopped into small dice

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, drained

Salt, freshly ground black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

16 oz frozen chopped Kale 

6 cups chicken broth

Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions

Heat a 3-1/2 quart pot over medium–high heat. Add olive oil and sausage, brown crumbling with a spatula as it cooks. Add onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic, bay leaf and beans. Season with salt and peppers. Cook to begin to soften the vegetables, 5 minutes. Add kale and chicken broth, raise heat and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf, check seasonings, and serve soup with grated cheese.

Linking to:
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
My Mixing Spoon: Random Recipe Roundup Linkie Party
Cassidy's Cooking Collection: Linky & Drinky

1st Blog Anniversary

Today I have been blogging and sharing my recipes for one whole year. It is hard believe I have written 173 posts. I joined blogger in October 2010. It took me two years to write my first post. Thinking back on it, that is just crazy! I don't know why I was waiting. The past year has been so much fun. I love sharing recipes with everyone. I love finding new blogs and meeting new people. The blogging community is full of the nicest, most creative people around. I appreciate all those who read my little blog, who pin my recipes, share with their friends on Facebook and Google+. It is all just so amazing that you want to hear about what I am cooking. Well not really because I know how much I enjoy reading about what you are cooking and creating.

So in celebration, here are some of the most viewed posts from this year:

Oriental Ramen Noodle Salad

Portobello Fajitas



Shrimp and Noodles in Brown Garlic Sauce

Here are a few of my favorite original recipe posts from this year:

Moussaka Soup



Chicken Enchilada Suiza Soup



Italian Style Vegetable Soup

Georgetown Turkey Avocado Sandwich

Here is another Turkey Avocado Sandwich from Texas. When I lived in Georgetown, Texas I worked for a floor covering store. The store was owned by a lovely generous couple. They designed the store with a large kitchen for a display. We would all gathered there for our lunch breaks. This sandwich is a treat that my dear lady boss would make for us. This with a Route 44 Sonic iced tea with lime was all we needed for a healthy lunch. I know I just shared the Gladewater Turkey Sandwich but I had to share this one too. After all I had all the ingredients on hand. It is wonderfully savory and surprisingly not too spicy. The Dijon mustard and jalapenos are so savory and peppery. The nice thing is that the fresh avocado smooths everything out. So so delicious! It brought me right back to my days in Texas.

Georgetown Turkey Avocado Sandwich
Serves 2

Ingredients

4 slices multi-grain bread (I used 12 grain)
4 tsp Dijon mustard
8 slices smoked turkey
4 tomato slices
1 avocado, sliced
8 pickled jalapeno slices
2 lettuce leaves
kosher salt, to taste

Directions

Spread each slice of bread with mustard. Layer two pieces of bread with turkey, tomato and avocado. Season tomato and avocado with salt. Add jalapeno slices and remaining slices of bread. Add lettuce leaves and season with salt. Slice sandwiches in half and serve.

For more Georgetown inspired recipes 

check out these previously posted recipes:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

"Wagon Wheel" Pasta Salad

Hot Sauce

Linking to:
Love Bakes Good Cakes: All My Bloggy Friends
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin Wednesday
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Sandwiches

Gladewater and a Turkey Sandwich

A few weeks ago my friend and I went to Gladewater, Texas for her Birthday. We went to shop and have a nice lunch. It was a great afternoon. Lots of nostalgic items to see and very friendly shop owners. Gladewater boasts that they are the antique capital of east Texas. The city has done an amazing job of making the shopping experience great. The sidewalks are well maintained and wheelchair accessible.  All the shops were in great shape too. I never once worried if a building was safe to enter (you know sometimes that is a concern in an "antique mall"). There was one shop though? I am laughing, it was the best looking building on the block. But inside there were lots of life sized decorative items. Things like a suit of armor, a butler, and a King Tut like sarcophagus. That place made me a little jumpy. I felt watched! Ha Ha! We had a lot of fun. Definitely a nice city to visit.

When we stopped for lunch. We decided on the Roundup Cafe. It is a cute little cafe that has great baked goods. In fact they come to the table with a little plate of mini muffins while you place your order. We both ordered soup and sandwich. The soup was broccoli and cheese. It was nice, thick and very creamy. The sandwich was turkey with avocado, tomato and cream cheese. I had mine on wheat bread and my friend had hers on a croissant. I really enjoyed this combination. They served bread and butter pickle slices to add to the sandwich. When you add the pickles it reminded me of jalapeno cream cheese. I couldn't wait to go home and try to re-create the sandwich with candied jalapenos. We didn't miss out on dessert. One of the regulars recommended we share a piece of Hawaiian Wedding Cake. So we did of course. It was so good. It taste like pineapple fluff on a moist yellow cake. So good! I am going to try to make that at home next.

