Kale and Sausage Soup

I have served kale and black rice together in the same meal before, but not in a soup. When I got home from work today, I knew I had some kale in the fridge, and I knew I wanted to make a soup. So, here is what I made:



2 1/2 Italian sausage links
1 large onion
3-4 cloves garlic
3 medium potatoes, unpeeled, diced
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bunch curly kale, chopped
1 cup black rice (or white rice)
6 cups water

Peel off the casing of the sausage and crumble up. Chop the onion, dice the garlic and potatoes. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven. Add the sausage, onion, garlic and potatoes, and sautee until the sausage is browned.

Add the seasonings, the chopped kale, the rice and water. Bring to a boil, and boil on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and let cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I served this with gluten free biscuits, and boy was it ever good! This recipe will serve 4-6 people, or two hungry adults two dinners. The soup is naturally gluten free, tastes very good, and is relatively inexpensive. What more could you want?

A Campfire Party

We had our first, and last, campfire party with our co-hosts here at Unicoi tonight. The first one, because it is the first time everyone was here and available to get together, and the last because Jim and I are leaving on Sunday.

It was just an informal get together. We didn't even sit around the fire, exactly, because there was food. And to eat it, we had to sit at the picnic table. Joan and Frank brought a yummy 7 layer Mexican salad, and Debbie and Jim brought a hot spinach cheese dip. I made sausage balls, using my Pamela's Baking Mix. It just turned out that everything everyone brought was gluten free, but it wasn't planned that way. I even tried some Redbridge Beer. I though it was pretty good, and even drank two of them. Those of you who know me know I have never drunk two beers in one day, ever. But, Redbridge was that good. Really.

Here is the recipe I used for the Sausage Balls

1 lb pork sausage
2 cups Pamela's Baking Mix
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together well in a bowl. You'll have to use your hands to squeeze it all together. Roll in small balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

I put them in a bowl that I had lined with a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm. Everyone loved them. Yum!

Stew Day

A couple of years ago when I was anticipating a visit from my vegetarian daughter, I was looking for a good vegatarian recipe to make for dinner. The recipe I found for Italian Mushroom Stew looked very good, and believe me, it is very yum! I have altered the original recipe a bit, because Jim and I are not vegetarians, and we do like the flavor that a little bit meat adds to this dish. If you don't eat meat, just leave out the sausage, the mushrooms will have a flavor all their own. This is of course, gluten free.

8 oz white button mushrooms, slice half, finely dice the other half
8 oz portabella mushrooms, chopped
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup diced celery
4-5 cloves garlic, minced (I use a whole head of garlic, but we love garlic)
1 Italian sauage, remove the casing and crumble up (about 1/4 lb)
2 16 oz cans stewed or diced tomatoes
1 can water
1/2 lb. fresh or frozen greenbeans, cut in 2-inch pieces
1 tsp. dried basil (I use more, use your discretion)
1 tsp. dried italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sautee the mushrooms, onion, celery, and garlic until the onions are clear. Add the Italian sausage, and cook until the sausage is browned. Add all the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil. Turn down heat, cover and simmer for an hour. Serve over rice or pasta.

To go with this delish stew tonight, I made some bread sticks from a prepackaged mix from Chebe. They were ok, but could have been better if I cooked them just a bit longer. With this mix, you add two tablespoons of oil, 2 eggs, and 1 cup of cheese, and then knead the dough with your hands until it is smooth. It reminded me of making sausage balls with Bisquick back when I still ate wheat, so I am thinking I might try making some sausage balls next time just to see how they turn out. Hmmmm...