* Yummy Fall Soup *

By the way, I baked one of those frozen apple pies. It came out quite well! The only thing I would do is add not just 1 extra tbsp of flour to the filling, but I'd add two extra tbsp. Also, I tried that crust recipe, and it made an outstanding pie crust.

Anyway, on to soup! Jess, you should be able to enjoy this dish even on your restrictions. Don't get too scared off by the title because it does have the dreaded KALE in it! I do not like kale at all, BUT I did enjoy it in this soup. I think anyone will be pleasantly surprised when they eat kale in this soup. The last time I made kale, I threw out the dish--awful!!! It's taken me about 3 years to get up enough gumption to try it again. But I searched out some internet recipes and I tried it again. I am happy to say that you can actually make a dish with kale in it that tastes good! Now, I also used a red kale (kind of purpley and green), so I'm also wondering if perhaps this type of kale is milder than the traditional green.

Below is the soup recipe, but first my notes:
-Add twice the amount of beans.
-Use only 1 onion.
-Chop the kale up very thin and fine.
-Take 1/3 of the potatoes and beans and puree them to thicken the soup.
-I didn't cook the sausage like she says--I just used pre-cooked chicken sausage and sliced it. I used a spicy one, and the spice complemented the soup nicely.

Sweet Potato, Sausage, and Kale Soup

This version of a traditional Portuguese soup uses sweet potatoes in place of white potatoes. For a thicker consistency, coarsely mash some of the beans before adding them to the soup.

Ingredients

object2=">2 tablespoons olive oil
object2=">4 cups chopped onion (about 2 large)
object2=">1 teaspoon salt, divided
object2=">1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
object2=">6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
object2=">1 pound sweet turkey Italian sausage
object2=">8 cups coarsely chopped peeled sweet potato (about 2 1/4 pounds)
object2=">5 cups water
object2=">4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
object2=">1 (16-ounce) package prewashed torn kale
object2=">1 (16-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

Preparation

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Remove casings from sausage; add sausage to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Add potato, 5 cups water, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Gradually add kale; cook 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and beans; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Yield

10 servings (serving size: about 1 3/4 cups)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 254(29% from fat); FAT 8.2g (sat 2.1g,mono 3.4g,poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 14.2g; CHOLESTEROL 27mg; CALCIUM 132mg; SODIUM 797mg; FIBER 6.9g; IRON 2.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 34.8g

Maureen Callahan , Cooking Light, MARCH 2007