Here is my version of the Roundup Cafe sandwich:

Gladewater Turkey Sandwich
Serves 2

Ingredients

4 slices multi-grain bread (I used 12 grain)
2 oz light cream cheese, softened
6 slices smoked turkey
4 tomato slices
1 avocado, sliced
kosher salt, to taste
8 candied jalapeno slices (or bread and butter pickles)

Directions

Spread each slice of bread with cream cheese, being carefully not to tare the bread. Layer two pieces of bread with turkey, tomato and avocado. Season tomato and avocado with salt. Add jalapeno slices and remaining slices of bread. Slice sandwiches in half and serve.

For more antique shopping and lunch ideas:

Check out this previous post about 

Cornbread Sandwiches and Jefferson, Texas.

Linking to:

Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
This Gal Cooks: Marvelous Mondays
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid Mondays
Anyonita's Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Sandwiches

Spiced Chickpea Tomato Soup

Do you ever have a hard time making a grocery list? I have needed to go to the store for days (I went today finally). I just could not decide what to cook or put on the list. This is a pantry soup I made yesterday from what was still hanging around. It is full of warm spice flavors from India. It is a great soup for fall. This soup has a nice tart flavor too. You would swear their is some citrus in the recipe. It is very creamy with not a bit of cream. This soup is so satisfying that just a cup will do. It would be wonderful with a mozzarella grill cheese. Or if you prefer go for the whole bowl and drizzle it with some yogurt. If you can not find whole cardamon I have a substitute for you. Garam Masala is commonly made of cumin, cardamon, clove, coriander, black pepper and cinnamon. You could use 2 or 3 teaspoons of store bought Garam Masala for my blend of spices. I plan to make it chunky style next time. I will grind the whole spices in a spice mill and leave all the veggies whole. I think I will like the texture of the soup not pureed too. This is really a great twist on tomato soup.

Spiced Chickpea Tomato Soup

Makes about 2 quarts

Serves: 4 or 8 as a starter

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1” of fresh ginger, peeled and minced

2 cans chickpeas, drained

2 tsp whole cumin

2 green cardamom pods, seeds only

1 black cardamom pod, seeds only

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 small bay leaf

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 cups chicken stock

Directions

Heat a medium pot with olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add chickpeas to pot and cook a minute or two. Season the chickpeas with all the spices. Stir in tomatoes, then stock. Bring to a boil reduce to a simmer. Simmer soup 10 minutes to combine flavors. Remove from heat; puree with an immersion blender and serve.

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
This Gal Cooks: Marvelous Mondays
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid Mondays
Love Bakes Good Cakes: All My Bloggy Friends
Anyonita's Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin Wednesday
Horrific Knits: Fall Into the Holidays

BBQ Spaghetti Squash with Pulled Chicken

I was first introduced to spaghetti squash at a Weight Watchers meeting. We always cooked it in the microwave and topped it with spaghetti sauce. Very delicious! It does not taste like pasta. So don't believe people who boast that claim. But it is very, very good and a great low carb alternative. 

Well I think dear sister and I have found a better way to cook spaghetti squash. It was her idea, we were at her house and she asked can we grill the spaghetti squash? I didn't know so I turned to Google. I found a how-to on Livestrong.com and we gave it a try. It is so much better than the microwave. The microwave method produces a lot of water in the squash strands which inevitably thins out the pasta sauce. The grill produces perfect strands with a slightly nutty flavor. They are moist but do not thin out the pasta sauce. Just perfect. Sister decided she likes it best on it's own as a side with butter and Parmesan. She is right it is delicious that way. But I still think it is great topped with all kinds of sauces.

This is the second time I tried the grill method. I had BBQ Spaghetti on my mind. So I took a leftover roasted chicken from Mom's and turned it into BBQ Pulled Chicken to serve over grilled spaghetti squash. It turned out so good. I like all the extra veggies in the chicken. The chipotle tomatoes add a lot of smoke and spice without drowning everything in BBQ sauce. The Sweet and Spicy Rub and basil add a sweet touch too. In the photos I show whole leaves of basil but I tore them up on my serving. I liked the occasional bite with the sweet fresh herb. This recipe could easy serve four to six depending on the size of the squash and chicken you use. I had a small squash and a large chicken, so I have some pulled chicken left. I sure wish I had another spaghetti squash.

