Zuppa Toscana

Am I still allowed to post on this?? Chante, I tried this soup and loved it. Who knew kale was so yummy? Okay, maybe you did, but not us.... My mom loves the vegetarian (Morningstar?) sausage and they would work great. And I know mayo sounds sick, but I have an uber-healthy cookbook (dairy-free) that uses Vegannaise in place of dairy sometimes to add the needed fat and white color. Enough with the disclaimers, though.

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 lg. onion, chopped
4 c. chicken broth
4 medium potatoes, diced (OR 2-3 c. frozen hash browns)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 lb. mild italian sausage (OR 2-3 sausage patties, chopped)
4 c. kale, de-stemmed and chopped (discard stems)
1/2 c. heavy cream (OR 1/2 c. mayonnaise)
opt. parmesan cheese

1-In a large pot, heat olive oil. Saute onion until translucent, about 10 minutes.

2-Add broth, potatoes, kale, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

3-Meanwhile, cook sausage until browned/thoroughly cooked.

4-Add sausage and cream (or mayo) to soup. If using mayo, whisk with a small amount of broth taken from the pot; this way it incorporates completely.
Garnish with parmesan shavings if desired.

White Bean Soup

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 medium onions, chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 cups vegetable broth

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp oregano leaves

1/4 tsp red pepper sauce

1/4 tsp salt

1 can (11 oz) white shoepeg corn or whole kernel corn, drained

1 can (15-16 oz) great northern beans, drained

1 can (15-16 0z) butter beans, drained

In 4 quart dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic in oil 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes.