Thursday, October 28, 2010

Sausage, Kale, and Bean Pasta

1 pound lean turkey breakfast sausage(or Italian with casings removed)
2 cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes with juice
1 (8oz) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 bunch kale, coursely chopped, large stems removed
garlic and onions to taste(powder or actual veggies)
dash of cayenne pepper(this makes it, in my opinion)
1 teaspoon savory spice
1 can beans(red or white), drained and rinsed
1 box rotini pasta
handfuls of cheddar cheese, grated

Brown sausage well. Stir in onions and garlic and cook til onion is tender. Add tomatoes, spices, and kale. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring now and then. Add beans to sausage and kale, continue simmering for another 15-20 minutes or so. Start pasta cooking. When the pasta is almost done, drain it well and add to sausage mixture. Stir well, cover and cook about 10 more minutes til pasta is tender. Serve in bowls with cheese. Yum!

Pumpkin Soup's On!

I sometimes(mostly) post my recipes with no pictures. This is because I suck at taking them. Right now in my life, with two teens and a 10-year-old(going on 30), all of whom are homeschoolers, a husband who works out of town, and the daily chaos that is, remembering to take pictures is also an issue.


As usual, all measurements are approximate. This soup kicks the butt of all previous soups I've ever made, LOL, it is *that* good!

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup with Chipotle and Cumin


1 pie pumpkin(about 3-4 pounds), roasted and peeled

1(or 2 if you've got more to feed) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/8 to 1/4th tsp chipotle powder(go easy, this stuff is powerful hot)

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1 onion, chopped and softened

1-2 garlic cloves, pressed and cooked with the onion

6-7 cups chicken or veggie broth(I use Better than Boullion paste)


Combine half the pumpkin, half the onion, garlic, spices, and half the beans in a blender. Add enough water to blend it well(this will be part of your water count, I used 4 cups but it will depend on your blender's size). Pour into a large pot or saucepan(3 quart). Blend remaining pumpkin with more broth but reserve the beans. Combine pumkin mixture, remaining beans and onions, and the leftover broth in saucepan/pot, and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Serve hot topped with a dollop of sour cream.

Let me know if you make this!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Bob Talbert's White Chili

Go Here for the original recipe. I will include my variations here...

I boiled the chicken but almost any cooking method would work, grilling would give it a great flavor boost! Instead of canned broth, I used Better Than Boullion paste, drained and rinsed the beans, added a bigger can of green chilis, a dash of cayenne pepper, and about 2/3 cup cream cheese. It was very warm, spice-wise, but that just makes it better to me.

This was amazing and too easy for words!

By the way, this is my first post on my latest blog. I intend to comb my facebook older posts for the many recipes I've posted there, as well as my other two blogs, so you may see things you've seen before. (-: