Potato and Sausage Soup ~Molly

I'm minorly obsessed with kale right now. It might be my new favorite vegetable. I fry it until it's crispy and put it in wraps. I chop it up and add it to scrambled eggs. I search for recipes that use it instead of studying for my Money and Banking midterm. Finding this recipe on epicurious.com was totally worth the B-.
I don't have a picture, so use your imagination. It looks like a broth-based soup. With chunks of potato, sausage, chickpeas, and kale. If you want to get fancy, add a piece of italian bread with butter on it. You could also find the recipe on Epicurious. It's actually called Kale and Chickpea Soup, but I knew none of you would read this recipe if that's what I titled this post.


Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 red potatoes(3/4 lb), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 lb kale, stems and center ribs cut out and discarded, then leaves very finely chopped (4 cups)
• 3 1/2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth (28 fl oz)
• 2 cups water
• 1 (14-oz) can chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1/4 lb sausage, diced and browned (I used smoked bratwurst)
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• Cook onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt, and pepper in oil in a wide 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until onion and garlic are softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add potato, kale, broth, and water and cook, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to low, then add chickpeas and chorizo and gently simmer, uncovered, 3 minutes. Discard bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.
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• Note from Kelsey:  
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• I made this soup for my family and a couple of young "cowboys".  They all loved it, even the kids!  It is definitely something I will make again.  It smelled so good when it was cooking!  I served it with grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and a green salad.  I took a picture so I could add it to Molly's original blog post. 
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Spicy Bean Soup ~ by Molly

This is a delicious recipe--but some of the ingredients are a little hard to find in The Dalles. I've used other kinds of beans when I couldn't find cannellini, and used other colors of lentils and it worked just fine.
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis (Food Network)

Prep Time:
20 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
45 min
Level:
Intermediate
Serves:
10 servings
Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper, optional
• 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 (11 1/2-ounce) can tomato juice
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (3-inch) piece Parmesan cheese rind, optional
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup dried green lentils
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 2 zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick rounds
• 2 yellow crookneck squash, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick rounds
• 1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Directions:
Heat the oil in a heavy large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic, and saute until the onions are translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the chili powder, coriander, cumin, oregano and crushed red pepper, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, tomato juice, tomato paste, cheese rind, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the broth, garbanzo beans, cannellini beans, and lentils. Stir in the broccoli, zucchini, and yellow squash. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, until the lentils are tender and the mixture thickens slightly, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Season the stew to taste with more salt, if desired.

Ladle the stew into bowls. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese and basil, and serve.