BBQ Spaghetti Squash with Pulled Chicken

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

For the Spaghetti Squash:

1 Spaghetti Squash

Vegetable oil

Sweet and Spicy Rub for Salmon (recipe below)

For the Pulled Chicken:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with chipotle

1/2 cup Hickory BBQ sauce (I used KC Masterpiece)

1/2 cup water

1 roasted chicken, meat pulled from bones

1 tsp Sweet and Spicy Rub for Salmon (plus more for a garnish)

Fresh Basil, torn

Directions

In a 3 quart pot, heat olive oil on med-high heat. Add onions and peppers sauté until they begin to soften. Add garlic and sauté a minute more. Add tomatoes, BBQ sauce, water, chicken and rub. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and continue to simmer covered until ready to serve.

Pre-heat grill to high heat for 10 minutes, and then turn it down to medium heat to cook the squash. While pre-heating the grill, wash the outside shell of the spaghetti squash, cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.

Rub the cut-side with vegetable oil and sprinkle with Sweet and Spicy Rub before placing it on the grill. Place the squash cut-side down directly on the grate. Cook the squash for 20 minutes. Flip squash cut-side up after 20 minutes. Cook another 20 minutes checking for doneness on occasion. Check the squash by touch the inside with a fork to see if the fibers are cooked and ready to pull apart. Remove from grill.

When squash is cool enough to handle, cut each half in half. Place each quarter on a plate and pull the squash into spaghetti like strands. Top each with pulled chicken and garnish with more Sweet and Spicy Rub and torn basil leaves. Serve!

Sweet and Spicy Rub for Salmon

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

1 teaspoon Cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

In a small bowl, mix all the rub ingredients until combined.

Note: This rub is great on the Cedar-Planked Salmon recipe found here. Also delicious on grilled chicken and pork. Absolutely amazing on popcorn!

Linking to:
Buns In My Oven - What's Cookin Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays
The Tumbleweed Contessa: Chicken - Saturday Dishes Linky Party
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
This Gal Cooks: Marvelous Mondays
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid Mondays
Love Bakes Good Cakes: All My Bloggy Friends
Anyonita's Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Leftovers

Seaweed Salad: Trick or Treat?

Something I don’t think I have shared with you is that I love sushi. Mom is the one who introduced me to this tasty cuisine. I was an immediate fan. It is another one of the things only the girls in my family enjoy. Sushi is so beautiful. It is definitely an art form. I know many of you are wrinkling up your nose thinking raw fish? But I promise raw fish is so mild, it is the cooking of the fish that brings out its strong “fishy” flavor. Try it you might like it.

Now Seaweed Salad is something I learned to love. The first time I tried it the sushi chef sent it to the table, we did not order it. I was not a fan. Then one day I went to dinner with some new sushi fans, my friend’s husband raved about the Seaweed Salad at this restaurant. So I decided to give it another try. It was so good. I really like the briny sea flavor. The dressing is delicious and I love the toasted sesame with the soy sauce.

Texture is something I am still learning about. Some seaweed has a soft texture almost slick. Others have a firm almost crunchy texture. I am a fan of something in between, a little chewy or squidgy. Problem is I don’t know my seaweed by name yet. They are all dark almost black green when dried, quite hard to identify. I get the seaweed (wakame) at an Asian market. I have bought it in two forms; whole and shredded. You really don’t know its size, color or texture until it is re-constituted. This is where the Trick comes in. When you plunge the dried seaweed in the water it comes alive! SPOOKY!!!! Kids would love this part. It moves and grows to three times it size, so amazing to watch. The whole wakame needs to have the spine of the leaves removed and be sliced thin. This is the texture I think I like best. It is more like what the restaurants serve. The shredded variety is what I used today and you can see it was a mix of seaweed and already chopped. It almost looks like spring mix salad greens. It has a mix of textures. Both taste great with the savory nutty dressing. The seaweed almost absorbs the dressing so don’t worry if it looks like a lot of dressing. I make the dressing two ways. The basic recipe is mild and I think let’s the briny sea flavor shine. But if you add some garlic and red pepper you get a little spicy heat, also very good. Now you have to try it to decide if this is a Trick or a Treat. For me it is a definite Treat.

Seaweed Salad

Ingredients

3/4 oz dried wakame

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated ginger

Optional (for heat):

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

For garnish:

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Soak dried wakame according to package directions. Drain thoroughly and place in a bowl.

Mix vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and ginger in a bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add garlic and red pepper flakes if using.

Pour the dressing over the wakame and mix to combine. Chill in refrigerator. Sprinkle with scallions and toasted sesame seeds prior to serving.

Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays