Tag Archives: kale

Kale and Sweet Potato Remix (Baby Girl’s Recipe)

Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetables, , , , , , , , , ,

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The holidays are over but I still have a story to tell about our last Thanksgiving celebration. My daughter-in-law came up with the idea of having the ladies make new dishes out of our holiday leftovers. Nat made a delicious pasta dish out of leftover steamed broccoli ( Nat’s Broccoli and Pasta Remix ) and my daughter made a tasty dish using leftover roasted sweet potatoes and fresh kale.

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Baby Girl’s Kale and Sweet Potato Remix was pretty impressive and quite simple to prepare. Leftovers are great. At least in my book. I think the seasonings blending together overnight make some dishes taste even better the next day. That was true for the sweet potatoes we used for the Kale and Sweet Potato Remix. Of course using all fresh ingredients is fine too. You don’t have to wait until you have leftovers to make this yummy dish. If you need a recipe for leftover kale or sweet potatoes this is a wonderful recipe to pull together.

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When Baby Girl thought of this recipe she decided to step it up a little by using two types of kale – red kale and curly green kale. I don’t remember ever seeing red kale in the grocery store or maybe I did see it but did not know it was kale. Anyway, the red kale was beautiful and had a sweeter and more delicate flavor than the curly green kale. The combination of the two types of kale created a nice balance between the slightly bitter and sweet flavors. Adding sweet potatoes only elevated the dish and made it blog worthy.

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Nice going kiddo! One more recipe to add to your repertoire and mine.

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Kale and Sweet Potato Remix

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic chopped

3 lg sweet potatoes peeled and cubed

1 bunch Redbor kale clean and remove stems

1 bunch curly green kale clean and remove stems

½ jalapeno pepper seeded and diced (leave a few seeds for spice)

¾ cup white cooking wine

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place cubed sweet potatoes on a greased cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil over sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with jalapeno peppers, salt and pepper then toss to coat with olive oil. Place in oven and bake for 35 – 45 minutes until sweet potatoes are slightly browned and fork tender. Remove from oven and set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute to prevent garlic from burning. Pour in white cooking wine and stir for an additional 2 minutes.

Increase heat to medium high and add Redbor kale. Cook for 6 – 8 minutes until the kale is wilted. Add the remaining kale. Season with salt and black pepper then cook for 15 – 20 more minutes until tender. Stir occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and add sweet potatoes to the kale. Gently toss to mix kale and sweet potatoes. Transfer to a serving dish. Top with grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

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Kale and Sausage Soup

Soups/ Salads / Stews, Uncategorized, Vegetables, , , , , , , ,

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Got leftover kale? Don’t throw it out. Whether it is from my Cannellini and Kale recipe, kale salad or some other kale dish you can turn it into a delicious soup. If you have been following my blog, you know I am a fan of soup. Creamy or brothy. I love soup any time of the year.

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Kale is one of those vegetables that has taken center stage in many kitchens whether at home or in restaurants. Kale has a beautiful vibrant green color and there are a few variations like common (curly) kale and Tuscan (Italian) kale and salad Savoy kale. The nutritional value is probably why kale has become so popular and can be prepared in multiple ways. Kale is a good source for protein, vitamin A, C and K. Plus, kale is considered to have cholesterol-lowering and cancer risk-lowering benefits.

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The other day I made kale as a side dish for dinner and had quite a bit leftover for the next day. I didn’t feel like eating it again as a side dish so I created a kale and sausage soup that was pretty tasty if I do say so myself. I think it helped that all of the seasonings I used in the kale the night before had a chance to meld together. Personally, I think soups, stews and certain other dishes taste better the next day just for this reason.

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The best part about making Kale and Sausage Soup is that half of the work is already done if you use leftovers. Add a few more ingredients and a tasty broth and you have a delicious meal or an appetizer to go with a delicious meal.

