Healthy Soup Tuesday - Sausage, Kale and Butternut Squash

I found this recipe last week and made it for my family with rave reviews all around!  The most time consuming task is the slicing and dicing.  This could be easily done the day before to save time and refrigerated until you are ready to make your soup.  This soup is low in calories and sodium and high in fiber...It's a Win Win!  This is going in my regular meal rotation!  I served it with fresh baked corn bread (used a mix) but drizzled honey it top of it for the last minute or two of baking.  

Soup ingredients:  1-2 packages Italian turkey sausage - uncooked, 2 grated garlic cloves, 8 cups chicken broth, 3 cups butternut squash (peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes).  Buy precooked cubed butternut squash at your grocery store to save time, 4 cups chopped Kale (organic of possible), salt and pepper to taste, 2 14 ounce cans cannelini or red kidney beans, Parmigiano cheese grated, Ditali dried pasta or any small tubular dried pasta

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat sprayed with olive oil cooking spray.  Remove sausage from casings and add to pot.  Toss casings.  Brown for 7-8 minutes using a fork to break piece apart.  Add garlic and cook 4-5 minutes.  When sausage is browned, add broth to pan using a wooden spoon to scrape up all of the brown sausage bits from the bottom of the pan. Raise heat to high and bring soup to a boil.  Add butternut squash cubes and cook for 20-25 minutes or until soft.  10 minutes before serving, add dried pasta,  beans and Kale. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Make sure pasta is finished before serving.  

Ladle into individual bowls and serve with grated Parmigiano cheese on top.  Delicious!!

Cut the warm cornbread into squares and serve with butter and honey.  Enjoy and Happy Tuesday

Soup of the Week - MEXICAN CORN SOUP

                                                          Mexican Corn Soup  

Here's an easy soup with a bit of a kick for a chilly fall day. Perfect to serve after apple picking or a day at the pumpkin patch.  ! So grab your ingredients and let's get started! It's a hearty meal in itself and fun when accompanied with cornbread muffins! This recipe makes 8 servings.

Ingredients : 

4 cups frozen corn
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 of a 4 ounce can of green chile peppers diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups 1% milk
1 cup chopped cooked boneless skinless chicken
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 

In a blender or food processor combine 2 cups frozen corn and all of the chicken broth.  Cover and blend until smooth.

In a large saucepan, combine the corn/broth puree, the remaining corn, chile peppers, dried oregano, salt, pepper and garlic.  Bring to boiling and reduce heat.  Simmer very gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes.  Add chicken, milk and tomatoes and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Remove saucepan from heat.  Stir in cheese (small amounts at a time) until completely melted.  Serve up and enjoy!!