Basic Soup Starter

As of late I have been rocking a variety of soups.  The very cool thing about this is that they all tend to start the very same way.  The initial ingredients are the same and then I add to them to cater to the particular soup.

Fam favorites are the Vegetable Bean Turkey Chili and Turkey Noodle Soup!  I will give you the directions for the soup starter and then give you the additional ingredients for the other two in the next post!

As I type this California is officially in a drought BUT we are in the middle of a three day rain storm... basically, it is perfect chili weather!  Also, I pump up the raw garlic, ginger and cumin during cold and flu
season.  Serve it up.

Basic Soup Starter    (Four Servings)

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 pound ground meat (I usually use high quality turkey)*
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons 21 Seasoning Salute (from Trader Joe's but any all purpose salt-free seasoning will work)
1 1/2 cups of chopped celery
1 1/2 cups of chopped carrots
16 ounces broth {gluten free} * **

Directions
On medium heat add olive oil, garlic, ginger and onion to a dutch oven. Saute ingredients until onions are starting to get translucent.  Add turkey, salt, and seasoning and mix all together until meat is no longer pink. Add carrots and celery when meat is almost done. Add broth.

At this point you can diverge to create any soup that can dream up!  See the next post for Vegetable Bean Turkey Chili and Turkey Noodle Soup!

*Leave meat out and use vegetable broth for vegetarian option!

**If you want to make a larger soup, increase broth amount and add additional veggies and spices to taste.

Sausage Kale Soup: Quick and Easy {Gluten Free}

I have eaten it. I have loved it. I needed to make it!

I googled the above recipe name, perused the various recipes, and came up with this winner.

My mom stopped by in rush hour traffic to try it, DaveBee wants it to enter our weekly rotation, and there is ONE small bowl left over.  This is a MUST make this week! Check it out:

Sausage Kale Soup

Ingredients
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion chopped
10 Small Potatoes chopped to about 1/2 inch pieces
2 - 32 oz. Boxes of Broth (chicken or vegetable, gluten free)
5-6 Italian Sausages (uncooked and gluten free)
1 Head of Kale chopped (or 3/4 bag of Trader Joe's organic cleaned and cut kale)
Red Pepper Flakes
Salt to taste

Directions
Saute 2/3 of chopped onion in olive oil at bottom of a dutch oven (can use a soup pot too!) on low-medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Add broth and potatoes.  Bring to boil then turn down to simmer.

Add red pepper flakes to pot.  Start light and you can always add more later if you want more of a kick.

While dutch oven simmers and soften potatoes, saute the rest of the onions and cook sausage in a separate frying pan.  When sausage is cooked, cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Add sausage and contents of frying pan (optional) to the pot.

Add chopped kale.  Add salt and red pepper flakes to taste.

Stir it up and simmer until dinner time!!

So, go and make it.  Tell me your variations. And impress your loved ones.