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Kale and Sausage Soup

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale (stems removed) or 2 cups leftover kale

1 15 oz can small white beans (do not drain)

1 pkg chorizo sausage (casing removed)

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1 cup fresh corn cut from the cob (scrap the cob) or 1 can of white corn strained

2 scallions sliced

1 small white onion diced

½ yellow pepper diced

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

½ tsp thyme

¼ tsp cumin

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add sausage. Break sausage with a spoon and brown. Remove from pot and drain on a paper towel. Pour off fat from sausage.

Add remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil to the pot along with diced white onion and yellow pepper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then saute until vegetables are softened. Add chicken broth, water and sausage to the pot and reduce heat to medium. Let soup simmer for 3 minutes. Add kale, and remaining seasonings. Stir and cook for an additional 10 minutes is using fresh kale and 5 minutes if using leftover kale. Stir in corn and scallions to the soup. Simmer for 3 minutes then turn off heat.

Serve with a slice of crusty bread or cornbread.

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Dee’s Veggie Soup

Soups/ Salads / Stews, Uncategorized, Vegetables, , , , , , , ,

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My mom loves to make vegetable soup in the winter or if there is a slight chill in the air. I really like her vegetable soup but when I cannot get to her house I have to make my own soup. Usually, I make chicken corn chowder or some version of chicken noodle soup. Today, I thought I would try my hand at creating my own vegetable soup. Besides, it was a cold snowy day and I couldn’t get to my mom’s house.

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My version of vegetable soup (Dee’s Veggie Soup) did not include any meat. My mom uses ham or smoked meats to help season her soup. I wanted mine to be purely vegetarian. The natural sweetness of the vegetables along with a few choice seasonings gave the soup the punch of flavor I desired. As for the vegetables I used in the soup, they were both traditional and non-traditional. Like my mom I used tomatoes, onions and cut green beans. But, instead of adding celery and peas I used sliced fennel and kale. I also used a can of creamed corn to make the soup a little more savory.

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Dee’s Veggie Soup had several depths of flavor from the mix of vegetables and seasonings. I thought it was delicious and the soup definitely took the chill out of my bones. Hubby liked the soup too. Once he started dipping into his bowl of soup I don’t think he stopped until it was all gone. To me, that is one of the nicest compliments you can get when you cook.

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Dee’s Veggie Soup

Ingredients:
1 small fennel bulb sliced (white part only)
1 small bunch of curly kale chopped
1 small onion diced
1 ½ cups cut french green beans
1 14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
1 14 oz can creamed corn
2 14 oz cans small white beans drained and rinsed
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley (fresh or dried)
32 oz chicken stock
32 oz water

Place all ingredients except for kale into a large pot over medium heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add kale. Stir and simmer for an additional 30 to 45 minutes until kale is tender.

Cannellini and Kale

Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetables, , , , , ,

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Many moons ago when I was single and purchased my first home I lived next door to a wonderful elderly Italian couple. Ernie and John B. welcomed me into the neighborhood and into their home with open arms. I quickly became part of their extended family and was blessed with many delicious Italian treats Ernie always liked to share.

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Ernie was a great cook and I looked forward to her knock on my door to say she had something extra she wanted to me to try. Besides Ernie’s holiday pizzelles there was one treat I looked forward to eating. It was a simple cannellini bean and garlic dish made with olive oil and Italian seasonings. Simple but delicious. Probably the most important ingredient Ernie added was love. I have always said that food prepared with love is the best food in the world.

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I have since moved from the old neighborhood and my extended Italian family has passed on. I have fond memories of Ernie and John and only recently remembered her cannellini and bean recipe. In honor of Ernie, I decide to create my own version of her dish. I souped up the cannellini and garlic by adding fresh chopped kale and red pepper slices for color. The creaminess of the beans, the sweetness of the red peppers and slight crunch of the kale ( I like it al dente in some recipes) created a ping pong of textures in my mouth. Throw in nice Italian seasonings and you have a fantastic side dish or meal.

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I think Ernie would be proud of my version of her delicious beans and would give me a big hug for honoring her memory.

