Spicy Sausage and Kale Soup

Sometimes I just have to cook and come up with something that his healthy and comforting that suit my tastes at the moment. Kids can fend for themselves if they can't get into what I was yearning for. That's what left overs are for.

I picked up a trick from Ina Garten on a show she did last week using lentils. Pour boiling water on them and just let them soak for a half hour to soften them up. Doing that you don't have to simmer your soup that long and turn the veggies and stuff into mush along with softening the lentils.

This soup is similar to one I did a week ago except I stepped up the heat and spices a bit by using spicy Italian sausage along with red pepper flakes. Just enough to make it a different soup, of course adding in Kale gets you tons of beta carotene, vitamin K and some powerful antioxidants into your system making a basic soup extra healthy. That's a good thing and a postive step towards living healthy.


Spicy Sausage and Kale Soup

• 1 lb hot Italian sausage
• 1 bunch kale -coarse chopped (about 8 cups)
• 2 28 oz cans chicken broth
• 1 cup lentils -pre-soaked 30 min in boiling water.
• 1 onion -coarse chopped
• 2 carrots -sliced
• 1 T oregano
• 1 T parsley
• 2 bay leaf
• 1/4 t red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Remove sausage from casing and fry until well browned. Add onion and carrot. Reduce heat and saute until onion are clear. Scrape up browned bits from bottom of pan.

Add spices, lentils and canned broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes until carrots are tender crisp. Add kale, cook 5 minutes until wilted with the ribs still tender crisp. Serve with a generous grating of Parmesan cheese.