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Cannellini and Kale

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped kale
2 15oz cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic sliced
½ red pepper seeded and sliced thin
½ cup chicken broth
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp salt
½ tbsp oregano
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large frying pan. Add kale and saute until slightly wilted (cook longer if you do not like kale al dente) for 3 – 5 minutes. Add garlic, sliced red pepper and seasonings. Stir then add chicken broth and beans. Stir to mix beans with kale and peppers. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 10 – 15 minutes.

Butter Bean and Kale Soup with Smoked Turkey

Meat/ Poultry, Soups/ Salads / Stews, , , ,

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For me, eating soup is something you do all year round. Especially, during the winter months when the weather chills your bones and makes your teeth chatter kind of like today. I was up and out of the house early this morning and the thermometer was in the single digits. At that point, I knew I would make a hearty, healthy pot of butter bean and kale soup with smoked turkey.

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I am not sure of why I thought of this combination for the soup but since I love beans and I love kale I figured why not put the two together. Both the beans and the kale are very healthy and full of vitamins and minerals that help increase energy and help to fight against many diseases. Smoked turkey is also a healthier choice compared to beef and adds a ton of flavor.

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If you are looking for something unique and flavorful to fix the next time you want a hearty soup, try making a butter bean and kale soup. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how good butter beans and kale are together.

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Butter Bean and Kale Soup with Smoked Turkey

Ingredients:
3 cans butter beans undrained
3 cups fresh kale
4 cups water
2 smoked turkey legs
1 tbsp roasted garlic or ½ tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp salt
½ tbsp black pepper
½ tsp Adobo
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Cook turkey in a pressure cooker with 4 cups of water for 30 minutes. Strain 4 cups of broth into a large pot (may need to add a little more water). Add butter beans, kale, roasted garlic and sea to the broth. Stir and let simmer over medium heat for 25 – 30 minutes until kale is done.

Optional: If using dried butter beans prepare according to package and use the turkey broth as the liquid for cooking. Add other ingredients half way through the cooking process for the beans.

May also cook smoked turkey on the stove for 1 to 1 ½ hours until turkey is tender.

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Daddy’s Butternut Squash and Mixed Baby Kale Soup

Soups/ Salads / Stews, Vegetables, , ,

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For a while now my hubby has been asking me to make a “brothy” soup. My most recent soups have been thick and rich like my Carrot soup and my Leek and Potato soup.

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Vegetable soup seemed a simple choice but I wanted to make a soup that reminded me of the fall weather and colorful changing leaves. I love to see the trees speckled with orange, red and green leaves. That was the inspiration for the butternut squash and mixed baby kale soup. The soup is full of fall colors from the orange of the butternut squash, the red of the tomatoes and the bright green leaves of the mixed baby kale.

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I know. Daddy’s Butternut Squash and Mixed Baby Kale Soup is a long name. But, it would have been even longer if I added the names of some of the other ingredients that make this soup so delicious. I added Daddy’s to the title because my hubby claimed it to be his soup once he tasted it.

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Butternut squash is quickly becoming one of my favorite vegetables. It is great all by itself or tastes even better when paired with vegetables like sweet potatoes or in this case mixed baby kale. The sweetness of the butternut squash along with the slightly bitter kale and spicy Italian sausage created a wonderful combination of flavors that swirl in your mouth.

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It’s the little things in life that often inspire us whether it is leaves changing colors in the fall or a nice pot of hearty soup.

Daddy’s Butternut Squash and Mixed Baby Kale Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb Italian hot sausage
2 14oz cans of cannellini beans rinsed
1 14 oz fire roasted tomatoes
2 bags mixed baby kale
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 lb butternut squash peeled and cubed
1 medium red onion diced
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp thyme
3 lemon slices
In a dutch oven or large pot brown sausage then drain on a paper towel. Set aside. Pour off grease from the sausage and add olive oil to the pot. Add onions and Add broth, water, seasonings and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium heat. Add beans, tomatoes, sausage, butternut squash and lemon slices. Stir and cook for 25 minutes. Add baby kale and cook an additional 10 minutes then turn off heat. Serve with a sprinkle of shaved parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese.

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